Today is an important day as it's my mate Mary's birthday!  She's prettier than in this picture, but this is as good as I could get with the lighting and the bad resolution on my camera.  And it also didn't show off her new outfit that she bought especially.  Tonight she was sporting a Native American theme.  It worked.  She also didn't know I was taking this picture because I'm so stealthy.

For her party we all went to the trendy West Lynn Cafe.  I'd never been, and I'd have felt totally out of place if I wasn't with Mary and her friends Jason and Tillie.  All instantly likeable people.  I had something poncey with squash and garlic, and a starter of chutney and brie.  And a sneaky sip of some of the wine because I couldn't afford to pay for more than a sip of the stuff even though it was the cheapest there!  We presented a Mary with various gifts and a cake that Tillie and I had made.  An endearingly lopsided red velvet cake with all the toppings that HEB has to offer.  I'm sure she figured it out.  Maybe when it was when I told her "we're making you a cake Mary".

Then we all went out to Donn's Depot the "Biggest Piano Bar in Texas".  That's a tall promise.  It may well have been.  We packed into one corner of one of the disembodied train cars that made the dance floor and seating areas and ordered a "loose caboose".  All of us were too shy to go dance... we were all about 30 years younger than anyone on the dance floor and I don't know if we'd know how to swing like them anyhow.  The people at Donns all look like regulars, and all kind of look like Donn.  While Mary and her friend went up to the bar to order drinks a couple of good ol' boys asked me and Tillie if we wanted to dance.  Or at least I think they did.  One frattish looking lad in a UT baseball cap leaned over to us and said "My friend here is line dance champion 2000 of Marfa, Texas"... and continued, "but he doesn't have anybody to dance with."  We politely declined.  I've got an objection against dancing with any guy who would wear his hat indoors, but it was a nice compliment.  Mary and her friend however were more lucky and came back from the bar with drinks that had been bought for them.  That's more like it!  We requested "Proud Mary" and they played it.  Yay!  Happy Birthday Mary!

here's some of tillie's house.  i love her rooster theme.  the above rooster is real, the one below is not.