Saturday, Lord Ballington, Major Dammit, and myself hied ourselves southward in the setting sun to attend the Gray Ball, commemorating the birthday of Oscar Wilde's Very Good Friend, Mr. Dorian Gray, held on the grounds of the beautiful and historical Spanish Governor's Palace.
It was a very lush and well tended garden/patio area, with an abundance of wonderful plantings and charming seats, and the lighting was
really quite magical. There was even a wishing-well! The bands were good. Vendors were few, but of good
quality. I wish the vendors had better lighting. There was neither food
nor beverage. I don't know if that was a restriction of the venue, or an
oversight of the organizers. I know liquor laws in Texas are both obscure and antiquated, but at least water, tea, and/or sodas might have been made
available? I know of some events and venues that have gotten around the silly liquor law
thing by taking "suggested donations" for beverages.
Anyway...overall,
it was chilly and not well-attended, and honestly, I think that since
there were so few people, *everyone* who came out should have been
extended an invitation to whatever "VIP" thing happened afterward, but
then again I am an inclusive sort of person. Mostly, I felt as if I was a
party crasher rather than an invited guest. Though, I guess as a paying
customer, I didn't really have the right to feel much of anything other
than "did I get my money's worth"...honestly, no. (Though, to be fair, some of the
evening's "meh" factor may have been that I have been ill all week and
still don't really have my energy back, so I was not as outgoing or
sociable as I might have otherwise been.)
right next to the large birthday gathering. The birthday gentleman made us feel very welcome after we helped sing to him, and
gave us flan cake made by his sister. We posed for pictures (Lord Ballington placed his top hat upon the gentleman), wished him a very happy
birthday, and thanked him for the cake.
Anyway...overall, it was chilly and not well-attended, and honestly, I think that since there were so few people, *everyone* who came out should have been extended an invitation to whatever "VIP" thing happened afterward, but then again I am an inclusive sort of person. Mostly, I felt as if I was a party crasher rather than an invited guest. Though, I guess as a paying customer, I didn't really have the right to feel much of anything other than "did I get my money's worth"...honestly, no. (Though, to be fair, some of the evening's "meh" factor may have been that I have been ill all week and still don't really have my energy back, so I was not as outgoing or sociable as I might have otherwise been.)
