Mystery Dinner at Retama - busy times

Roger here....  We have been remiss with our postings, but we have been very busy.  Busy is good, but I do miss some of the quiet time.  Dianne has been busy helping reorganize and re-shelve the books in the Retama Village Library.  It turned into a three-day job.  


The rest of this post is pretty much all about me, so if you are only interested in Dianne, it is time to sign off.  (Dianne did take all the pictures.)


I am now serving a two-year term on the Retama Village Advisory Committee -- this year as vice-chair, next year as chair.  Since I am coordinating all the social activities (along with the excellent work of another committee member), our quiet times seem to be a thing of the past (at least temporarily).  It seems like I have returned to a full-time job :-), but that is OK.  It has been fun so far. 


Equally as time-consuming (but so much fun) has been the annual Retama Village Murder Mystery Dinner.  I thought it would be a good time, so I auditioned for one of the roles.  (Auditioning was strenuous.  I told the director that I might be interested.  She said, "You got it!")

The Demise of the Downhome Dealers was set in Mossy Bottoms, Texas.  My role as Dickie Delaney  was described in the program as a country western band member, not the smartest cowboy this side of the Mississippi.  Okay, he's slow and stupid and madly in love with Dixie (the lead singer), but it is entirely unrequited.  (Oh, and my character also gets progressively drunk throughout the performance.) 

Here is the cast singing one of the hit songs from our latest CD. 

This is a very sad scene when Dixie tells me that she loves me only as a brother.

Here I am clinging to Dixie's leg after another rejection.

I try to commit suicide, but shoot off my big toe instead.

My amazing rendition of: "I wish I was in Dixie."














The sad story goes on and on, ending in two murders, but "I dint do it!"

A shot of the murderess.

A shot of the audience.










What fun it was to do this among friends!  


Dianne here:  Roger is being modest -- he was very 
funny in his role as Dickie the drunk cowboy, and the audience laughed and laughed.  He will be known in "these parts" as Dickie from now on!  I'm including another photo of the "curtain call" showing the entire cast.  It really was a fun evening, with good food and good friends.

Roger's teachers reading this blog won't be surprised at his thespian efforts -- they all remember Roger's parts in the skits in the annual lip sync contest held at his middle school.  The teachers (and Roger, the principal) let their hair down every year and joined the student show with their own skits. One year Roger even swung across the stage on a rope as "Guitarzan!"  A classic, for sure.  (The students loved it, by the way!)  


Roger wasn't sure he wanted to write about himself and his part in the murder mystery, but I made it known that it was his turn to write the blog.  Back to Roger....  


The pet pictures of the day showcase Bandido's good friend, Rowdy the beagle, and his owner, James (our new friend), with his cute granddaughter, Naomi.  James and his wife are from Switzerland and are spending the winter at Retama Village.  Naomi and her mom were visiting for the holiday season.  (The poodle with James and Naomi is Jagger -- another of Bandido's many friends at the dog park)