Hometown Date Night With Reanie

I'm going to write about my date night with Reanie, but I'm not going to do it justice.

First of all, I left my phone at home. After the first 15 minutes of realizing I didn't have it, I was glad I didn't have it with me anymore. More on this in a bit.

Second of all, I can't write well enough to capture what the night actually felt, but writing this doesn't cost much, and nobody is making you read it anyway, so...

It wasn't really so much a date as it was simply going to a movie with Reanie. We saw Nanny McPhee Returns. Pretty sure that was the name of it. I enjoyed the movie enough, though I hadn't seen the first one. Didn't seem to matter.

There's a movie theater in Wimberley, believe it or not. The Corral Theatre. I've seen it billed as a "Walk In" theater, which is about right. I reckon the place holds 150 people or so. It's outdoors. There are lawnchairs and some bleachers, but many people bring their own folding chairs and blankets. Several kids went all of the way up to the screen to lay on the small stage. Not very good viewing of the movie, I'm sure, but it almost doesn't matter, since it is the place and just being there that has the effect.

It was a clear night. Temps were perfect. Heck, I even put a sweatshirt over my legs towards the end. The stars up above and fireflies dancing about while a perfect movie for parents and kids was on the screen.

The Corral Theatre is just down the road from us. It would be a 35min or so leisurely walk, but we took the jeep down. Speaking of the jeep, I've had the top down since we moved here. It has rained two days since we've been here, but the tree cover is to thorough, that the seats were barely damp at all.

The movies at the Corral Theatre start at dark:30. It says so on the "marquee". They play relatively current flicks every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings from May through September. Reanie and I arrived about 15min before dark, and there were only a few seats left, though the wooden bleachers still had plenty of room. With it being just the two of us, though, we managed to find a good place.

Interestingly, there was zero of that awkwardness of finding a seat or sitting next to people you don't know. Part of it is the intimacy of the place, part of it is that it is a small town, but mostly it is just the vibe of the place where you can let your kids run around without worry, but at the same time, no kids are running around being a nuisance.

Popcorn was $1 for a bucket, and we also indulged with a can of Coke and a Dr Pepper for me. At intermission, which is when they hold a drawing for free tickets to next week's movie, Reanie went up to the concession stand on her own and picked up some candy. Even though the movie was restarted quickly, she found her way back in the dark without trouble.

I'm not sure how much Labor Day weekend had to do with it, but it seemed like a good portion of the crown wasn't local. Then again, I imagine every weekend is like that here since the center of town is just shops and such for tourists. I'm assuming that it is the folks with camera phones taking pictures at and during the movie who were/are the tourists. But to tell you the truth, if I'd had my phone, there would be a couple pics of Reanie and the theatre in this post.

Normally a phone in a theatre is annoying, but everyone was so happy and relaxed, it just wasn't a big deal. I don't remember a phone ringing during the show, but we did hear a few cars go by with loud exhaust and one definitely hot rodding around. But it didn't seem like anyone cared or was disturbed by it. Being outdoors, though, sound was different. You could hear ambient noises like the crickets and "traffic". You could hear the girls in the concession stand talking, though they were being pretty quiet. You could hear people getting resituated in their metal lawn chair. But it was nice. The movie's sound came from two big P.A. type speakers from near the screen. I think the screen is just a bunch of plywood painted white. Perfect.

So, I'm there with a pretty girl who looks as precious as can be. I looked at her several times during the show, and she'd be watching the movie intently with her hand digging for popcorn, and the combination of movie and star light was just so...she will always be 8 years old to me. Tiger print shoes, tie-dyed tights, Tenzing t-shirt, and Texas State ball cap with her sparkling eyes shining intently and sunkissed hair on her shoulders. For $5 entry and a few dollars at the concession stand, I've come away with some priceless memories of the night.