My Weekend in Hill Country and Texas Dance Etiquette

I spent a long weekend with S and his family in a cabin next to the Frio River in Concan, TX.  We had a full, but fun house and the weekend was spent mostly chilling out by the river (sadly the water level and therefore the current was too low for tubing, but we had fun anyway jumping off of giant rocks and rope swings, lounging on tubes in the deeper areas and even trying a paddle board!).  Texas hill country is beautiful with the cliffs and rocks, especially at sunset with the moon hanging low in the sky.

S's brother also rented a golf cart to tote everyone around, which the kids LOVED.  According to them, it was almost as much fun as jumping off of the rope swing.  In the evenings we went to local dances  The first night it was at Joe Jimmy's, which is owned by the company we rented the cabin from.  They had a live band (it was eh) playing mostly country with a few undance-able 80's numbers, an arcade for the kids, a bar for the adults, and of course a goat.  Because what Texas hill country dance is complete without a random goat roaming around....

The second day we spent in the water at Garner State Park, which was beautiful.  I'm so excited to go back one of these days when we can actually go tubing there because I've heard the rapids are a lot of fun.  The water got semi-deep on the far side of the river, which allowed for a profusion of rope swings along that entire shore.  The rest of the river was filled with paddle boats, paddle boards, people lounging on tubes, and kids playing in the water. 

That night we went to another Texas dance, this time back at Garner State Park.  There's no alcohol allowed in Texas state parks, so there was no bar for the adults.  There was only a concession stand and a juke box, which played pretty much all country with an oldie or two thrown in.  Here is what my evening at Garner taught me about Texas dances:

1. If you are a girl, the standard outfit is cowboy boots, a tank top and the shortest possible jean shorts you deem to be appropriate in public.  Naturally this varies.  Bonus points if your shirt is white or if your hair is blonde and/or curled.
2. There are two acceptable types of dancing.  The two step or a line dance.  That is it.  Do not vary, otherwise you will get trampled by the crowd of dancers all moving in the same direction.  This is not just applicable to country music - it also applies to oldies.  I did learn how to two step, but since neither S nor I were gifted with grace, it was a bit touch and go...
3. You gotta start the kids young.  I saw toddlers two stepping with eachother.  It's basically a competition to see which kids can dance with more people.  Even the shy kids are NOT shy when it comes to dancing in Texas. 

Sunday was filled with sleeping in, a monster brunch, loading the cars, and then driving home.  On the way we decided to stick with the theme of our uber-Texas weekend and we stopped off at the Texas gas station institution: Buc-ee's.  

 In addition to gas and restrooms, this mammoth store also has food, fudge, jerky, barbecue sandwiches, camo clothing, and all housegoods that are Texan.  We stocked up on their INCREDIBLE rootbeer, some chewy pralines, and kettle corn and then braved the ridiculously horrendous drivers all the way back to Houston on I-10.  All in all, it was a great weekend!