the adage is true

Now I remember why I like having nieces, not daughters. We had a great time in Springfield, or at least I did. The new Lincoln Museum is incredible! We went to the State Fair. That seems to be more run down than I remember. After walking around there for a little while and eating fair food and letting the girls ride a couple rides, we left, and ended up out at the Muni in Springfield, which (I am assuming is very similar to the one in St. Louis that I haven't been to) is an outdoor theater at the lake.

I used to work backstage there in high school and at other various times I moved back to Springfield. We saw Beauty and the Beast. I found myself reading the program during big chunks of the show. I think it had more to do with I just never had any interest in seeing that particular musical. It was wonderful in the animated format and, imho, you can't improve upon in in live format. This is why I don't really want to see The Lion King, either. I even chose not to see Mary Poppins or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in London for this reason. But, those two, I might eventually give in on. So anyway....my other issue with this particular Muni production, is that the whole thing seemed so stark. There were shows there that were sooooo elaborate. This is community theater, but they did Singin' in the Rain once about 15 years ago and had the whole rig that made it rain onstage! They also got the guy from Showboat who has the Voice to come and do the part where he sings Old Man River. The last show I worked there was Wizard of Oz, and it was incredibly intricate. This show just had a couple extra sets other than the back wall. Hmmm... Good part, was I did actually still know one person. I saw my buddy, Derry, who was in the crazy version of A Christmas Carol that was my very first show I was in when I was a freshman in high school. I feel so old!

Back to the girls. It's funny, seeing how different three people can be. My oldest niece is very much an oldest child, in that she really prefers adult company to people her own age or younger, and especially her sisters much of the time. She and I both like the Presidents. This is what prompted taking the trip to Springfield. The next one, her other grandma once made the comment to me that she'll never do anything above and beyond what she wants to do. I can see a little of this. Unless it has to do with one of the many fantasy series (Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc,) she's not interested. She is also is one of the most negative children I've ever encountered, but she's also one of the most emotional people, too. I love her, but sometimes I have to bite my tongue when she gets in that mood. The youngest one is more like the oldest, but is more the artist. We're working on developing her talent! All are sooo different even though they've grown up side by side.