Last month, DMC Houston went back to our roots and took the third Houston YOE to the rodeo. This year’s YOE-DEO featured a crew of DMCers from across the country and included stops at one-of-a-kind places you can only find in the Lone Star State.
What is a YOE Anyway?
DMC’s YOEs, or Yearly Office Events, are a partially sponsored gathering of DMC employees and their friends that each of our offices hosts near their location.
In Denver, we hit the ski slopes, in Chicago, we go to the lake, Boston likes to head to the shore, and our newest offices will have their first YOEs soon. Previously, DMC Houston has hosted a Houston Rodeo YOE (2016) and a San Antonio YOE (2017).
Houston…We Have a Party!
This year the party got started with most of the crew arriving on Wednesday afternoon. We kicked things off with a crawfish boil hosted and prepared by DMC Houston’s Head Sherriff (Project Director) Jason Mayes. For many, it was the first time experiencing this spicy, southern delicacy, colloquially called “mudbugs.”
After dinner, we headed to Midtown to partake in a “Pedal Pub” ride. A team of 16 people at a time (including a bartender) worked together to pedal the giant, bike bar around a handful of Midtown’s hottest bars. This year even featured a stein race at the German-themed Bar Munich.
Target Practice
On Thursday the crew headed out to George Bush Park to partake in one of Texas’s long-running traditions: shooting guns! Everyone tried their hand at obliterating some clay pigeons on the shotgun range, and a smaller crew spent some time at the rifle range as well.
Giddy-Up to the Rodeo
Later that evening, we drove out to Crosby, TX to check out the Crosby Fair and Rodeo. The Crosby rodeo hosts all the events you would expect: steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, barrel racing, bull racing, and, of course, mutton-bustin'.
Following the rodeo, DMCers got a taste of some Texas country music with performances by up-and-coming artists Adam Hood and Parker McCollum.
Heading West to Hill Country
After a late night at the rodeo, the group got up early and piled into the DMC Houston office for our monthly all-company meeting. Following the meeting, we jumped into a West-bound caravan to check out the Texas Hill Country with an obligatory stop at Buc-ee’s along the way.
A group went to check out the natural swimming holes at McKinney Falls State Park while the rest of the crew headed to Wimberly Valley Winery to sample some Texas wines. After sampling all they had to offer, we picked up a barbecue feast featuring one of Texas’s oldest and most famous pit BBQ restaurants, The Salt Lick.
McKinney Falls
Wine Tasting
The night carried on at a lake house in Seguin, TX with a variety of card games, board games, swimming, and even a bit of dancing on the deck!
Floating the Guadalupe
Saturday morning kicked off a small group participating in a Beer Mile competition. Afterward, we hopped onto our very own party bus to ride in style to Horseshoe Bend on the Guadalupe River; a trip complete with car karaoke, dancing, and one emergency stop at Buc-ee’s.
The party didn’t miss a beat as we set off down the river in our tubes. Cold beverages kept us cool on the journey as we made our way down the river, stopping at the famed Party Rock.
When we all returned to the house, we continued the evening with a cookout followed by more games, swimming, and relaxation.
Sunday morning came too soon, and the group packed up to make our way back the lands from which we hailed.
Back in Houston, we are now anxiously awaiting the 2019 Houston YOE-DEO!
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