Branson - Midway (Saturday and Sunday)

Saturday, while Dan was recovering from being sick all night (our influence, it appears, does not do him well), we had lunch at a favorite restaurant of Leo's called Uptown Cafe. This is Angie, his travel agent who has tirelessly worked with him for all his tours to Branson. She met us at the restaurant and we enjoyed getting to know her. I left my mark there by knocking over a full glass of rootbeer, dumping it in my lap before it cascaded to the floor.

That afternoon we went to the Shanghai Acrobats. This was the only show we attended that wouldn't allow photography. It was probably the one I wished I had been allowed to photograph the most. (There is a U-Tube promotional clip if you Google search Shanghai Circus Branson, if you're interested.) The costumes, the colors, the acrobatics, the drummers, the choreography, the lighting - they all worked together to give us a wonderful show. I will want to see them again, for sure. I purchased five postcards, thinking I could scan them, but after the show was over, this was the only one of the five acts portrayed that we actually saw. And this was amazing!


By the time evening came around, Dan was able to join us again. Saturday night it was Island of Fire - a Polynesian buffet and show. This one was fun to be at, mostly because the emcee was so funny. And they let me take pictures. Umm, you don't think Brent got any of his traits from his dad, do you? Especially when it comes to photos?

Anyway, we had a fun time at this show. The show was taped live and we purchased a DVD with the exact show we were at. The main reason we bought it was not for the island feel, or the beautiful dancing girls, or the scary faces on the New Zealand costumes, or even the fire dances, which were fascinating to watch.

No, the reason we bought it was so we could share with you what happened to Leo during intermission. You see, they taped that as well. And as he was stretching his legs, he was not watching the large screens on the side of the auditorium. If he had been, maybe he would have known what all the laughing was about.

This was what we, in the audience, saw on the screen.


SUNDAY, it was fun to go to church with Dan, to see so many performers there. The Polynesians from Island of Fire attend his ward, as well as the Duttons and some of the Hughes and the Bretts (didn't see them this time around, gives us an excuse to return) and some members of "Six". The interesting thing was to hear so many soloists in the congregational hymns. It was like singing in a 200 voice choir for the Sacrament.

After church, we had dinner at Dan's. Just the usual Sunday roast and potatoes and carrots with some pecan pie for dessert. We enjoyed Dan's hospitality. Edna, however, was starting to have scary looking red streaks forming around her ankle, so she got another trip to the hospital. Urgent Care was closed, so she got the full ER treatment this time. Blood clots were ruled out, and she was sent away with yet another prescription - this one for additional antibiotics.