In the week before Christmas, Varya and I drove north out of Houston and spent a couple days in Branson, MO. Advertised as a family vacation destination in the Ozarks, it seemed like a small, low-budget, poor imitation of Vegas without the fun parts. The Titanic museum exceeded expectations, however, handing you a “passport” for a real passenger when you enter so that as you walk through the authentic and recreated artifacts and rooms, you keep an eye out for clues as to “your” ultimate fate (not surprisingly, her 1st class lady survived, my 2nd class schmuck did not). The other “museums” in town underwhelmed. At night, we enjoyed the Shanghai Circus at Mickey Gilley’s Grand Shanghai Theatre, which was more multi-cultural than Chinese, with artists much more diverse than the audience. The performers were not quite ready for Cirque du Soleil, but their repeated mistakes were part of the fun, building to crowd-pleasing triumphs when they finally completed stunts successfully.
Farther north in gray St. Louis, we experienced Beyond Van Gogh in a mall parking lot. Gotta love Vincent, and the big room with the high-intensity, high-res projected animations of his work was truly immersive, albeit overpriced for a half hour show. Still, a fun little diversion.
Unfortunately, during our visit with Mom and Sis in St. Charles, Claire had to quarantine in a guest room and on the back deck to reduce the risk of infecting the rest of us with the COVID-19 she likely caught just before flying west from NY. Fortunately, she was fully vaccinated, so her symptoms were mild and short-lived. She participated in opening presents on Christmas Day via FaceTime on an iPad in the morning, and on the deck when Carla dropped by.
We spent another night in Branson during the long drive back south, taking in Dolly Parton’s Stampede dinner show with a variety of animals and human performers. Though it can be cute in a kitschy way, we can cross Branson off the list, as a few days there is plenty.
In past road trips to MO, we’ve overnighted in Memphis and now Branson. Next? I hear good things about Eureka Springs, AR…
Moonday 