Late Friday night, we started our weekend together, sitting on the patio enjoying the cool breeze while holding hands and taking in a few stars. Saturday morning we woke up and ate waffles, then headed to the "big" town Ennis, TX without much of a plan. No plan is a bit of change in our lives for the most part.
We took off with a map to Bardwell Lake in Ennis; our only schedule was to visit the Galaxy Drive-In later that evening. The adventure began with the purchase of a big Diet Coke topped off with Fanta Strawberry. (Yummy - yes we both enjoy this fab drink!!) Our drive in included reading aloud all the billboards - including ones that advertised Beaver Nuggets at Buc-ees! We wondered what exactly a Beaver Nugget was. Unfortunately, it turned out that Buckees was about 100 plus miles beyond our destination. Sounds like the makings of a new adventure, maybe...
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| Boba Fett |
One could argue that a proper road trip would have to include a stop at an out-of-town Walmart. This trip supported that argument. We pulled off to pick up some ATM cash and see if the local Wally World had a raft suitable for lake floating. In addition, we took in the essentials of trying on eye glasses glasses and looking at the latest Star Wars toys!! Surprisingly enough, we could find no rafts.
Raftless, we pushed on to Bardwell Lake!! Whoops missed our exit! Being directionally challeneged, that's par for the course for us. And really, like the Walmart visit, is it a road trip if you don't have to double back at least once?
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| Pic from the Highview Marina website |
Bardwell is a small lake with a marina. We got to the convenience store/bait shop to grab a drink and some chips. Once inside, we smelled the minow tanks! Stephen had forgotten the alluring scent of stink bait, but it came back with a vengence the second that door swung open. While the regulars seemed just fine ordering bologna sandwiches, we thought it would be best to stay with sealed foods, like Snapple tea and Fritos.
For some reason, we decided to rent a canoe. Yes, a canoe. Chas's last time in one if those was like almost 20 years ago and Stephen's last time sent him in endless circles!!! Nonetheless, we wanted to try.
Wading through a field of massive bugs to find our canoe and drag it to the shoreline, we hit the water wearing life vests like corsets and paddles in hand. Ahhhh, we made it on the water! The sun was beaming down as we found our paddle strokes to much surprise! Sipping tea and giggling as the canoe shook made Stephen more than a tad bit nervous, but watching the cranes and seeing a few fish splash on the calm lake was worth the "risk." Even though it wasn't that hot (we are in Texas, right?), we start to cook within an hour. Luckily, we were at a lake, so we decided to turn in the canoe and head to the swimming area.
We questioned whether we should wear shoes down to to the shore or just go with our bare feet?? Screw it bare feet it is!!! We felt the mud between our toes: squish, squish!! Stephen has never experienced this and was a little grossed out. As we got into deeper water, we enjoyed the cold current on the bottom!!! We watched the boats speed by and snuck in a few kisses. We got back on shore and sat in the sun for a little while (half of us had a few zzzzz's). It was very relaxing to listen to waves and people playing.
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| Mmmmm... booty. |
Unfortunately, the ants decided they liked us and chomped on Chas's butt a couple times! We decided that fighting carnivorous ants was too much hassel for a holiday weekend (their sheer numbers put them ahead every time), so we left to find the campground showers and clean up for a pre-movie dinner.
When travelling, the rule is: don't eat at a chain restaurant. We saw billboards advertising the Ennis truck stop cafe and Bubba's BBQ & Steakhouse. As appealing at a truck stop cafe sounds (especially a truck stop cafe that actually uses "truck stop cafe" in their name), we decided on Bubba's and were not disappointed. The food was excellent (rib plates for both of us) and the service was both friendly and on task (even though the buffet/not-a-buffet concept was a little disjointed for us first-timers).
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| frozen margarita = yummy |
We finished eating with a couple of hours to spare before the show, so we decided to try and find a bar with a happy hour. Despite the fact we had never been to Ennis, we didn't have much trouble running across a nice little Mexican restaurant with a "Happy Hour" sign prominently displayed by the front door. This, like Bubba's, turned out to be a winner. The Happy Hour margaritas were well above the "quality" we expected. We liked them so much, we had and extra round and were a little late leaving for the movie.
We arrived at the Galaxy Drive-In at about 6:30pm. The Galaxy has 4 screens, an 18-hole putt putt course, and a concessions' bar that sells edible (albeit health-questionable) snacks and T-Shirts. A single ticket for a double feature is dirt cheap. Regardless of any criticisms we may have of the Galaxy, we spent less money the whole day (including driving, eating and gasoline) than we would have just seeing one movie in a chain theater in Fort Worth.
We arrived at around 6:30pm and found a great spot. We bought tickets to see "Machete" and "Takers." The movie didn't start until around 8:30pm, but we beat the crowd (yes, there was a crowd) and had plenty of time to walk around. Our first stop was the concession building. The entrance from the picnic area was right in between the prominately marked bathroom doors. While the food here was no more (or less) healthy than the standard offerings at any other movie establishment, having to pass in between two public bathrooms (whose doors are perpetually open) definitely deters the appitite. (A word of warning though: if the hot dog leaves pink food coloring residue on the bun, walk away.)
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| ...Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? |
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| Chasity overcomes childhood fears. |
The 18-hole putt putt course was surreal to say the least and has several noteworthy features. First, there is a locked cage at one of the holes. When I say "locked cage," I mean an empty -but locked - jail cell for one. We assume that Galaxy placed it there so parents may gleen credibility when threatening unruley kids. The decor included Raggedy Ann and Andy saluting you.
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| Two peas in a pod, Spongechas Stephenpants. |
There's nothing really wrong with Raggedy Ann and Andy, but they are a bit old school. Further, Chas doesn't care for them, but she posed for a picture nonetheless. Next to them, Spongebob is absolutely tickled to see you. Of course, he is always tickled to see people, isn't he?
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| The turkey-dragons watch over us all. |
There is also a really cool light post... with dragons. If you look closely though, you can see that the dragons' wings are bolted on; maybe they were just snakes and someone "spiced them up" a bit. Further, they have wattles under their chins (like a turkey's) that terminate to a globe. We believe that wattles of this nature on a dragon would probably be uncomfortable, highly un-practical and kind of gross.
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| That's not a big rip, that's a "hazard." |
And finally, one of the last holes had a giant patch of artificial turf seemingly "chewed" away. Now, Galaxy only charges $3 for a game ($4 for two games) so we're not surprised that it has been left unrepaired. Nonetheless, we choose to believe that they have left it there since it is truly a unique and effective hazard.
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If camels have "toes," do bears have "claws?" |
On the way back from the putt putt course, we passed by a metal fence that had Smokey the Bear painted on it. The artwork showed him pointing to a sign that encouraged everyone to buy snacks from the concession stand so the drive-in can stay in business. The blatant parody of Smokey's "catch phrase" from years' ago ("... only you can stop forest fires,") wasn't lost on us. It was overshadowed though, by the extremely huge eyes and abnormally pudgy crotch of Smokey. Never having met the bear in person, we didn't want to be rude, but this was freakish. Also, he had a shovel next to him as if to warn those who might be smuggling in Twizzlers from the outside... Scarey stuff, for sure.
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| lolpix.com |
Having been properly freaked out by Smokey, we decided to stop and get some snacks on the way back to the car. The concessions' bar was very crowded and confusing, to say the least. Dazed customers were moving in and out like zombies in a "Dr. Suess on Ice" Living Dead spectacular. For sheer entertainment's sake (we're sure), someone organized the flow of customers to come in at each end of the bar and exit at the middle... together... by the soda fountain... and the condiments. Patrons, two-fisting cotton candy and popcorn, clenched empty styrofoam cups under their chins and piled up in the center of the snack bar. They had no where to go as they waited for those in front of them, one person at a time, to fill their drinks and squirt mustard on their hot dogs.
As if the potential for excitement wasn't exhausted, we were amazed to find there were actually two clerks assigned for each line. Inevitably, customers always queued in front of the first clerk, unaware of the second. We watched the petite, young second clerk on our side as she tried to yell over the rabble of the hungry movie-goers. No one could really hear her. She would seem to get annoyed and try again, only to continue to be ignored , making her even more frustrated. We were visually captivated by the mayhem, but were unable to stay as the waves of Snack Walkers pushed us through the side door exit.
Back at the car, we listened to "Galaxy Radio," the theater's oldies station. While each screen did have a specific FM radio station assigned to it, Galaxy had working metal speakers that you can hang on the side of your window during the movie - just like the times before THX. This brought a certain charm and disctinction to the venue and moved any idiosyncratic foibles to the background.
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| After doing his part to support Drive-In's across America, Buzz Lightyear eats one of those hot dog that makes the bun turn bright pink and runs to the potty. |
A little after 8:30pm, the show started. Before the movie, they showed a couple of advertisements from the 50's or 60's. One was about pickles and it was quite promiscuous. And, as if Smokey the subliminal bear wasn't enough, they showed a grainy, dreary, PSA-type documentary on the "plight of the drive-in." Basically, they just wanted us to buy food from the concessions' bar again. They should stick to Smokey - aside from the oversized eyeball-crotch thing, he's less creepy.
"Machete" was exactly what we thought it would be. We do know what we like but we are not movie critics; so, we'll leave commentary on the pictures to a minimum:
- "Machete" is a movie made to be watched at a drive-in and we're lucky to have done so.
- The second movie,"Takers," sucked. Don't spend your money on it.
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| This picture came from: adventuresinastrophotography.com |
Upon our next visit to the drive-in, we will be sure to bring:
- An air matress for the truck bed. (Our booties still hurt.)
- A couple of blankets and maybe a jacket. (It got a little cold.)
- A portable radio. (While the metal box speakers were neat, they we're very loud for the movies.)
All in all, our experience at the Galaxy was memorable and fun. Therefore, we give the Galaxy in Ennis, TX four out of five spades: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠
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