We Be Trippin': The Great DIS-nee Road Trip

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Thanks for sharing all the scenery pictures -- I esp liked the one with the sunflowers and biking through the rock formation.

These photos of the various people watching the race were terrific! Thanks for including all of them...gives a new perspective on the race --esp the older woman clapping outside her window...

Agreed! I absolutely love sunflowers!

And, I'm 'kinda partial to the cluster of nuns clapping from the sidelines -- with the blur of bicyclists speeding past. ('Sorta shows that the Tour de France is everyone's sport...)

The Tour brings out all kinds of fans - and they like to party!

...and others come dressed in their work clothes!

 

[Marshay]

No worries! 'Just something to look forward to...
(I've been enjoying the Tour of Texas so far, btw! )

While we're idling, I thought I'd encourage folks to be on the lookout for this crazy bunch: Improv Everywhere - We Cause Scenes. (The group stages crazy improvisational stunts in public venues and videotapes people's puzzled reactions.) 'Looks like most of their public spectacles are based out of New York, but that's not always the case...

Here are a few of my favorites:

*"Food Court Musical" (YouTube Video)
*"Food Court Musical" (Write-Up)

*"Frozen Grand Central" (YouTube Video)
*"Frozen Grand Central" (Write-Up)

*""Synchronized Swimming" (YouTube Video)
*"Synchronized Swimming" (Write-Up)

Enjoy!

Hey DisGeeks!

I just watched Food Court Miracle and can't stop laughing...on to the next one!

I saw the subway on our news show recently...

 

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Good evening Marshay! (I just noticed your green light is on...)

 

[Marshay]

Here are a few of my favorites:

*"Frozen Grand Central" (YouTube Video)
*"Frozen Grand Central" (Write-Up)

*""Synchronized Swimming" (YouTube Video)
*"Synchronized Swimming" (Write-Up)

Enjoy!

OK -- the frozen grand central was great! I really liked where that guy actually touches the girl to see if she is real.

Synchronized swimming...hmmm, I don't think that's the official Olympic team -- duh!

 

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Hey DisGeeks!

I just watched Food Court Miracle and can't stop laughing...on to the next one!

I saw the subway on our news show recently...

Good stuff!

I'd love to actually be present during one of their live "performances" 'cuz -- even though they plant hidden cameras and have one of their "agents" mingle with the crowds to solicit feedback -- I'm sure they miss a lot of peoples' reactions to the nuttiness unfolding around them! That "Frozen Grand Central" stunt could have been downright spoooooky to any uninformed passersby!

 

[Marshay]

Good stuff!

I'd love to actually be present during one of their live "performances" 'cuz -- even though they plant hidden cameras and have one of their "agents" mingle with the crowds to solicit feedback -- I'm sure they miss a lot of peoples' reactions to the nuttiness unfolding around them! That "Frozen Grand Central" stunt could have been downright spoooooky to any uninformed passersby!

Yeah, in this post 9-11 age, I'm surprised security wasn't right on top of them...

 

[DISgeeksfromDC]

OK -- the frozen grand central was great! I really liked where that guy actually touches the girl to see if she is real.

If you read the write-up, you'll notice that one group of people froze in position as if they had been posing for a photograph -- complete with "bunny ears" behind the head. Too cute!

Synchronized swimming...hmmm, I don't think that's the official Olympic team -- duh!

 

[Marshay]

Well, thanks DisGeeks for the laugh!

Also, thanks for playing Fairy Godmother!! DD loved it.

Good night!

 

[Circusgirl]

No worries! 'Just something to look forward to...
(I've been enjoying the Tour of Texas so far, btw! Edited to Add: Oh! And that overseas jump was a treat, too! )

While we're idling, I thought I'd encourage folks to be on the lookout for this crazy bunch: Improv Everywhere - We Cause Scenes. (The group stages crazy improvisational stunts in public venues and videotapes people's puzzled reactions.) 'Looks like most of their public spectacles are based out of New York, but that's not always the case...

Here are a few of my favorites:

*"Food Court Musical" (YouTube Video)
*"Food Court Musical" (Write-Up)

*"Frozen Grand Central" (YouTube Video)
*"Frozen Grand Central" (Write-Up)

*""Synchronized Swimming" (YouTube Video)
*"Synchronized Swimming" (Write-Up)

Enjoy!

Oh, DISgeeks, the Improveverywhere folks are amazing! I heard the lead guy speak at a conference one year and it was most inspiring. There are now groups all over the country, and more all the time.

 

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Well, thanks DisGeeks for the laugh!

Also, thanks for playing Fairy Godmother!! DD loved it.

Good night!

My pleasure!

Oh, good! I'm glad your DD liked it. ("Hot dog! That's swell!" )

Side Note: For anyone with kiddos, here's a nifty DISboards concept: Fellow DISers traveling to the World sometimes play "Fairy Godmailer" to families still at home. They'll send postcards to kids from beloved characters, then the recipient families will "pay it forward" to a few lucky kids once they finally reach the World.

Marshay made sure that my DD and her friend received personal invitations to have lunch at CRT! Thanks, Marshay -- err! I mean -- Cinderella!

 

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Oh, DISgeeks, the Improveverywhere folks are amazing! I heard the lead guy speak at a conference one year and it was most inspiring. There are now groups all over the country, and more all the time.

Now, that sounds like a fascinating convention session! If you don't mind my asking: What type of conference was it? (...One for entertainers?)

 

[DSNY4ever]

Good Morning everyone. Texas and our little trip to France have been very cool Cat! And thanks for the you tube videos Disgeeks- those were all so funny! The food court musical just killed me- I would have been laughing so hard! Those were all great. It gave me a big morning smile.

 

[catotigger]

So where are we? Somewhere in Texas, right?

Well we are entering a Triangle - not the Bermuda Triangle - but the Aggieland Triangle!

The Aggieland Triangle is an area in between Dallas, Houston, and Austin, with Bryan/College Station being in the center!

Why is it called Aggieland? Well, because it's the location of Texas A&M University, home of the Texas Aggies!

Although everything we'll see isn't related to the University, just be prepared for some MAROON!

 

[catotigger]

Before we start any site seeing, let's check into our base camp:

Messina Hof Winery & Resort

Messina Hof Winery & Resort, a Texas vineyard established in 1977 by Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo, is rooted in the union of two family heritages. Winemaker Paul Bonarrigo’s family dates back seven generations to Messina, Sicily. Merrill’s family is from Hof, Germany.

As our many devoted enthusiasts can attest, it is our goal to share the good life with you. Stroll through the vineyard. Smell the roses. Sit by the waterfall. Relax with a glass of crisp Riesling or rich Shiraz. Indulge in fresh vineyard cuisine. Linger over candlelit conversation. Enjoy a quiet evening among friends or with the one you love.

If you enjoy kicking back with a bottle of Messina Hof or Paulo just wait until you visit the Messina Hof estate. Our 100-acre estate, of which 42 host the vineyard, is nestled in Bryan, Texas. In addition to the winery, the estate is home to The Villa bed & breakfast, The Vintage House restaurant and the Winemaster's Room wine bar. Tours and wine tasting are offered seven days a week. Our calendar of events is packed with cooking classes, wine appreciation classes, food and wine pairing seminars, murder mystery and winemaker dinners, and more!​

We'll be staying at the Villa Bed & Breakfast:​

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Click here to see the Available Rooms:


Lancelot & Guinevere
Romeo & Juliet
Camelot
Napoleon & Josephine
Antoinette
Messina
Thomas Jefferson
Hof
D' Artagnan
Venus



I wonder which one Tothesea and DISgeeks will want!

 

[catotigger]

We've arrived just in time for the Harvest Festival!

The Messina Hof Harvest Festival spans 5 weekends, from July 18th to August 17th.
The various Festival activities include: grape picking, grape stomping, Vineyard cuisine luncheons, wine & food seminars, and special dinners featuring unique menus - all in a family-oriented festival atmosphere. And when the 2008 Messina Hof Ports hit the shelves in your favorite store or wineshop, you get to say that you were a part of something special!​

We can pick grapes...

and then stomp 'em!​

 

[catotigger]

During the Harvest Festival, the winery offers Murder Mystery Dinners!

I've asked them to do a special repeat of the Pirate Murder Mystery for us tonight!

I can't show you any pictures - if I showed you, I'd have to make you walk the plank!


Dinner will be in the Vintage House:

Here's the menu I've chosen:


First Course: Seafood Bisque
A rich blend of shrimp, lobster, tomato and cream. Topped with a roasted corn salsa

Second Course: Tomato-Mozzarella Salad
Fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil and red onions drizzled with a balsamic syrup and olive oil

Third Course: Sliced Texas Strip Steak
Finished with a house made Worcestershire sauce and gorgonzola cheese

Fourth Course: Port and Cream Brownie Sundae
Vanilla ice cream, warm brownie, strawberries, whipped cream and port fudge

And of course - there will be wine!

Don't like what I put on the menu? Here are some other choices:

After the Murder Mystery is solved, we can go out on the deck, and sip some wine!

 

[Circusgirl]

Now, that sounds like a fascinating convention session! If you don't mind my asking: What type of conference was it? (...One for entertainers?)

It was at the Good Experience Live meeting (GEL) a few years back. Two very smart and interesting guys have a company devoted to making experiences better and smarter at a variety of levels. The conference is a two day gathering of people from all kinds of career paths and interests and features a wide variety of talks by folks who have the commonality of being wildly enthusiastic and excited about the things that they do. I was able to attend when some friends were speakers at the meeting. It was an extremely inspiring two days. Among others we heard from the folks who made the Academy Award winning documentary about the Kids with Cameras project in India, the cartoon editor for the New Yorker, the authors of several books, the Improveverywhere folks, the Flying Karamazov Brothers and a woman who makes art with photos of things viewed under an
electron microscope. If anyone can convince their employer to send them there, I can't recommend it highly enough.
For more about the conference: http://www.gelconference.com/

 

[Circusgirl]

Cat - Yum!!! Thanks for the great meal and the fine touring. I'm having a blast!

 

[DSNY4ever]

Agreed- I am now officially very hungry! And those grapes look beautiful.

 

[catotigger]

Welcome to Bryan and College Station!

For those of us who live here, we often think them as one place. In fact they are so interconnected, most of the time you have to stop and think which town you are in!

But the truth is, Bryan and College Station each have their own history and personality.

Boring History Part: The area around Bryan, Texas was part of a land grant to Moses Austin by Spain. Moses Austin's son, Stephen F. Austin helped bring settlers to the area. Among the settlers was William Joel Bryan, the nephew of Stephen F. Austin. The town of Bryan was founded in 1821. It grew quickly when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad arrived in 1860. In 1866, the county seat of Brazos County, Texas was changed from Boonville, Texas to Bryan. A short time later, in 1871, the City of Bryan became incorporated.

By 1910 Bryan was a thriving metropolis!

But perhaps the biggest thing in Bryan history was the thing that DIDN'T happen!

When it was time to build the new Land-Grant College in Texas - they wanted to put it in Bryan. But the good folks of Bryan thought that having all those red-blooded college boys in their midst would be a danger to all their daughters!

So the College - Texas Agricultural & Mechanical College - was built miles down the road, in the middle of nowhere!

And thus...College Station was born!