We had a fun weekend in Little Rock attending Murray’s Dinner Theater and Hamilton at The Rep. Both theater shows were fun in their own right. I would happily return to Murray’s, the acting was very entertaining. A fun night! The dinner was adequate; but the show was really entertaining. And of course, Hamilton is a fantastic show! We saw it first in Houston, but we agreed this show was good, too. And they had the same king in both performances, whom we really found to be excellent! Of course, all the performers are so very talented in Hamilton, as they would have to be to take on these roles. So happy to have had the opportunity to see it again…and with good friends.
We had a bucket list night. Elton John concert!!! He was fantastic. In addition, we stayed at The Capital Hotel. The last time we stayed there was on our honeymoon. What a night!
We traveled to Santa Fe, NM for our spring break trip this year. It was a neat town to visit…lots of neat art, museums, and nice places to eat and shop. It was quite arid in climate and we enjoyed a snowfall, complete with a mini snowball fight in the parking lot! Lots of the buildings around the square are made of adobe, as seen in the photo above. It’s neat that they preserve these buildings. Favorite moments: Meow Wolf, looking around the square, drinks with Rudy at La Fonda to celebrate our anniversary, the contemporary art museum, the galleries on Canyon Road (be sure to eat at the Greek restaurant there; it was good!), and of course the Georgia O’Keefe museum. We even popped over to Los Alamos for the day. It was neat to see that museum.
Not gonna lie. Meow Wolf was the highlight of the trip. An avant-garde museum in which you walk into a two story house inside a building, and then the house is topsy-turvy with secret passages in places like the fireplace, bookcases, the washing machine, the refrigerator and more taking you to another world full of creative rooms and spaces.
March 2022 Greenwood, MS We had a really nice trip driving up through Mississippi stopping in Greenwood, MS and staying at the Alluvian Hotel. That evening we peeked in the windows of the Viking Cooking school, as we are thinking of coming over for the weekend and attending someday. The town is sleepy, but we still found some fun. We walked across the street to the package store and visited with the gal who was running the store and her beau. We sampled various wines and ended up buying some bottles, one was a Presquile wine that we did not know existed. This vineyard is owned by some people from our town of El Dorado, so we like to support local. And it was a quite nice bottle. Confession moment: I drank it on a random Tuesday night by myself. I apologize publicly to Rudy; however I admit I enjoyed hoarding it. I digress. It was a nice night. The hotel is in renovations, which is to note. But, I loved seeing the light snow that occurred that night. It was so lovely to see over the courtyard. Memphis, TN Rudy really surprised me by booking the night at the Peabody Hotel. I have loved this hotel since my youth. I had never gotten to stay there before this weekend. However, I had been numerous times to see the Peabody Ducks march out to the lobby fountain in the morning and march back from the fountain to the elevator in the evening on numerous occasions. We were quite fortunate to see the return march to the classical marching music in the evening, sitting in the lobby sipping on signature cocktails. We arrived early which worked perfectly, as they rope off the lobby about 30 minutes before the marching of the ducks as many people attend to see this tradition. Oh it was a delight! Then that evening we went to the Orpheum Theater to see comedian Leanne Morgan, a personal favorite. This was Rudy’s Christmas gift to me, seeing Leanne Morgan and Elton John. I was quite excited. I hadn’t been to the Orpheum since my youth. And I love Leanne Morgan. I encouraged Rudy to not listen to her before we attended. He didn’t, so he just loved her set, as did I. It was a great trip.
Anytime that your mom visits, it’s a good time! We were happy that mom came and visited this past March. We just took it easy. These pics are from when Dean and Rudy went out for a quick 9 holes of golf. Mom and I went out to watch them on the 14th hole which is right by our house. Mom tried to swing the club; the first time in over 50 years she said. She did great! A nice time.
We love our neighborhood!!! We had a fantastic night celebrating Fat Tuesday at Melinda and Michael Verdesca’s house. Rudy, Dean and I joined the Verdesca’s, Lori and John Johnson, and Ann and Larkin Wilson for a good Fat Tuesday meal. Good times and Good friends! It doesn’t get any better!
February 2022 Marsha and Joey Antoon, Amy Allen and Tracy Alderson For Marsha’s 60th birthday, Amy and Tracy opened The Walrus, their underground restaurant they open 2-3 times a year. Featuring Amy’s culinary four star cooking and Tracy’s exceptional hostessing and stylizing; it is a memorable six course meal. We dined on Tracy’s family heirloom china and the food was comparable to the most fine dinning restaurants that I have ever experienced. Be sure to view the menu below. And of course, the company was my favorite. Full of wonderful conversations savored over tasty delights. Following the dining, we were entertained by Amy on piano. Really to experience a private, personal concert is auspicious. We were so happy to attend.
February 2022 Alderson – Allen Song Book Fundraiser
What a fun night! We had the opportunity to celebrate with friends Amy Allen and Tracy Alderson at the Alderson-Allen Song Book fundraiser at the South Arkansas Arts Center, featuring Amy Allen and Ed Alderson on piano. It was a packed house. Mason Halsted and Carmelo Brown opened and did a fantastic job. But Amy Allen brought the house down, while Ed Alderson supported her on the piano. We had the opportunity to sit on-stage with friends: David and Renee Skinner, Rob and LeighAnn Robinson, and Jay and Andrea Brooks, aka Boyfriends 1, 2, and 3 and their women. The after party at the diva den was memories in the making. We are so happy to make friends with The Diva Den.
December 2021 We had just the best time on our delayed 25th anniversary trip.
Jonesboro, TN First we went to Jonesboro, TN. This town was one of our first trips we visited as a married couple and we had a great time the first trip and a great time in the town this trip. It was so very cute. While there we went by the National Storytelling Shop. We saw a bunch of people with their pups in town for a pup Christmas costume parade and pups pics with Santa. We visited their little craft festival and purchases a cute felt rat with a sweater. He stays out all year and hangs out in various places in our home. We definitely love Jonesboro, TN and their festive feel. We also enjoyed their cute little bbq restaurant for lunch, and intended to come back at night to sample their moonshine sampler, alas, they closed that night at 8. So we walked over to a bar near the railroad tracks for a beverage. We loved that when the train came by and blew it’s whistle, everyone whooped and hollered and bellied up to bar. Then the bartenders gave everyone a free shot. A fun night and a fun town. Also, while we were there we went on a historical home progressive dinner tour. It was so neat. We started at the railroad depot with cocktails and appetizers. Everyone was social and neat to meet. They had an acoustic group. The man played the guitar, while the lady sang and interpreted in sign language. It was neat. They then took us in vans to a historic home for the soup which was a neat pumpkin soup. We loved their upstairs porch that overlooked the downtown with a cool modern white circle gas fire-pit, comfortable seating and Christmas movies projected on the home exterior wall; I could imagine spending many nights on that porch. Next we loaded up and went over to the local arts center for a set down entree dinner. The food was fine and the musical entertainment cute. I particularly thought it was nice the high school youth who helped serve for their volunteer work. They were pleasant and happy, which is always nice. Our last stop for the dessert home was really nice. This home was at the top of the main street that passed through town, which made for a neat atmosphere outside by their fire-pit which was lit. The home was cute and everyone was jovial at this point. They had a cappella carolers in matching beaded vests, that were so festive and fun to listen to sing. It was a really fun night. I really like Jonesboro, TN and could happily visit again.
Biltmore Estates We drove down to the Biltmore and stayed at the Inn on the property. It was simply beautiful grounds. I can understand why the Rockefellers fell in love with the land and chose that area to build the estate. It was breath-taking. The Biltmore was simply amazing and I am so glad that we chose to see it. It was totally worth it. It was fun going to the winery and having a bottle of wine there, but it was crowded. We met some other nice couples and enjoyed sitting and visiting with them. The Inn was exceptional and we loved sitting out on the veranda, and in the sitting room and on the Adirondack chairs overlooking the valley and sipping on the wines created on site. And the most amazing gingerbread houses were at not only the Biltmore Estate, but the one at the Inn was the most spectacular gingerbread house I have ever seen, and I’m sure will ever see in my entire life. We also enjoyed seeing the botanical garden house on the estate, with so many varieties of flora and fauna. I have to say I’m so very appreciative that we were there during the off-season, as even at that time there were so many people. But they say it’s double or triple the crowds in the spring. Also, while we were there we had the opportunity to see the Van Gogh exhibit again. It is a really neat digital exhibit where they display his work on the walls put to ethereal music. It’s quite inspiring. And it was different than the Van Gogh exhibit we saw in Dallas. So it was neat to find out that each one is independent of the other. I have to say being at the Biltmore at the Christmas time with the candlelight tours and all the decorations; it was just magical. I couldn’t have asked for more. But, there was. We had a most delightful dinner at the Inn for our anniversary dinner. It was so very romantic in their dining room overlooking the mountains with exceptional service. We were educated an amuse-bouche, which is a bite size appetizer created by the chef to show off his/her talents at the beginning of the meal. The chef dazzled us with the mushroom bisque as the amuse-bouche served in a little espresso cup. And every morsel was delicious from the lobster bisque to the decedent dessert. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Biltmore, definitely take time to have a beverage in the lobby of the Inn and make a reservation for dinner. You will not be disappointed. I could not have asked for a better anniversary trip. It was splendid.
Hendersonville, NC After the Biltmore, we headed south for a day or two to Hendersonville, NC. There we took in a theater show with Christmas carols and dancing. It was very entertaining with some great performers. We also piddled around the town, which was cute. On our way back to the airport we stopped at the Billy Graham Library. We toured the home and then got to see part of the interactive tour. We were running short on time. We only had a few hours there and would have really loved more time. It was a neat stop and everyone was so very friendly. I even got to pet a camel. I highly recommend this stop, if you have time time. Again, the entire trip was fantastic. And of course, I had the perfect travel partner, my man Rudy, who I love very much.
Cherie's Sayings 