Applebee's late on a Friday night

"You're an elitist," Adam accused me.

We were sitting at Applebee's and I was facing the door.  So I watching people walk in and out and he was watching my reactions.

Could you keep a straight face if a man with a graying beard walked in holding hands with a generously proportioned woman who was wearing a floor length wedding dress?  The man had on a suit with an untied tie and they looked for all the world like they'd just left their wedding.  They walked in and sat at the bar.

Wha?

If I wasn't an incurable introvert and if Adam hadn't been accusing me of being an elitist, I would have loved to have talked to them and found out what circumstances lead you to hit Applebee's after your wedding.

Next a gaggle of senior citizens walked in.  The men were wearing Hawaiian print shirts under their royal blue matching windbreakers.  The women were wearing huge round skirts, puffed out by voluminous petticoats. Were they square dancers?  I didn't know there were square dancers in the Seattle suburbs but when you go to Applebee's on a Friday night, magic happens.

I glimsped the back of one of the royal blue windbreakers.  There was a tornado silk screened next to their name, Sky Valley Whirlwinds Square Dance Club.

You can not make this stuff up.

We were at Applebee's late that night because it was opening night for the big musical.  Across the room were about 30-40 euphoric teenagers with traces of make-up, their hair still done in 50s styles.  They were laughing and hugging and yawning.  It was quite a week and quite a show. (You should go!  Two more weekends!)  Just being in the same room and feeling their energy and joy made it a great place to be (not to mention the people watching opportunities).

Speaking of energy, here's the newsreel that is shown at the beginning of the musical.  My claims to fame:  the bedroom scenes were shot in Emma's room and the curly headed boy is mine.