Hillary Clinton Rally (part 1...waiting for Bill)

I got to the parking lot of Fiesta Grocery Store a bit later than planned. When I arrived, the news crews were already there waiting to televise and film the rally.

Here is the Fiesta Grocery Store on Kirby near Reliant Stadium.
They roped off the area and when I got there at 740a this was closest I could get to the stage. I mean really. Surely they weren't going to make us stand THAT far away from the stage or were VIPs going to be able to get in front of us.
Around 750a, some men starting taking down the tape that was serving as a barricade and were telling people they could now get closer. Many of you know that I run so as soon as the coast was clear I took off running and so did everyone else.
This was close! I let some shorter people get in front of me. I'm not that tall but there were people shorter than me. As you can see, people were crammed in with their signs. I was so close to the man in front of me, I expect to hear from him in 9 months to announce the birth of our child. Annise Parker, City Controller for Houston was there and working the crowd while we waited for Bill's arrival.

This Secret Service agent kept an eye on us. He wasn't the only one there; he was the most photogenic.

So while we waited for Bill, some mariachis entertained us. The SS agent was not tapping his toes or clapping his hands. He was watching us. The mariachis were very entertaining but where was Bill?

The mariachis played for at least 30+ minutes. I knew most of the songs. I couldn't clap my hands because I was squished into the crowd and I was holding a Hillary sign and I had my camera.
And he continued to watch us. I think he was a bit jealous that he left his maracas at home.

So the mariachis go through the repetoire. People were shouting out songs for them to play. They played La Bamba. They played La Cucaracha. They played Jalisco. They played and played and played but they NEVER played Volver! They left and we continued to wait. Finally Annise takes the stage and tells us that Bill is on his way.

County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia was there to lend her support. She reminded us of what former Governor Ann Richards said about a woman being able to do a man's job and being able to do it wearing high heels.

Bill was still running late and the mariachis had long departed. Annise and Sylvia were about to do a soft shoe routine. While we continued to wait, people would drive by and stare. What was interesting is that the truck drivers and taxi drivers would toot their horns to show their support. The crowd waiting for Bill was very mixed. A good representation of Houston.