Off to see the Lizard

We’re headed to Margaritaville tomorrow! Never mind that it’s Teen Angel’s first day of school. Are you banned from the Parents Hall of Fame if you miss your daughter’s first day of eleventh grade in order to go to a Jimmy Buffett concert? Once we drop her off for school we will head to Cincinnati where we will join 22,500 other people at Riverbend for a little tailgating and a whole lot of music and dancing. It’s the one time of year when we cut loose and really live it up. Since the tailgating starts about 24 hours before the show, by the time we get there things should be good and wound up as Daddy says.

The Cincinnati Parrot Heads are a lively group. They come from all over the country. They bring grills.And portable beaches. And RV’s with grass skirts and coconut bras. And lots and lots of portable blenders. There are slip ‘n slides, cornhole games and local bands. It’s the show before the show.

We’ve always gone to Buffett concerts in Cincinnati. We tried the show in St. Louis last year because it was closer, but the Parrot Heads there were just a little too….um…reserved. They just weren’t as fun. Although, I did meet a nice pirate. So it’s back to Cincinnati for us where the lawn should fill up by 7pm.By 8pm we’ll be swaying our grass skirts along the banks of the Ohio River, escaping the chaos and stress of our lives for just a few hours to the tunes of Jimmy and the Coral Reefers. It’s a show that never gets old for me.

The first time I saw Jimmy, we had sixth row seats.And Sissy was with us. (The vanity in me wants you to know that the grass skirt makes me look unusually hippy.) We’re not that close to the stage this time, but we’re still in the pavilion so we have seats if our knees give out. I’ve packed my parrot flip flops. And my flamingo headband and grass skirt and beads and all of the other silly stuff that makes Hubby a wee bit embarrassed to get into a cab with me. I’m looking forward to this little break. We need it..badly. Some of you who stop by here regularly have some big stresses in your lives right now, too, so tomorrow I will raise a toast to you my friends and dance a little dance for you, hoping you find a little Margaritaville in your lives soon. Click your heels together three times and repeat after me: Phins up!!