My Suburban Escapes

Sometimes a trip is not the solo experience you expect but a whole canvas of possibilities thrown at you like Alice down the rabbit hole. I found a rabbit hole in the elevator of a downtown hotel in Corpus Christi last weekend. Each time its doors opened a new reality presented itself. I suppose that’s true for every elevator everywhere always, but I swear this one is magic.  I could have sat the whole weekend in the lobby on a lawn chair with a beer just watching the doors open, but there were too many things to do with what it spewed forth.

The first clue was stepping in with a group of Blue Angels with whom I have a life-long fascination and was now surrounded. The Angels are the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, an elite team of fighter pilots who demonstrate American might in a traveling show (unlike the fliers in the Navy Fighter Weapons School, TOP ). They are based in Pensacola, and I have seen them practice many times in my youth when my dad would wake us at the crack of dawn to watch em fly while we fished. At noon on Saturday Shoreline Drive along the bay was packed with audience, all of whom jumped out of our skins when a Hornet appeared outta nowhere at 700 miles per hour (just under Mach 1 – the speed of sound) in a “sneak pass” maneuver. This is LOUD. When the Angels are in their signature diamond formation, wingtip to wingtip, they’re only 18 inches apart. In the elevator, they were even closer.

I have a similar fascination with cowboys, so imagine my delight at the next surprise.  Cowboys from all over Texas had come to town to compete for the winning prize of a million bucks in the Triple Crown Rodeo. Young men, so earnest and squeaky clean in their rodeo duds, popped outta the elevator at each opening. The interesting thing about both the Angels and the Cowboys is how polite they are with their “yes mams”, “thankyou mams”, pressed costumes and big smiles. It was so refreshing to see the joy and pride they have in their work, their patriotism and their kindness to strangers.

What brought me to town was the Coronation, a debutante ball at which my niece was being presented following in the footsteps of her sister, mother, aunt and grandfather. What I didn’t know is that it is but a small part of a bigger whole called Buccaneer Days, a long-standing tradition in its 85th year which brought everyone else in the magic elevator to town. (It is no coincidence that my father-in-law also celebrated his 85^th in Corpus that weekend….and that King Charles’ Coronation occurred on the same day.)

Buccaneer Days began in 1938, morphing from a 1910 festival called Splash Days and renamed to honor the pirate Jean Lafitte who plundered the nearby waters and hid in inlets and lagoons all along this coast. The festival was originally kicked off by “kidnapping” the mayor who was made to walk the plank, plunging the town into summer. Now shortened to “Buc” Days, it commemorates the 1519 discovery of the Corpus Christi Bay by explorer Alonso De Pineda (although few realize this). It has evolved into the city’s most elaborate promotional event complete with parades, balls, rodeos, a fair, concerts and fireworks. Enter Angels and Cowboys, stage right.

These young men made a perfect backdrop for another type of character in our play, the Coronation Duchesses, who flitted about en route to or from events surrounding the ball. Big hair, full makeup, boxer shorts and button-down shirts (can’t mess up that hairdo) was their lobby costume.  Modeled after the 16^th century Spanish royal court of Queen Isabelle and King Ferdinand, the Coronation crowns its own king and queen each year, and my sister-in-law and her grandfather have each had this honor bestowed upon them.

The Duchesses are presented at the huge convention center the first night, to a smaller audience at a private event the next night and in a parade on the final night, wearing their bespoke hand-beaded capes illustrating the theme of the year. The 2023 theme was The Court of Iconic Masterpieces, and my niece was The Duchess of Innovation and Excellence Representing the Influential Designs of Christian Dior. The capes weigh almost as much as the girls and are gorgeous works of art (www.lasdonasdelacorte.org) displayed after each presentation. The Duchesses are accompanied by a host of boy and girl pages, court attendants and heralds also in costume.

The greatest inside secret to be let in on is the story of the “Texas Bow,” the deep bow to the King which each duchess performs on the first night…on a huge stage….in front of a thousand spectators.  The challenge is to touch one’s forehead to the ground without losing one’s crown or toppling over on one’s face given the weight of the cape. I am proud to say that my sister-in-law and both nieces all performed the Texas Bow perfectly.

There were many other events going on that weekend, and it became no surprise to see the elevator dump out throngs of middle-aged African Americans dressed all in white who had come to The Body of Christ for a massive confirmation, groups of elderly Hispanics dressed all in yellow who had come to meet other members in their benevolent society, a pod of divers from the Texas State Guard who had come for their practice dives (surprisingly in civilian clothes rather flippers, goggles and snorkels) and of course the occasional regular ol’ couple just out for the night.

The culminating event on Saturday night was the parade at which I saw representatives from all categories of people heretofore mentioned. It was a great mingling of cultures, races, ages, backgrounds and professions. Everyone was happy and patient and visiting with each other while they waited for the simple joy of a small-town parade to pass by.  God bless Texas.