Senior Trip

Well, that was nice. Mama Turista's official retirement started off with a bang and a margarita or three, and the train kept a rollin' all the way through Sunday. The River Walk was predictably abuzz Friday night, but it's fun to play tourist (hey!) every now and again. The highlight of the evening had to be Olive's impromptu dance performance with the strolling mariachis, complete with skirt swishing, panty flashing, and arm moves that can only be compared to Uma Thurman's in the dance scene in Pulp Fiction. And who knew Peach knew when to shout, "Tequila!" We sang. People stopped and stared. And applauded. And Olive bowed. Repeatedly. I just can't imagine where she gets it.

On Saturday, we took in the Botero exhibit at the San Antonio Museum of Art - the site of a most festive wedding reception nearly 10 years ago, if memory serves ... sigh. Peach and Mama Turista participated in a real live drawing class, which was part of the museum's family activity series, and while the three other kids in the class chose to sketch a still life of a giant pear, Peach chose this:

The other kids were done in 15 minutes, pastel shading and all. My little artiste? Almost an hour. Aside from the portraits, that was the most detailed work she could have chosen, and the teacher admired her attention to every. little. flower.

On Sunday, we had lunch with the darling Opie and sufficiently smothered his strawberry blond head (emphasis on the strawberry) with shugah. How sweet do bambinos smell? Love it.

All in all, a great weekend, and Mama Turista enjoyed her first days of freedom immensely. I remember when my granddaddy (her dad) retired from the plant, gold watch and all, and he seemed so much older than she does. However, she and my grandmother are going on one of those cruises to Alaska this summer, with about a bajillion other blue-haired Catholics, and she's just sure that with her shoulder trouble and dietary restrictions, she'll fit right in. Good Lord.

P.S. I have had the majority of this typed out TWICE since I've been home, and stupid Blogger keeps LYING about automatically saving it for me. So the staleness is totally stupid Blogger's fault. Not mine. So there.