Road Trip to LBL

 When I lived in Kentucky, my friends would talk about weekending in a place called Ay-yell Bee Ay-yell.  It sounded lovely!  Cabins on the lake!  Yummy places to eat!  Boating!  Swimming!  Floating in the calm waters!  Where is this paradise?  Turns out they were saying LBL, the Kentucky abbreviation of the Land Between the Lakes.  Ah.  That makes so much more sense . . . .

So when Mom suggested we do a newness in Ay-yell Bee Ay-yell, I was on board!  I've eaten at Patti's 1880's Settlement Restaurant, but Mom wanted me to see a show at the Badgett Playhouse, which I've never visited!  It was great!  We started out early--like, 10:30, and lunched at the Olive Garden in Paducah (have never understood why people get snobby about Olive Garden Italian food--I could eat my weight in breadsticks and unending salad with no regrets), and then we headed to the little golf store place my parents just love, then to Gander Mountain, which is the coldest store in the nation, and then, FINALLY, to the mall, where my favorite stores live.  Great trip ALREADY.

After our shopping, we loaded back into the car with GPS and made our way to LBL--it's only about thirty minutes outside Paducah--and puttered around the settlement until time for the show.  There are several antique shops, several places to buy yummy things (highly recommend the chocolate amaretto fudge--I'd share, but that ship has sailed), lots of boutique-y shops, and a lovely garden right in the middle of all the cabin-like buildings.  Take a look!

So many flowers in the garden area in the middle!

This is my LBL outfit, modeled in front of the big wheel.

Oh em gee--an ENTIRE store full of peacocky things.  Know anybody interested in shopping here?

No idea what this is.  But somebody is a better plant mom than I.

This guy!  He was not for sale, but he was ADORBS.

And then finally, time for the show!  Here's the playhouse:

The show that night was a variety show--a band and four singers traced the evolution of music from the 1950's to the 1980's, and it was so much fun!  Here are a smattering of pictures that are not blurry.  These people dance about A LOT.

Some country music!

Some "Devil Went Down to Georgia" here.  See that lady in front on the left?  The sweet little octogenarian?  Yeah.  She knew--and sang--every single word to "Afternoon Delight."  And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Some Beach Boys!  That fire looks more real here than it did in real life--and later, somebody in the crowd was awarded a marshmallow as a prize.  Hm.  But also during the '60's music, there were beach balls being tossed around the crowd, and I discovered that this STRESSES ME OUT.  I wanted to take pictures, but I also didn't want to get clocked in the head with the GIANT and sometimes SPINNING beach balls, and neither did I want to be the one who let them fall to the ground and that's A LOT OF PRESSURE.  Oof.  Was relieved when we "slowed it down a notch" with the next song.

Forgot this guy's name, but he was amazing.

 Here we have some eighties music.  By the end of the night, I'd figured out these ladies.  One of them sang better than she danced, one danced better than she sang, and the other lady is part owner.  They were all really talented, though.

Totally forgot what song this is, but I think it's Motown?

This lady is playing a saw.  A SAW.  And the tune was fully recognizable.

Another newness in the books!  Or... on the blog!  Had a great time with Mom and Dad, and it's always a good day with yummy food, great shopping, and entertaining entertainment.  Good time had by all!