Travelogue: Civil War Re-Enactment, Part 5

Intermission  

Event: Civil War Re-Enactment
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2014
Location: Calico Ghost Town

Between the heat, the dust, and the gunpowder smoke, my throat's gotten pretty dry.  It's around noon. Time for lunch!

Cold Drinks and Peanuts

Evidently, everyone else has the same idea.  The Calico House Restaurant is crowded.  A sign says to seat ourselves, so we do. A salt and pepper holder made from horseshoes sits on the blue checkered tablecloth.  So does a complimentary bucket of peanuts.  Families husk the peanuts and toss the shells on the hardwood floor.

My mom refuses to create a mess.  She collects her shells in a neat pile on the table.

The menu includes such old West easting as pulled pork sandwich, BBQ beef sandwich, and a bowl of chili--each for under $10.  But I already know what I want: a buffalo burger!  Mostly I just want to add buffalo to the list of unusual foods I've eaten.

Buffalo Burger

We order specialty house sodas--sarsaparilla and boysenberry--which come in large ice-filled mason jars. As I soothe my throat with the cool drinks, I look around.  The restaurant is full of country charm.  There are black and white photos, red walls, white window sills, and waitresses in costume.

Before I know it, the food's here.  I chomp down on my burger.  The buffalo is dry and tastes slightly different from beef in a way I can't quite identify.  A few more bites, however, and that subtle difference is wiped clean off my palate.  It just tastes like a hamburger after that.

We're just finishing up, when we hear the sounds of fiddles from outside.  The band is playing on the front porch and people are line dancing on the street. I watch, for a minute, as they clap and twirl, tourists and cowboys, adults and children.

Dancing in the Street

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To Be Continued...