Branson Hit's of the 60's

The '60s was one of the first times

 the power of music was used by a.

 generation to bind them together...

America, you're supposed to be better than this.

 Travel back in time with Branson’s most nostalgic

 show with Branson Show Tickets and get ready to 

twist and shout your way through the decades!

That's exactly what Arvid and I did this week.

  We were invited by our friends Roger and Franceau.  

Two of Arvid's Friday drink buddies.  Russell, the third 

member in their group was not able to make it.

  Roger of course knows the entire cast.

Roger and Franceau have both seen this show several

 times.  Roger claims he has seen it 10 times as of right now 

and will see it again in the future.  Of all the people in the

 audience, Roger was chosen to go on stage.  He loved it.

This talented troupe of ten singers, dancers, and 

musicians will touch on more than 100 songs in a 

total of 100 costumes.  I enjoyed the costume changes.

Arvid was most keen on one of the male singers pants. 

 Claims he used to have a pair just like it, back in the days.

When growing up my mom played most of these 

songs, so I knew all of them.  Made it so cool to hear 

the songs I grew up with again.  Lots of good memories 

came flashing back.  Especially of my mom singing.

Some of the artists covered by the cast of #1 Hits of the

 60s (& 50s, Too!), include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, 

Paul Anka, Petula Clark, Buddy Holly, Mamas & The Papas, 

The Association, Lesley Gore, Dion, The Coasters, Roy 

Orbison, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley to The Four Seasons, 

The Monkees, The Supremes, CCR, The Rolling Stones, 

The Eagles, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and so many more!

These Boots Are Made for Walking segment, gets 

the audience movin’ and groovin’ along with their high 

school dance.  Everyone was on their feet dancing away.  

We really had a good time.  Much better than I 

expected.  I also enjoyed all the background visuals that

 went with the songs.  Very informative I must say.

Morning is here and it is looking good.  Again.

Today is one of my sister's birthday.  A few years ago when 

we lived in Puerto Rico, we celebrated with her.  I sure miss her, 

and we sure miss Puerto Rico.  Happy birthday Nirvana 🎂

When the power of love overcomes the love 

of power, the world will know peace...

~Nadiya~

More from our Chicago Weekend~

You shouldn't wait for other people 

to make special things happen. You 

have to create your own memories...

 Navy Pier is the top-visited destination in 

the Midwest.  It is a 3,300-foot-long pier on the 

shoreline of Lake Michigan, l in Chicago, Illinois.

Each year, nearly nine million guests visit 

Navy Pier, Chicago’s iconic lakefront destination, 

and learn all that this destination has to offer.  

Navy Pier is home to one of Chicago’s most

 iconic attractions, the Centennial Wheel. 

For Arvid and I, a trip to Chicago means a must to 

Navy Pier.  When we lived in Chicago, Navy Pier was

 just a little walk from our condo.  We love Chicago and 

we really enjoy going to Navy Pier.  Then and now.

Brutus was a huge part of everything we did.  He travelled 

to us to The Bahamas when we lived there, and of course

 to Chicago.  Brutus never made it with us to Branson.

A must for us is dinner at Smith and Wollensky.  

Aside from good food we enjoy the view.  Watching 

the boats pass by as we dine is a pretty cool thing.

I enjoyed a few delicious cocktails while there.  So yummy.

Arvid and I enjoy short getaways.  We do not like

 staying in a hotel, but for a few days, and when you

 are in a place you really love, it works just fine.

Already Friday.  Another weekend is upon us.  The 

day is looking good.  Birdies are already out and there 

is sunshine with clear skies.  Hope your day is also

 a good one.  Friday has become "the boys" day.  

Take care of all your memories. 

For you cannot relive them...

~Nadiya~

Thursday September 11th~

If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn 

that life is short and there is no time for hate...

 It has been 23 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which 

occurred on September 11, 2001. This milestone was observed 

in 2024, with officials and victims' families honoring the nearly

 3,000 people who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, 

the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 

3,000 people, including passengers on the planes, 

people in the affected buildings, and courageous

 first responders who rushed to the scenes. 

September 11, 2001, revealed heroism in ordinary

 people who might have gone through their lives never 

called upon to demonstrate the extent of their courage.  Let's

not forget that one of the worst days in America's history

 saw some of the bravest acts in Americans' history.

The attacks of September 11th were intended to break

 our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. 

We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic 

and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. 

We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom...

~Nadiya~

Wednesday September 10th~ Chicago

Life's too short to wait.  Do something 

today for a better tomorrow...

 Our weekend I Chicago was amazing. In many

 ways it was like returning home, at the same time I do 

not think I would like to go to Chicago next summer.

As I told Arvid, “we have seen all there is to see.”  I 

would now like to see some other place.  Definitely 

one of the most beautiful cities we have been to.

We arrived and immediately began revisiting some

 of our favorite spots. It’s definitely a walking city, one

 of the many things we love about it.  We walked quite

 a bit, and because of my knee we also Ubered a bit. 

There was a lot of drinking going on during weekend, 

but boy was it delicious.  We even managed to do a

 fast little shopping at Macy’s.  For me always a

pleasant time.  I love to just browse around.

 It's a beautiful store and this time even Arvid 

wanted to go and do some shopping.  He didn’t

 find what he was looking for, but I who was not

 looking for anything found stuff.  Happy.

We just had a couple of days in the city so we had to pick

 and choose where we would go.  I chose House of Blues

 this time rather than Buddy Guy's Legends, not an easy 

decision, but we had to pick one. So did Arvid. Said the

 music over the weekend was better at House of Blues

   Never disappoints. I just like the ambiance in there. 

 Something to eat and drinks with music made for a very

 good time.  I had to visit their merchandise store. 

I don’t need anything but I love to check out what 

is new.  Since I already have quite a few of their items

 I just ended up getting a House of Blues tank top.

  After that we explored the city some more. It’s

 beautiful during the day, and spectacular at night.

  I don’t think I can ever get tired of it, but like I

 said I also do not wish to go there next summer.  I believe

 I love to explore and take my time looking at things more 

than Arvid. He is almost always in a rush to do things.

That's it for today.  Tomorrow a little more on our

 Chicago weekend.  For now a good day to all.  

Life is a collection of 

moments, make them count...

~Nadiya~

Tuesday September 9th~ St. Louis

The Arch is ultimately a monument 

to all those with a vision...

The Gateway Arch is special for its status as the

 world's tallest arch and the tallest accessible structure in 

Missouri, its innovative catenary curve design for stability,

 its significance as a symbol of America's westward

 expansion, and its incorporation of an underground 

museum dedicated to St. Louis's history.

 Arvid and I had a great road trip.  Our

 first stop was St Louis, often referred to as 

The Gateway to the West. We stayed in this

 pretty unique hotel called The Moonrise. 

The Moonrise Hotel, St. Louis' premier boutique 

hotel, is located on the Delmar Loop & offers fine 

dining, a rooftop bar and unique green hotel.

Each room is thoughtfully designed with

 eco-friendly amenities and celestial-inspired decor. 

They have these really cool steps.  Everyone I 

saw was sitting taking a picture on them.  

Of course I had to do the same.

We did check out the rooftop bar  it had a 

great view of the St Louis skyline, but unfortunately

 due to a special event it was closed off for guests.  

After lunch, which by the way was delicious.  

We did a little browsing around we stayed in what’s

 known as The Delmar Loop, often referred to by St. Louis 

residents simply as The Loop, is an entertainment, 

cultural and restaurant district in University City.

  Like all university towns, it was buzzing with life. 

 I explored a bit more on my own while Arvid 

stayed and watched TV in the room 🧐After I 

was done with my explorations we met at one

 of the other bars in the hotel  there are 3 bars.

 

The evening was just about to start  next stop

 was the concert which happened to be right by 

our hotel.  The venue, The Pageant is a very very 

cool place have not seen many like it.  The crowd

 was wild with anticipation. My reaction was so-so.

 The opening act was a girl  she was okay.
The main act drove the crowd wild.  No one 

hardly sat down.  The place was vibrating to the 

point where entire body shook.  Was very cool.

The place was vibrating like I have never felt before.

The next morning at the hotel I talked to a

 couple and the lady said that she left a little 

early because the vibrations were too much for

 her.  I liked all the vibrations and seeing everyone 

just having a great time.  The Pageant is definitely

 a place Arvid and I would come back to🎵

I woke up early while Arvid slept.  I watched

 the sunrise and  enjoyed the early morning quietness.

  Well I also enjoyed the ranting of a homeless man.  

The guy had a conversation with himself

for the entire time I was out walking just about

over an hour  when I passed by him, he said, “this

 is when talking about.”  No clue what he meant

 but we both laughed.  He then just continued 

to talk to himself   He was entertaining.

The best part was getting home to Sniff.  

I sure missed him a lot.  When we got home 

all he did was meow non-stop and follow 

us everywhere.  I love it.  He's still at it.

To all a very good day.  Got caught up with

 a few loads of laundry yesterday and will do

 the rest today.  Sniff loves warm laundry.

Morning is here.  Fall is not far away. 

Feels like a hot chocolate kinda day😅

St. Louis is closer to 

Minneapolis than Milwaukee is...

~Nadiya~