10/25/2026
Did you figure it out?! 🎶🍹
Many of you guessed HALF the story correctly..... and a few of you nailed the whole thing! WELL DONE! 👏
We thought we were being pretty obvious when we named Betty & Al's Escape. Apparently, it was not quite as obvious as we thought. OOPS! 😂
The TWO songs behind Betty & Al's Escape are:
🎵 **You Can Call Me Al** — Paul Simon
🍹 **Escape (The Piña Colada Song)** — Rupert Holmes
WHY these two songs? What makes them special to the humans behind this little liquor store?
We'll start with the more entertaining story..... *Escape*.
Have you ever listened to this song while actually reading the lyrics? We encourage you to pause right here, pull up the song and lyrics, and then come back. Yes, now.
We'll wait. 🎶
Back? Good.
Now you know there's a slightly questionable 🤭 personal ad involved. There's a WHOLE lot more to this song than tropical drinks and getting caught in the rain!
For those of you who've heard us talk about this song before..... have we ever told you about the night that made it especially meaningful?
Years ago, Zane learned that *Escape* was one of Dotti's favorite songs.
**The man LISTENED.** ❤️
One evening, Zane picked Dotti up from the airport and, upon arriving home, promptly instructed her to shower or find SOMETHING to occupy herself because he needed a little time.
Okay? 🤨
A little while later, a personal ad appeared under the bathroom door.
Zane had written his own classified ad, printed it, and carefully cut and pasted it into a newsletter. (Dotti later found the scraps from his trial-and-error attempts. This was no five-minute project!) Do you want to see it?
When Dotti emerged to answer the invitation, she was greeted with a restaurant menu. Zane was busy cooking TWO or THREE meals simultaneously, and the front porch had been transformed into a makeshift little bar complete with a hand-painted wooden sign:
**O'Malley's — Brought to You by DnZ's Adventures**
There was ch*****ne, cocktails (including a homemade piña colada, OF COURSE), dinner, and a very attentive server..... who also happened to be the chef, host, AND Dotti's date from the personal ad. 🤭
She wasn't allowed to lift a finger.
Conveniently enough..... IT WAS RAINING! 🌧️
Perfect, right?
**IT GETS BETTER.**
Dotti later discovered that if Mother Nature HADN'T cooperated, Zane had already climbed onto the ROOF and positioned a sprinkler to make it rain over the porch during dinner.
The man didn't just plan a date. HE HAD A CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR THE WEATHER. 😂 He is always prepared and ready.
What about Paul Simon's *You Can Call Me Al*?
That story is a little simpler, but no less meaningful.
Beneath that upbeat, quirky tune is a man questioning his life, his identity, and where he fits into this big, overly complicated world.
Haven't we ALL had those moments?
For Zane and Dotti, the song became a playful reminder that names don't really matter. Betty, Al, Zane, Dotti..... call them whatever you want. Somehow, they'd always find each other. They're still the same souls.
One song became an inside joke. The other became a rather elaborate adventure involving a classified ad, exploring, a homemade restaurant, and a man on the roof with a sprinkler.
Both involve continuing to find one another over time, obstacles, etc. Continuing to choose one another.
Together, they became **Betty & Al's Escape**.
Still have questions?
Who ARE the people behind Betty and Al? Why Morton County? What does this little Escape mean to us beyond what's on the shelves?
Stay tuned! ❤️🎶
