Whipped Again! Loopy! Snake nap!

Hanging out under the sound tent right before a show. Click on the picture to see it larger and get all of our faces.

We have been tired but slowly adjusting to the east coast time.

Each morning we wake around 8 something then I have to drive down to the fair to get the three boys (Miles, Nick and Vic Jr) and transport them to the hotel for showers and b-fast. Then I run out on errands...today Laundry. I have been scolded by everyone for washing everything in hot water and drying everything in very hot heat. I guess things are shrinking.
At the Laundromat I met a nice older guy who works at the Bengal stadium as an usher. He struck me as a little slow and simple. We chatted about everything from Lindsay Lohan (his topic) to the death penalty, to sports, to weather....it was a very simple news show. Laundromats are the best places to meet interesting people.

The girls caught in a candid moment before a show.

Titus and Mami appeared in our third show tonight. Both were hits. A person from Amnesty International approached Mami and expressed interest in having us do a fundraiser show for them in the near future.

I was told we were on local Cincinnati News last night. Didn't find out which station.

The picture here I am checking out a 4 h kid's lop bunny. He was very cute. The bunny's name is Paul...pronounced Pa-ul.

On compliment notes. The federal judge from Cincinnati yesterday (I was told today) said we were one of the best acts she had ever seen at a fair. To bad I didn't catch that on video...what an endorsement. Also, today, an older woman and man from Florida (visiting their hometown in Ohio) told us we were THE best act they had ever seen. Again...I gotta keep that camera handy.

Olivia fell asleep backstage with Buttercup...again. Picking up the habit she had last year.

When we walk back to our stage after the 5pm show at the entertainment tent Olivia stops the crowds in their tracks when they notice her walking by carrying her snake like it's no big deal. It is hilarious to watch and hear their reactions.

When I went to pick up the boys this morning I spotted this cicada fresh out of it's shell. You hear them all summer long but rarely get to see them. Here is a brand spanking new one. Cool colors.

Today we dodged thunderstorms though we had light sprinkles once and ran into light showers on the drive out. We did have moments of strong winds from time to time. Our back drop and tents are tied down but we did have to do some re-rigging a couple of times.

I hope and pray we pull off a week of light weather (it's been in the 80's...a bit humid...but not bad.

One tough part about the humidity is the chaffing...since I wear a bow tie my Adam's apple gets raw. Thankfully I have Monkey Butt powder. It has helped but I keep forgetting to apply it before each show.

The 69 straight shows are beginning to take a toll. I have been a bit loopy. I could barely remember what we had to do in our last show right before the show. I had to ask the kids. Also, on stage I sometimes forget my scripted lines or get tongue tied. Crazy! First day off will be in September.

Today we had Metwursts and bratwursts for lunch. We all know brats. But Mets seem to be a local food. It's a white Brat, kind of like a British Banger. Both were good. Local brats are milder than everywhere else.

For dinner we had Cincinnati Chili at Gold Star Chili. Chili spaghetti, chili dogs, burgers, etc. Tasty! We will include these things on the video blog .

On stage today: Our first show was weird. The audience sat on their hands but responded when prodded. Still no one left and compliments were many. Miles swacked me in the face again with the whip...twice in two days.....that's three times in my life. It hurt and I have a welt on my forehead and a scratch on my cheek. During my fire-blow I had a blow back (when the wind shifts and the fire comes my way). It wasn't the first time in my life...it happens occasionally. But I heard the sizzle of my sweat soaked chops burn and I trimmed my eyebrow a bit. Little did I know that my face would later on get whacked.

Jim was less a juggler and more a dropper in the first show. He blamed the wind. We blamed the 2am phone calls to his love interest in Bowling Green. He used over 2 hours of our family across network minutes on his cell phone. That's over $70! He paid in loss of skill too. He pulled it together the rest of the day. Now, I'm not throwing stones. Hormones and girl-fever has gotten me in trouble with my folks and others. Besides I talked with Mami all night twice when we were dating.

Walked on glass for the first time since cutting myself doing it last week. It went well and the reactions were great. But and hour afterwards I felt a stabbing pain in my foot. I took my sock off and found a really fine sliver of glass in the middle of my foot. Hurt worst than a full cut. Pulled it out and things are much better now.