On the road as a family act has it’s advantages and disadvantages as I am sure anyone can imagine. As the dad you don’t get to do the after-event, jam sessions, and late night events that many single act entertainers get to take advantage of. You also have dirty diapers, food for an army, sleeping arrangement problems, a hundred bathroom breaks while driving, and sometimes during a show, grumpy children, sleepy children, moody dad and children, clutter, etc, etc!
Driving to Calico when it was just Jugglin Jim and I back when Jim was little James we made the trip down to Yermo, California in about eight hours. That was 11 years ago. Today with five or six kids ranging from 2 to 18 years old the fastest we can do it is 8.5 hours…but it’s more like nine and something hours now. The extra weight of bodies and luggage, plus the added props in the trailer has also dropped our gas mileage and raised our food bill. Not to mention the odor factor in the car. Not that my kids stink. But with the kids (one in diapers) , the chicken, doves and two rabbits (one over 23 pounds) the van can get pretty ripe. My first word’s to anyone getting in the van with us is…”Excuse the varied odors!”
Hotel stay is easy because everyone has learned the system. That system is a conglomeration of rules, responsibilities and duties. Each child learns hotel edicate (no running in the halls or rooms, no jumping on beds or from beds, no talking loud in the room or halls…even in the day time for those truckers or travelers who are sleeping late…etc). We even have a bathing order. Since we don’t like to go to restaurants too often we usually buy microwavable food at the grocer and cook in our rooms, so there are rules and orders there as well. Hotels are nice because most often there is a pool and hot tub! After a full day of being on our feet performing nothing cleanses you faster and more complete than a dip in the pool and hot tub…and it tires the kids out and they sleep like angels. I should mention that we never reveal what hotel we stay at and we don’t stay under our real names (for security). For those of you who travel a lot here are a couple of tips. First, bring a microwave and a George Forman Grill. Some hotels don’t have microwaves. Also carry plenty of water form home…don’t drink local water…your body isn’t used to it. Don’t eat the shrimp! A few years back when Jim and I performed alone at Calico we had dinner one night at Sizzlers. We both had a shrimp meal. Midway through the meal we both started feeling full, in fact, bloated. By the time we were back at the hotel we were feeling bad. The rest of the night our bodies spent expelling the shrimp from both directions. This continued through to the next day. I remained ill for about a week. But, Jim was better by lunchtime and had a big bowl of Calico chili. He even showed it to me. That night I had to drive the 8 hours while suffering the ills of food poisoning…I know every bathroom between home base and Calico.
Fortunately, this trip had no ills. However it did have one injury.
We introduced walking on broken glass about six months ago and have used it often. In fact, it is becoming a regular part of our fair shows. As one learns the technique and becomes more comfortable with the stunt one adds to the stunts taking it to its limits. In our version, I walk on the glass then jump on it a few times. Then Miles does the same. Then Victor. And more recently so does Princess Olivia. To climax the stunt I jump from platform onto the glass. Once you know the technique and practice it the risk of injury is very little. But there is still risk. I mis-stepped when landing from the platform and (unknown to the audience) ran a shard into my foot. It left a centimeter long by centimeter deep slice. I really didn’t realize it myself until I sat on the platform after the stunt to wipe the residual glass from me feet and realized I was leaving a footprint of red on the stage. OK, I exaggerated. It was only a blotch or crimson. The burning hot sun-soaked stage floor sealed the cut and felt great. Needless to say we cut the stunt for the next two shows and Miles did the platform jump climax at the last show.
Well, the numbers at Calico were low this Mother’s Day. I blame it on the gas prices. What once coat us less than $100 to drive now took us nearly $400. The high gas is making the on road services like food expensive as well (truck drivers have to be paid to bring the stuff to the stores). Hopefully the prices will stabilize and come down. Here’s to wishing!
Here is what we performed at Calico-
We made Victor Jr balance on a sword at the back of his neck. I pounded a nail into my head. Princess Olivia made a dove and a rabbit appear then she flattened the bunny. Princess Amelia burst a light bulb with her mind, devinated the color a person from the audience was thinking of, choose the right frog, and told three people from the audience what card they were thinking of. Victor Jr. performed a comedy rope tie then changed into a 23-pound bunny then back again. Indiana Miles bullwhipped items from my mouth and hands and did it once while balancing on a large ball. I swallowed a balloon sword completely and then pulled it out my rump, I walked and jumped on glass, as did a couple of the kids. Miles laid on a bed of nails while his siblings stood on him then had a brick broken on his belly. I made money (lots of it) appear in the air with the assistance of a kid from the audience. Jim juggled fire, bowling balls, apples, axes, knives and bean bag chairs; some of it on a 5’ unicycle. Miles and Jim had a straitjacket duel. A bantam white silkie chicken name Phyllis vanished and reappeared in a bucket held by and audience member. Victor climbed into a cardboard box and had 26 spears pushed through it…and survived. I had a chain pulled through my neck by a couple from the audience. I ate fire and blew fireballs. In one show I caused a smoking pipe to multiply into 4 pipes and I introduced a new ball, silk, and dove routine.
Driving to Calico when it was just Jugglin Jim and I back when Jim was little James we made the trip down to Yermo, California in about eight hours. That was 11 years ago. Today with five or six kids ranging from 2 to 18 years old the fastest we can do it is 8.5 hours…but it’s more like nine and something hours now. The extra weight of bodies and luggage, plus the added props in the trailer has also dropped our gas mileage and raised our food bill. Not to mention the odor factor in the car. Not that my kids stink. But with the kids (one in diapers) , the chicken, doves and two rabbits (one over 23 pounds) the van can get pretty ripe. My first word’s to anyone getting in the van with us is…”Excuse the varied odors!”
Hotel stay is easy because everyone has learned the system. That system is a conglomeration of rules, responsibilities and duties. Each child learns hotel edicate (no running in the halls or rooms, no jumping on beds or from beds, no talking loud in the room or halls…even in the day time for those truckers or travelers who are sleeping late…etc). We even have a bathing order. Since we don’t like to go to restaurants too often we usually buy microwavable food at the grocer and cook in our rooms, so there are rules and orders there as well. Hotels are nice because most often there is a pool and hot tub! After a full day of being on our feet performing nothing cleanses you faster and more complete than a dip in the pool and hot tub…and it tires the kids out and they sleep like angels. I should mention that we never reveal what hotel we stay at and we don’t stay under our real names (for security). For those of you who travel a lot here are a couple of tips. First, bring a microwave and a George Forman Grill. Some hotels don’t have microwaves. Also carry plenty of water form home…don’t drink local water…your body isn’t used to it. Don’t eat the shrimp! A few years back when Jim and I performed alone at Calico we had dinner one night at Sizzlers. We both had a shrimp meal. Midway through the meal we both started feeling full, in fact, bloated. By the time we were back at the hotel we were feeling bad. The rest of the night our bodies spent expelling the shrimp from both directions. This continued through to the next day. I remained ill for about a week. But, Jim was better by lunchtime and had a big bowl of Calico chili. He even showed it to me. That night I had to drive the 8 hours while suffering the ills of food poisoning…I know every bathroom between home base and Calico.
Fortunately, this trip had no ills. However it did have one injury.
We introduced walking on broken glass about six months ago and have used it often. In fact, it is becoming a regular part of our fair shows. As one learns the technique and becomes more comfortable with the stunt one adds to the stunts taking it to its limits. In our version, I walk on the glass then jump on it a few times. Then Miles does the same. Then Victor. And more recently so does Princess Olivia. To climax the stunt I jump from platform onto the glass. Once you know the technique and practice it the risk of injury is very little. But there is still risk. I mis-stepped when landing from the platform and (unknown to the audience) ran a shard into my foot. It left a centimeter long by centimeter deep slice. I really didn’t realize it myself until I sat on the platform after the stunt to wipe the residual glass from me feet and realized I was leaving a footprint of red on the stage. OK, I exaggerated. It was only a blotch or crimson. The burning hot sun-soaked stage floor sealed the cut and felt great. Needless to say we cut the stunt for the next two shows and Miles did the platform jump climax at the last show.
Well, the numbers at Calico were low this Mother’s Day. I blame it on the gas prices. What once coat us less than $100 to drive now took us nearly $400. The high gas is making the on road services like food expensive as well (truck drivers have to be paid to bring the stuff to the stores). Hopefully the prices will stabilize and come down. Here’s to wishing!
Here is what we performed at Calico-
We made Victor Jr balance on a sword at the back of his neck. I pounded a nail into my head. Princess Olivia made a dove and a rabbit appear then she flattened the bunny. Princess Amelia burst a light bulb with her mind, devinated the color a person from the audience was thinking of, choose the right frog, and told three people from the audience what card they were thinking of. Victor Jr. performed a comedy rope tie then changed into a 23-pound bunny then back again. Indiana Miles bullwhipped items from my mouth and hands and did it once while balancing on a large ball. I swallowed a balloon sword completely and then pulled it out my rump, I walked and jumped on glass, as did a couple of the kids. Miles laid on a bed of nails while his siblings stood on him then had a brick broken on his belly. I made money (lots of it) appear in the air with the assistance of a kid from the audience. Jim juggled fire, bowling balls, apples, axes, knives and bean bag chairs; some of it on a 5’ unicycle. Miles and Jim had a straitjacket duel. A bantam white silkie chicken name Phyllis vanished and reappeared in a bucket held by and audience member. Victor climbed into a cardboard box and had 26 spears pushed through it…and survived. I had a chain pulled through my neck by a couple from the audience. I ate fire and blew fireballs. In one show I caused a smoking pipe to multiply into 4 pipes and I introduced a new ball, silk, and dove routine.
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