Menopause: the Musical at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre

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Menopause: The Musical, the hilarious and fun celebration of women and “the change,” has returned to Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre as the first offering in the beloved Indy theater’s 51st season.

Four new friends who meet at Bloomingdales in New York City and share their struggles with menopause sing “Stayin’ Awake” to the tune of “Stayin’ Alive”

Written by Jeanie Linders, Menopause, The Musical is set in a large multi floor department store, where four women from different backgrounds meet by chance at the lingerie counter. Throughout the show the cast continues to poke fun at their collective hot flashes, forgetfulness, mood swings, wrinkles, night sweats and chocolate binges.

The Earth Mother (Melanie Souza) performs her best rock star moves during “Thank You, Doctor” sung to the tune of “Help Me Rhonda”

The Professional Woman (Enga Davis), center, does her best Tina Turner impression as she sings “What’s Love Got To Do With It”

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the production progresses the gals develop a sisterhood by means of a series of parodies from the music of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. A remarkable and hilarious use of famous, well known songs, new lyrics and marvelous choreography treat the audience to non-stop laughter and smiles.

The Iowa Housewife (Nancy Slusser), who had hoped to improve her sex life, sings “Only You” upon discovering a new pleasure

The Soap Star (Kimberly Vanbiesbrouck) sings “Please Make Me Over” to the tune of “Don’t Make Me Over”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The all female cast is making its Beef & Boards debut. It includes Enga Davis as a Professional Woman, Nancy Slusser as a Iowa Housewife,  Melanie Souza as a hippie Earth Mother, and Kimberly Vanbiesbrouck plays a tv Soap Star.

Ultimately four new friends have “A New Attitude” about their changing bodies and lives.

Menopause: The Musical is now on stage through Feb. 4 in the intimate space of Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. To see the complete performance schedule and to purchase tickets online, visit B&B website. This production is rated PG-13 for some adult content.

 

Big Woods Pizza in Edinburgh, Indiana

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Bar at Big Woods Pizza in Edinburgh, IN

Delightful afternoon visit to Big Woods Pizza in Edinburgh, Indiana

Very cool seatings
Beer Flight

We wanted to try several so we ordered fights.

Flight
Nice menu selections.

We were there in the afternoon and wanted breadsticks to have with our beer. We liked the breadsticks so much that we ordered chees bread to bring home! Delicious!!!

Blue Corn Harvest uses local sourcing

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One thing we enjoy about traveling is the wide variety of dining experiences available. Georgetown is north of Austin and is a favorite destination for us when we’re in he Austin area. It is one of the locations for the Blue Corn Harvest restaurants.

Inviting entrance

Welcoming dining room

 

 

 

 

 

One thing that we like about Blue Corn Harvest is their use of local sourcing for their supplies. These places always have extra fresh ingredients for their offerings. Blue Corn also has a wonderful menu with something for everyone.

Sher’s Veggie Sandwich

Maj’s BBQ Burger

We were served warm sweet cornbread before the meal

We certainly enjoyed our lunch today. Sher had the Roasted Veggie Sandwich, stuffed with farm fresh veggies and topped with a bun sized mushroom. I enjoyed the 8 ounce BBQ burger with jack cheddar, onions and pickles and house made BBQ Sauce. Both came with hand cut fries.

Full service bar made good Margaritas

Adrian was our server and was most helpful. This was a very nice and comfortable place for a tasty lunch. The  food was delicious, service was great and the price was reasonable.

Turning Texas trees into Texas art

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There are some impressive trees along the banks of Cypress Creek in Wimberley Texas that we saw during our trip there a few days ago. Some very talented people have turned some tree trunks into quite remarkable carvings in a popular picnic area just behind one of the buildings housing restaurants and shops.

Quite the signature…

Now that’s a stare!

Pointing skyward..

For UT Longhorn football fans

By the creek bank

It is impressive to see that a chainsaw was utilized to create such detailed works of art like these.

 

Lake Travis is only 35% full

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This photo was taken today from a road to a Hudson Bend marina. the water level is very low…

Lake Travis is a huge lake in the Hill Country northwest of Austin, Texas. It normally has 29.5 square miles of water. That is when normal precipitation falls on the Colorado River basin areas. The whole world has seen lots of area under drought conditions. The Colorado basin and Central Texas is no exception.

That boater has to watch for shallow water not normally there!

As of today, 10/20/2023 Lake Travis Mean Water Level was 627.30 above sea level. One year ago today it was 640.76. Thus in one year the Mean Water Level has dropped 13.46 feet. Another parameter measured daily is the total surface area in acres of the lake. Today the Lake Travis surface area was 8,799 acres. Last year, same date, it was 10,746 acres. Nearly 2000 acres less one year later. Seeing the low level of the water today was quite a shock.

Artemis Mediterranean Grill in Bee Cave, Texas

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It was definitely time for lunch, actually past time. We were in Bee Cave, Texas, a few miles due west of the center of Austin. Our map search “food near me” led us to the Artemis Mediterranean Grill. We are glad it did.

A lovely entrance to this establishment

Gotta have a Grecian Urn at a Greek Grill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked in and at the door we were told to sit wherever we wanted. A soon as we sat down our server Chloe came to our table to take our order, and answer questions about anything. I had a couple, and she explained what Falafel was (meatless, so no thanks) and if she liked the Greek Burger (1/2 lb house-ground lamb burger). She said she did.

Sher’s Artemis salad

Maj’s Greek Lamb Burger and fries

We both had the Mediterranean Mule

Sher went with the Artemis salad, complete with onions, walnuts, sliced pears, figs and other good stuff. My Greek Burger came with feta and caramelized onions with garlic-mint aioli. Oh, the Artemis seasoned fries with their special sauce were great as well, and deserved the “highly addictive” menu label.  The adjectives “delicious” and “filling”  did not do our meals justice.

Bar, TV’s, it doesn’t get any better

Well, maybe outside patio dining is better?

 

 

 

 

 

We had a delightful, relaxed and satisfying dining experience. Chloe went above and beyond in her attentiveness to our every need. The food was marvelous, served quickly and prepared perfectly. If you are anywhere in central Texas, do yourself a favor and head to Artemis Mediterranean Grill. This is the website. It has all you need to know. Oh, by the way,  you west coast folks will find another similar establishment at Lake Tahoe.

 

 

Some sights and sounds of Wimberley

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Wimberley Texas is in the Hill Country southeast of Austin. We spent part of the day this past Saturday with our son and his family checking out the town and sites.

The boot’s size should not be a surprise here…

There are lots of restaurants and shopping places in the town. We got there about noon and finding parking within a reasonable walking distance was a challenge. But we spotted a vehicle loading up to leave, and we got their spot, which worked out well.

Plants, incense and other stuff

Everybody needs one or two of these…

Good idea with good humor too

Strange tree looking at you.

Buy a plant, get it potted here!

Oh yes, here’s MY angel, eat your heart out guys…

We enjoyed walking around the town, visiting shops, seeing the nature preserve and of course grabbing a bite to eat. Wimberley is a must visit when you are in and around the Southern Hill Country outside of Austin.

 

Wimberley, Texas beautiful bald cypress trees on Cypress Creek

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Wimberley, Texas is in the Hill Country outside of Austin in the central part of the state. It is a small town that is hugely popular for its many shops and restaurants and the natural beauty of the area. There are some famous swimming holes close by too!

The Preserve entrance

A worthy project

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cypress Creek runs right through the town, and the banks and surrounds have become popular recreational locations for locals and visitors alike. Sher and I went with our son and his family to see the town, the creek side trail and the huge bald cypress trees.

I was told this a favorite place for weddings

The cypress trees along the banks live for hundreds of years and are massive in size.  One nearby tree has been dated to be from at least as far back as the year 1426. You can stand inside one tree whose base was blown out decades ago by a lightning strike We had to get our picture in that one!

Note the creek in the background

Close up detail of photo to the left

 

 

 

 

 

 

The roots of these trees run shallow and nearly parallel the ground surface both above and below. These exposed roots are fascinating to observe.

Typical shape of the cypress at the waterline

Shadows and reflections on the water

The size of these trees is impressive!

One shop owner explained to me that yes, these are the same bald cypress trees you see in Florida in the swamps. He pointed out that in Texas they don’t do as well or are as prolific because there is not enough water in the Texas Hill Country to support massive groves of the trees. They are still fascinating to see. Wimberley is fortunate to have such a  lovely attraction as the Cypress Creek Nature Trail & Preserve .