THursday 6-25-26 First Day of Dancing at the Square Dance Convention

 

Me, Dawn, Charles and Larry

We had an outstanding day of square dancing at the National Square Dancing Convention.

The first full day of dancing at the convention was long but fun.

The morning session of C1 dancing didn't start until 11:00 am and stopped at 2:00 pm. We got to the hall at the schedule time and the room was full. It was a small room and only held six squares. A group of square dancers were trying to get a square in the hall and they needed a man to complete the square so Larry danced with them. It was too hard to hear the caller so they just finished that tip. Larry and I went inside the room to check it out. We danced one tip but the room was so crowded you had troubles figuring things out. We moved over to the A2 hall. We danced with our friends Kathy from Hewitt, Barbara from San Antonio, Sunshine from Austin, Brenda and Mike from Austin. Larry danced with me most of the time, we were in the hall for an hour and a half. He sat out a couple of tips and took pictures while I danced with Barbara. We also danced with friends from Lubbock (Vicki, Jess, Ida and Garland).  We went back to the C1 hall and danced one tip. It was still too busy and we weren't having fun. We were tired so we walked back to the hotel to rest.

Dancing with Barbara and having fun

Barbara and me

Brenda waving and Mike saying hi

Kathy in red top and Sunshine in the blue skirt dancing with Brenda and Mike

We were back dancing at 6:30 in the A1 hall. We danced there until C1 started up again at 7:00. In the A1 hall we had four squares and we danced to John Kephart (our Tuesday A1 caller). We had a lot of fun. We left the A1 hall after John called and went to the C1/C2 hall. We were in a bigger hall then this morning. We had eight squares for C1 and C2 had three squares. This hall alternated C1 and C2. We danced in this hall for about an hour and a half . We danced to Tim Ploch, Daryl Lipscomb and Ted Lizotte. We were able to dance with our friends Susan and Henry. We watched friends dancing C2. Some of the friends were Kenneth, Susan, Cindy and Robert from the Dallas Area. Matthew from Oklahoma, Mathew use to live in Texas. We had fun watching friends dance C2. It was a lot of fun dancing C1 with friends and meeting other dancers. 

Ray Brendzy calling C2 to friends 

Lynn (in front of Dean) and Don (blue shirt), Kenneth (the colorful shirt) dancing with friends

Bonnie ( black shirt and shorts) and Paul dancing with friends

Michael Kellogg (long beard) dancing with friends

Cindy back to us and Robert (square dance tee-shirt) dancing with friends

The three squares for C2 getting ready to dance

About 8:30 we decided to walk around and check out the Plus and Mainstream halls. The Plus hall was huge and must have had over forty squares. A lot of the dancers were dressed up in square dancing outfits and they looked great. We saw a few people we knew and watched them a bit, then we went to the Mainstream Hall. This hall had a live band but wasn't as busy. It also had all the vendors. While walking through the area we bumped into John Carlson and his wife Sharon, they were at a booth. We visited with them. As we continued to walk around we saw Joyce, Charles and Grace from the Tool area. I talked to Lois from Austin. 

Larry treated me to a Blue Bell Ice Cream Sandwich. After dessert we went to the A2 Hall and danced to Michael Kellogg and Allen Hall. We danced with Dan and Gail Clairmont and Dawn and Charles DeWitt. We had a great time. Once again we were home about 10:00.

We had a super day of dancing.   

When I wasn't dancing I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Experts Only Mini of five games. It took me 42 minutes and 45 seconds to complete, which put me in 15th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2. I ended up doing 11,000 steps.  

     

Wednesday 6-24-26 75th National Square Dancing Convention Begins

 

I'm so excited!

We had a exciting day! Today started the 75th National Square Dancing Convention in Waco. This is the first time we have been to a National Square Dancing Convention so this is exciting. 

We got up at our normal times, Larry at 5:45 and me at 7:30, not normal but close 8:00. We didn't leave the house to go to Waco until noon because check-in time at the hotel isn't until 3:00. 

When I got up Larry was crafting. He wanted to assemble the Jack-O-Lantern he cut yesterday. The new Jack-O-Lantern is huge, it just fits Larry's cutting board. It looks great.

New Jack-O-Lantern on the left and old one on the right

The finished Jack-O-Lantern

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 6 games (3 Klondike and 3 Spider). It took me 15 minutes and 39 seconds to complete, which put me in 12th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

We were going to attend Di Green and Terry McCann's Weekly Plus at 10:00 but Di wrote and said the dance won't start until 10:30. We were busy getting things ready so we decided to pass.

I vacuumed the house and put things together to take with us on our road trip to Waco.

We were on the road by noon and arrived at Waco about 1:00. Waco is about 46 miles away from Belton. The main route takes you on I35. The interstate was busy. We got road construction in Waco, where they had some exits closed. Our exit wasn't affected by the closures but it did slow down the flow of traffic.

We're staying at the Residence Inn, which is three blocks from the Waco Convention Center. When we arrived we were too early to check-in. 

So we drove to the Waco Convention Center. We have been here back in 2015 for the 53rd Annual Texas State Federation Festival. The convention center is a beautiful facility. There's a gorgeous fountain in front of the main entrance. We weren't pre-registered so we had to go to the walk-in table to register. The lady, who helped us was very friendly. Larry filled out the registration form and we were assigned a number. They have a super phone app where you can schedule your dances and where to go. Larry had already downloaded the application so we just had to put in our number. The lady gave us a badge but before doing so she asked if we wanted to write our names on the badge or get the names printed on it. We decided to get them printed. She said we could pick them up at the registration window in an hour. She also said to ask for Maria because we got a door price. We walked around and talked to people we know until it was time to pick up our badges. Our number was 1836 and Maria asked if I know what happened in the year 1836. I told her no. She said it was the Battle of the Alamo and we got an American flag. She also said there were two battles within a couple of weeks of each other. The first battle the Unites States won and the second battle was won by Mexico. Mexico won the second battle because the Unites States fighters were celebrating their victory. The government couldn't get the fighters back to fight.

Our Badges

The flag we got

After getting our badges we returned to the hotel. We had a few hours to kill because the Opening Ceremony was at 7:00 and it was only 3:00. 

For dinner we tried something new. The other day when we went grocery shopping at Aldi we picked up a couple of pasta salads. We tried the Chipotle Pasta Salad. I made the pasta last night and today I made the dressing. The dressing was very easy, the kit had the Chipotle seasoning, you just had to add 3 tbsp of water and 3/4 cup of mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip). I used about half of the dressing because it was too much dressing. The salad was good. 

Chipotle Pasta Kit

 

About 6:45 we walked over to the convention center for the opening ceremony, that was at 7:00. It took place in a big room but they didn't have enough chairs to sit on and you couldn't hear the speaker. It really wasn't what we thought it would be. We thought it was going to be a grand march with a dance. We didn't stay long. We went downstairs to where the C1 and A2 halls were and relaxed at a table. We met up with Dawn and Charles from Florida (Zoom friends). We danced with Dawn and Charles most of the two hour dance. The room wasn't big enough for the amount of square dancers we had. It was very hot. Everyone was hot and sweaty. They brought in a couple of fans for the last half of the dance. We were elbow to elbow dancing. We danced to 10 different callers. They had different photo shoot areas all over the place. We did very well. The last big convention we attended was in San Francisco last July. We had to take a few breaks just to rest and cool off. We had a great time.

Dancing A2

The Alamo Mission in San Antonio (Photo Shot)

  

Texas Barn Scene (Photo Shot)

By the end of the night I had done 9,000 steps for the day. 

   

          

  

Tuesday 6-23-26 Trip Preparation, Dancing, Mowing & More

 

We had a very nice Tuesday.

Larry started the day off doing a little crafting. His next crafting project is enlarging the Halloween Jack-O-Lantern. He resized the design and decided to use the same colors he previously used. He made the patterned paper. Next he cutout the pieces. He still needs to assemble it.

The Jack-O-Lantern Larry made in 2021

We attended Di Green and Terry McCann's Weekly A2 dance at 10:00 for an hour and fifteen minutes. Di called five tips to 13 participants. Terry danced with Di for part of the dance. Larry danced four of the tips with me. Di walked us through moves we were having problems with. We had a great time dancing with friend and to Di and Terry.

Get a partner and dance

After lunch we went to town to do a few errands. First stop was at Today's Car Wash to get the car a bath. We were shocked to see the basis car wash had gone up from $7 last year to $11. But the car needed a bath. Next we stopped at the credit union to get some cash for our trip. Last was Walmart to do a little grocery shopping for our trip. 

Doing Errands

For 75 years there has been a National Square Dancing Convention. This year it's going to be in Waco. We have never been to one but with it so close we decided it was time. It starts Wednesday 6/24/26 and runs through Saturday 6/27/26. I spent part of the afternoon packing clothes for this adventure. This will be the first National Square Dancing Convention we have been to so it should be fun. We dance virtually on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with Dawn and Charles from Florida, they will be there and after dancing with them for 6 years we will finally meet them. We'll see other square dancers we haven't seen in a long time.

Larry mowed the frontyard because our mowers aren't going to mow this week and the grass is growing fast. 

Then he setup a couple of sprinklers to water part of the frontyard that the other sprinklers can't reach. He does this every year. It takes a little time to do so. While checking out the rest of the sprinklers he found one of the heads was broken so he replaced it. 

I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango of 20 games (10 Free Cell and 10 Tri Peaks). It took me 2 hours, 1 minute and 33 seconds to complete, which put me in 14th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

I worked out with the Synth Riders for 30 minutes to four songs two times. The songs were Delight, Hard To Love, New Comedown and Never Gonna Die. I didn't get any outstanding scores or new high scores but I had a great workout.

Delight

Hard To Love

Never Gonna Die

New Comedown

I played Monster Manor for 15 minutes on the Bounce Arcade. I played it twice and didn't play too well but had fun. I played Monster Manor two times. The first game was the best game. I earned a bronze trophy by Awoken the Manor once, Stunned the Manor once, became the Banister Buster. 

Monster Manor

I played eight games of pinball. I played four games on the mini cabinet, which were Guardians of the Galaxy, Medieval Madness, Red & Ted's Road Show and The Goonies. While I was playing Guardians of the Galaxy I became high score #2 and The Goonies I became high score #1. I played four games on the big cabinet, which were 24, The Beach Boys, The Godfather and Superman. I didn't get on the on the big cabinet but had fun.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Medieval Mafness

Red & Ted Road Show

The Goonies

24

Superman

The Beach Boys

The Godfather

We watched YouTube videos.

In the evening we finished watching the second season of Patience on PBS. When Larry went to bed I watched Superman from our collection of movies. I ended up doing 5,500 steps. 

 

   

Monday 6-22-26 Dancing to Di, Projects, Workout & Games

 

Awesome Monday

We had an awesome Monday. The morning temperature was 80 degrees and the high was 95 degrees. 

We started the day out by attending Di Green and Terry McCann's Weekly C1 dance at 9:00 for an hour and fifteen minutes. Terry danced a little bit with Di as she called five tips to 14 participants. Larry danced four of the five tips with me. Di does an excellent job of calling while she dances. She walked us through moves we were struggling with. We had a super time dancing to Di and Terry and with friends.

Get a partner and dance

Larry bought a couple of DVDs, which were Dune and Dune Part Two. He took a breather from crafting to work on the DVDs. He copied them into our movies collection. After doing this he inserted subtitles to the movies.

After doing this project he moved onto a computer project. Larry works with two computers while doing his projects. They both don't work the same and this bugged him. He worked on making them work the same.

While Larry worked on his projects I played games and worked out.

I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 33 minutes and 51 seconds to complete, which put me in 13th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

I worked out for an hour and a half.

I worked out on the Wii Fit for 30 minutes. I did two exercises off the Aerobics menu for 15 minutes (Hula Hoop for 2 minutes and Rhythm Boxing for 13 minutes) and three games off the Training Plus menu for 15 minutes ( Balance Bubble Plus once for 2 minutes, Obstacle Course two times for 6 minutes and Table Tilt Plus two times for 7 minutes). It was a great workout.

Hula Hoop (Aerobics)

Rhythm Boxing (Aerobics)

Balance Bubble Plus (Training Plus)

Obstacle Course (Training Plus)

Table Tilt Plus (Training Plus)

I worked out with Just Dance for 30 minutes with Just Dance 2018 for 10 minutes and Just Dance 2019 for 20 minutes. The songs I danced to on Just Dance 2018 were Blue, Bubble Pop! and Despacito. I earned three new avatars. The songs I danced to on Just Dance 2019 were Mad Love, Water Me, Finesse, One Kiss, A Little Party Never Killed No Body and Sweet Little Unforgettable Thing. I earned three new avatars. It was a good workout.

  

Songs from Just Dance 2018

Songs from Just Dance 2019

I worked out with Synth Riders for 30 minutes with three songs two times. The songs were A Matter of Time, Interstellar and Sledge. I didn't earn any outstanding scores or high scores but it was a great workout.

A Matter Of Time

Interstellar

Sledge

I played 10 games of pinball. I played five games on the mini cabinet, which were 60th Anniversary, Great Houdini, Jaws, Medieval Madness and Michael Jackson. While playing 60th Anniversary I became high score #3, Great Houdini I became high score #2 and Michael Jackson high score #3. I played five games on the big cabinet, which were 24, Big Bang Bar, Elvira Scared Stiff, The Beach Boys and The Big LeBowski. While playing 24 I got a new high score for the weekly challenge of pinball, which was 28,148,580. I became # 29 out of 44 participants. I had a fun time playing pinball.

60th Anniversary (Mini)

Great Houdini (Mini)

Jaws (Mini)

Medieval Madness (Mini)

Michael Jackson (Mini)

24 (Big)

Big Bang Bar (Big)

Elvira Scared Stiff (Big)

The Beach Boys (Big)

The Big LeBowski (Big)

We watched YouTube videos.

In the evening we continued watching the second season of Patience on PBS. When Larry went to bed I watched the last Transformers movie #7, which was Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts and Frozen 2 from our collection of movies. I ended up doing 4,000 steps.

Relaxing in front of the television