Ebby and me at the Mississippi border.

Closeup of the Chihuahua with an attitude!

Ebby and me at the Louisiana Border

Ebby and me at the Texas border.

The trip back was another story.  There were three of us, Me, Scott, and our three year old grandson William in the front cab of our little truck for the 14 hour trip back home.  Ebby lived in my lap the entire ride back.  All is well though.  We made it home without incident, unless you count the first hour in the truck when William turned to me and basically lost all his orange juice he had taken in before we left.  It was a mess, but we survived.

This year my dad and I competed in the King and Queen Dance again.  There were 21 couples competing this year and we didn’t even make it past the first cut.  We had fun though and the couple who won were far superior dancers and will represent the festival well in the year to come.

Pardon the No Smoking sign, the moment was right so the photo was taken.

It is so wonderful for a daughter to be able to dance with her father!

Are we having fun yet? or Will this song ever end?

My Daddy and Me!

All the contestants are positioned around the dance floor.

Here is the video of our 2009, meager attempt at stardom…

On Saturday, we went to the parade as usual, but the parade was a huge disappointment this year.  Not only did it start about an hour late because of an inadvertently parked train across the intersection, but there were bands included in the floats that had absolutely NOTHING with Czech heritage, except perhaps that the members were residents of the greater Ennis area.  These bands were beyond metal in flavor and there was not a polka to be found.  Sad, really.  If Ennis wants to do something to promote the Polka Festival in the future they might want to try updating the website and begin thinking “nationally” again.  They are, after all, the National Polka Festival.  Ok, rant is over…  The best part of the parade for me was seeing Ebby all decked out in her costume.  She is truly a Czech/Mex dog!  Ha Ha

This is why the parade is late!!

Am I handsome or what?

Nana, William, Bryan (my son), Sara (his wife), and Ebby waiting for the parade

We will not be attending this festival next year (or probably for a few years to come), mainly because we want to go visit some other festivals in other parts of the country.  Now that I have my supply of costumes, we can dance in style throughout Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Ohio, to name a few.  Stay tuned here for updates on our adventures to a polka festival near you.

Here is the vest that I asked you all to help me with choosing the trim colors and configuration.  I went with option #2 and then spiced up the configuration to give the vest a “look at me” quality, an essential quality when involved in a dance contest.  Let me know what you think…good or bad, constructive critisim is always welcome!

Front of Dad's Vest

Back of Dad's Vest

The dress ensemble is mine to wear in the King and Queen Polka Dance Contest. The slacks, shirt and vest combination are for my father who will be competing with me. Let’s face it, I would look pretty silly out there dancing alone!!

I also made a vest to match my dress for my husband, Scott, who, although he likes to dance with me, does not embrace the same competitive gene that my father and I possess. Last, but not least, the little vest at the bottom left belongs to my grandson, William, who, if I have anything to do with it, will be learning some really cool dance steps next month.

This project was a lot of fun. There was no knitting involved, but the sewing, lace, hand embroidery, and trim work allowed me to be creative and do my own thing. I already have my color scheme picked out for next year’s costume. We are seriously going to have to investigate going to Illinois, Nebraska or Wisconsin for some other festivals during the year. Why save these costumes for only once a year?

We are finally getting back in the swing of things here at the house (pun intended) after being gone over the Memorial Day Holiday. The weather here is so dry compared to what it was this year in Ennis, TX. Everyday we were there it rained and was basically soupy everywhere you walked.

Thursday morning we left for Texas after dropping the dogs off at the Doggy Hotel. They seem to love it there. When we walked in both dogs just walked through the door to the kennel in the back without even saying goodbye. It was kind of funny.

We spent the night in Shreveport, LA at one of our favorite hotels. Dining that night was at a little local place called the Blind Tiger. The resturant has this name because apparently when it was founded, during prohibition, the term “blind tiger” was used for establishments that had alchol available in a back room, etc.

Friday evening we went to the K.J.T. where the King and Queen contest was being held and the first dancing of the weekend was to be found. We were not overly impressed with the band as they seemed to be highly unorganized and took very long breaks between each song they played. The evening held a pleasant surprise for us though as we visited with my extended family we found out that my cousin Lindsey was going to be competing in this year’s contest. It was a last minute decision on her part and finding a costume was apparently quite an ordeal. She was able to rent one though and she looked fabulous!!

In the photo above I am wearing a top that I made to go with Scott’s new costume vest. Unfortunately we did not get a photo of the two of us wearing them at the same time.

When it came time for the contest we all stood around one corner of the dance floor and whooped and hollered for her and her partner. They were such a perfect match and two of the best dancers out there. We were so excited when they won!

Saturday morning we made it to the parade route just as it was beginning. It was already drizzling when we arrived and the rain continued to get heavier until the parade ended. The street dance was called off and we really felt sorry for the vendors this year since all of their venue is outside.

We met my Dad again this year at the Sokol and made the rounds of the three halls throughout the day dancing and eating and dancing some more. We also ran into Joe again this year and I danced a couple of polkas and waltzes with him. He is a very good dancer, but the main thing he likes to do is spin in circles. So, when I feel like spinning I dance one with Joe and try to keep from getting dizzy. At least this year I remembered to bring more sensible shoes. Scott wore his new costume vest and I wore my costume from last years festival. Next year I will be wearing a new costume that I have already started working on.

Sunday we attended the Polka Mass at the Knights of Columbus. The songs throughout the service were done to Czech music and prior to the service the Choir, in costume, were singing Czech hymns. When service concluded we headed on over to the Sokol to hear Vrazel’s Polka Band and so I could enjoy one last set of dances with my dad for the year.

I was sad to see this one end, but there is always (hopefully) next year.

We left the festival and went out to Mom’s place in the country. The property they have is quite secluded and completely surrounded by trees. Clearing the property has been something they have enjoyed doing and the area for the house is pretty much ready for construction to begin. There is a beautiful oak tree on their property that is just screaming for a tree house and I have been meaning to take a picture of it, so it is down below. This tree will be just off the back of the house when it is built so I wanted a photo pre-house.

Anyway, I gave mom her Mother’s Day present, a bit late, and she seemed to be pleasantly surprised. Then we gathered up our belongings and headed for their lake house to spend the night. We had a wonderful fire in the fire pit and Scott caught a very nice bass.

The next day we had a family get together/cookout. Everyone brought something and we had a nice visit with my aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. On the last full day we had with Mom she and I took off early, ate breakfast at a diner and hit the thrift shops as soon as they opened. I came away with 11 pairs of shorts, several tops, and two pair of jeans. The guys loaded the trailer with the last of our storage stuff while we shopped.

The trip this year was much different than last years and I really can’t wait for next year! The reservations are made and the countdown has begun. Whoo-Hooo!!