More rain, a free chicken sandwich and another surprise from Joan

This morning, while it rained, I went for a work out at the fitness center and then returned to the trailer to wait out the storm. Not wanting to watch the news while I worked out I tuned into the AMC station which usually has cowboy movies on Saturday.

On AMC, the movie “Magnificent Seven” (starring Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and James Coburn) came on and it struck a memory in me. When I was a young boy, going to a movie in a real theater was a huge event. Today, anyone can watch just about any movie in the comfort of their own home on their big screen television or even on their computer.

Joan's Chick-fil-A cup

But movies in the 1950s and 1960s were something special, an event to be cherished. When the music started playing at the beginning of the movie and the big MGM logo filled up the screen I remembered the excitement and anticipation I felt as a boy sitting in a dark theater for what was to come.

Movies were magical to me, they represented an escape from reality and at that time, they only cost a quarter at the Saturday afternoon matinee at the Montrose Theater. Going to the movies with our parents was an even bigger deal because sometimes we even went out to eat at a restaurant, a truly rare event, beforehand.

The tradition on your birthday in our house was that you got to pick what was made for dinner (we did not go out for a birthday dinner – and I always chose spaghetti) and then the birthday boy (the girls did not come along until much later and then if I recall they got to pick the movies whether or not it was your birthday or not, just kidding Pam and Laura).

Anyway, I remember one birthday (my 16^th I believe) and I had my usual spaghetti dinner and I chose the movie “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.” The movie was nearly three hours long and included nearly every Hollywood star of the time.

I just wish the movies still had that kind of “magic.”

We had a wild overnight with lots of lightning and thunder and more than an inch of rain. The prediction is for a nice day on Sunday, which would be good because we have some housekeeping to do and trailer preparation to accomplish for our escape on Monday. Also I need to dry out our large mat we keep outside the trailer door.

A few weeks ago I told you the story of the fans of the San Antonio Rampage hockey team shouting “We Want Chicken” have the team scored its third goal. At first confused we learned that with the scoring of the fourth goal everyone in the arena received a coupon for a free chicken sandwich at Chick-Fil-A.

Well that deal is only good at San Antonio area Chick-Fil-As and because the company policy is that none of their stores are open on Sunday today was the last day to collect on our free sandwich. So we headed out looking for the nearest Chick-Fil-A which was supposed to be four miles away.

What we didn’t know was that it wasn’t a free standing restaurant but part of a shopping center food court so it took us awhile to find it. But we collected our free sandwich and we have pronounced it good. It was a very good sandwich.

When we arrived home it was nearly time for the Saturday night Cowboy dance. One thing I know about my wife is that she does not really like country or western music. So like her request to go to the rodeo she surprised me again by saying she would like to go to the dance.

So at 7 p.m. we headed down to the recreation hall, which was decorated with a disco ball, lights and cowboy knick knacks and a very good disc jockey and singer.

I didn’t think Joan would last 30 minutes, but we ended up staying 2 ½ -hours and met some new folks. Two couples from Saskatchewan Canada sat with us and we had a wonderful time talking to them.

My biggest questions is who is left in Canada with so many of their people down here.