My sister and I are pretty die hard fans. Rob, well, he tolerates us. :) This weekend was the big show in Dallas and so my sister from Oklahoma met up with us for some Jimmy Buffett fun!
In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me describe to you why I love this particular weekend of the year. First of all, I get to spend an entire day with my sister. Second, the creativity is endless and the atmosphere is pure good natured fun.
In case you aren't familiar with the protocol, one must dress in appropriate attire for the Buffett concert. This usually involves something tropical or related to his songs. This year, I took advantage of my little "Andy bump" and decided to make him a beach ball popping out of my shirt. I received many approvals from a variety of fans.
Most people just go "Carribean" but I am always impressed with those that do a little further. I love the full parrot suite and accompanying flamingo of this pair. My absolute favorite, however, was a little ADORABLE boy wearing a pirate suit. He made it on the "big screen" at the show with a little sign his mom was holding that said, "Pirate looks at 4". ("Pirate looks at 40" is the name of a popular Buffett song.) I mean, this kid was so cute, he would be a good match for my little Suzaroo. It got even cuter as the concert went on and they showed him sleeping in his mommy's lap while the music roared around him.
Even pets can get in on the action.
Aside from the costumes, you must have a way to get around and view all of the variety. So, people spend MONTHS and even YEARS devising fun modes of transportation. I love this guy's creativity of the motorized bar stool. Very clever.
Most people deck out a golf cart of four wheeler in some sort of Buffett themed get-go.
The fin is a pretty standard accessory for many carts.
Gotta love this. It's a cooler on wheels! Motor in the front, beverages in the back.....
Although hard to see here, this one looks almost professionally done with a maniquin coming out of the top from a tub of margarita.
This one was my favorite this year, a bikini! Very clever!
So, then you take said transportation and see the "scenes" of the various tailgates. Here is where it can get very elaborate. Next year, we will have big scene of our own. My sister and brother and law bought an RV to deck out for just said concerts. This year, the focus was on the inside. Next year, it will be on the outside. Unfortunately, I didn't get any good shots for you... But, here is a crazy crowd who is even on the TOP of the motor home. Alcohol and heights.... hummmm....
It may be hard to tell with the photo, but I have no idea how these people got such a huge amount of sand next to their motor home. It is MASSIVE! The essentially re-created an entire beach scene.
Here is a large tractor trailer that was transformed to a Karaoke stage in the shape of a large ship.
This group had a huge sheet of ice and was pouring shots of various beverages down little slits where people would drink it up at the end. Score for creativity. Germs????? I guess the ice would melt, but I still consider the ick factor pretty high here.
These folks had a pool full of water to bask in.
This was amazing. It was a huge 30+ foot trailer completely converted into a sailing ship. Buffett has a song about the "Port of Indecision" which is where the boat got her name.
These must have been medical professionals. An IV with a booze dispenser. FUN!
My sister with a Jimmy Cut out.
Infaltaworld meets turkey fryers.
In case you don't realize this, Buffett is never a cheap show. It has a reputation for drunkard college students, but the reality is that it's really a lot of professional people who use it as a once a year big escape. It's crazy the amount of money people spend on this one weekend.
And finally, a random picture of a man who said, "I'm pretty. Take my picture!" as I was driving through the parking lot on our little golf cart. It kinda sums up the atmosphere. A lot of really nice, friendly people who are just out to forget their worries and responsibilities for the day and escape to a little "Margaritaville." I'm already looking forward to next year and trying to figure out who will watch a very small baby and a toddler...... Who knows, maybe that will be the year we induct Andy and Suzy into the "Parakeet club". :)
