The wife and I haven't really been dancing since she was pregnant with our first son--that was about 22 years ago. We finally broke the ice last night! Nothing quite like a 22 year hiatus.

There is a place South of Abilene and north of Brownwood called Oplin. It has a converted gym/community center that is used for country-western dancing on Friday nights. Since it was Spring Break it really wasn't crowded.

We met the Daubs there and brought our three youngest children (15, 13, 11). We weren't sure if children were allowed (there's no drinking or smoking allowed!!!) but they were. There were quite a few children and even a few babies in residence.

It was an extremely nice family atmosphere last evening and we had a good bit of fun. The band was talented (wrote a bunch of their own songs) and the lead singer had a real country voice (please understand that I'm not a county man myself). All three of my children were asked to dance and taught by a very nice girl that we know from Brownwood. None of them were excited about dancing, however. They almost tolerated the experience.

Even though I wore my tassled loafers (the only thing I own that would slide) I didn't feel out of place (wore out my last pair of boots about 20 years ago). The owner was nice and you could bring in your own drinks.

A highly recommended experience even if you're not into country-western (like me)!