Kissed by the Irish

On Tuesday evening - St. Patrick's Day - Dale and Carol joined us at the Tiki Hut for drinks and cards. While playing, we realized that we only had a month to wait before the Jimmy Buffett concert in Dallas This will be the fourth year in a row that the Tiki Gal and I have gone to Dallas to see Buffett, three of those years with Dale and Carol.

The first year, the Tiki Gal and I didn't know what to expect. Dale and Carol had been to many Buffett concerts before but we had not. We had heard about the Parrotheads, of course, but like Jimmy says, "Don't try to describe a Kiss concert if you've never seen it." His concerts are much the same. We've seen women in grass skirts and coconut bras and debated on whether there was anything underneath. Unfortunately, we've also seen men in the same outfit. Buffett fans seem to range in age from four to ninety-four because we've seen little kids on their birthday parties as well as older folks in their Hawaiian shirts.

The concert was at the Smirnoff Music Center which is a half-covered, half open air auditorium. The front half of the area had a roof and had assigned seats. The back half was a grassy hill open to the sky. Our seats were near the back of the covered area so we had a good view of the folks on the grass. They brought blankets, lawn chairs or just themselves and picked any spot that was not already taken. Before the concert started, a man and woman behind us began complaining about the twenty-somethings. Apparently, they didn't approve of the drinking and the skimpy clothes. Imagine our surprise, then, when the concert started and the complainers busted out a joint and lit up. I guess their views on what is acceptable are a little different than mine.

One of the twenty-something couples was sitting in front of us. It was a humid night and the twentyish guy was really dancing. Not well and not to the beat, but he was really energetic. He must have gotten really sweaty because he grabbed a shirt that the people in front of him had draped over the back of their chair and wiped his face with it. He then placed it carefully back where he found it. He was quite the gentleman.

And the finishing touch to the concert occurred near the end. A lady sitting behind Carol had a little too much of something - probably the joint - and started yelling as loud as she could for no reason whatsoever. We think it was supposed to be a cheer of some kind but it just sounded like a long, moaning yell. Sort of like "Aaaangghhhhh," over and over again. She then started leaning on the back of Carol's head as she yelled. "Aaaangghhhhh," right in Carol's ear. It is difficult to concentrate on the music when there is a crazy lady on top of you yelling at the top of her lungs, but we did our best and had a great time anyway - except maybe for Carol.

On St. Patrick's Day, Dale and I tried two Irish beers that we haven't had before as well as a beer from America's oldest brewery.

Beamish Irish Stout

Color: Dark chocolate.

Skunkiness: 0 skunks.

Taste: Slightly malty with a mild coffee taste.

Comments: The first of our beers from Ireland was a hit; we would have this one again. Even the Tiki Gal thought it was drinkable.

Carol Rating: 5 on her scale of 1 or 5.

Rating: 4 pints out of 5.

Murphy's Stout

Color: Dark chocolate

Skunkiness: 0 skunks.

Taste: Pleasant with a mild chocolate taste.

Comments: This beer started off poorly for me because I took a sip and found a string in my mouth. The Tiki Gal had poured the beer so, of course, I accused her of getting a hair in my beer. She said it was yarn and not a hair, however, and she had never knitted as far as I know. In any case, starting off with a string in your beer is not a good thing.

Carol Rating: 1. Carol said it was a one dimensional beer and she was whelmed by it (as opposed to overwhelmed or underwhelmed). The Tiki Gal said it was not drinkable. This is why they have to have their own ratings. Dale and I enjoyed it.

Rating: 3.5 pints.

Yuengling Black and Tan

Color: Black with a tan head (of course).

Skunkiness: 0 skunks.

Taste: A well balanced beer. Good but not memorable.

Comments: The Yuengling brewing company in Pottsville, Pennsylvania is the oldest brewing company in the United States. Dale has a source that can get Yuengling for us occasionally but it is not sold in Oklahoma.

Carol Rating: 5. She said it "Tastes like beer. Nonoffensive." High praise in the Carol beer world. The Tiki Gal said it was drinkable as well.

Rating: 3.5 pints.

Carol won at Cutthroat in another rout. She must be slipping cards up her sleeves or something. Dale and I won at Pitch and Dale won Oh Hell!

The Tiki Gal and I also remembered a few Charlie Brown moments from past cruises so I'll be passing those on later in the week. Until then, just remember that its five o'clock somewhere.