Canada Report....a little late...but better late than never

This is Canada report….albeit late.  First let me say that everyone we dealt with in Canada from the fair staff to the audiences to the folks we met on the street and in the stores were absolutely fabulous and kind. We didn’t run into a single sour-puss.   Our shows were always packed houses (tent) and our shows were flawless.

That said I honestly don’t know how folks can survive in Canada. The prices are beyond reasonable and the taxes are on everything and are multiple. By that I mean this (using a can of Mtn. Dew as example), the can of pop was $1.99 at the gas station, there were four taxes on it. One read as a deposit, the second was an Aluminum tax or something like that, the third was an environmental tax, and the last was sales tax. The soda came out to $2.42 in Canadian money so add 7-12% to make that US dollars. In the grocery stores we saw only long faces. “Cheap food” (eggs, ramen etc) were either sold out or close to it while meat and cheese where plentiful. The shelves for the cheap stuff looked like old Soviet pictures of grocery stores. And that said the cheap stuff wasn’t cheap: eggs for 18 were nearly $4.  Cheese was $10 (Canadian so add the 7-12%), meat was beyond reasonable and four days later all the meat I saw earlier was being offered at 25%-50% to avoid it rotting.   I don’t mean to be rough on Canada. Like I said the folks there are awesome. But the prices are enough to drive one to the poor house.

Cheap meds are basically subsidized by over taxing and sur-charging everything else. So next time and American uses Canada as an example as cheap health care….punch them in the nose.

The roads in Canada cost us quite a bit in damage to the Rv and van and trailers. We had things falling off all over the place. I can’t think of a single road in the US (Though the highways in Illinois come close) except for dirt roads that are in worse disrepair.  

I guess what I am saying is the trip was costly on many levels.  Still the folks up there are the salt of the earth. I only ask you pray for them for they are paying a huge price for that low cost health care and other social services. (Are you paying attention USA????)

I should mention that Victor Jr for the first time rode an unicycle across a tight wire  on the last day.  Go Victor.   

Well, the rest of the story will be with pictures:

(I will give you a catch up of the trip from Sk to MO at the end of this blog. 

 Jim helping raise the children.

 Jim with fans

 roasting Marshmallows on Jim's chin.

 cousin Wes and the reason people fear clowns....he has a hoodie!

The rv's vehicle radio wouldn't play Mp3s nor did it have an usb port and a couple of other new fangled things so I replaced it today after finally getting our Canadian money and our most recent show money into the bank. It was a $50 radio and the rewiring took 90 minutes.  Dang if I didn't have to use reading glasses to do the wire job....I am getting old. 

Amelia in her Aerial Silk routine. It is a praise and worship routine to the Lord. The whole dance and aerial routine is a modern interpretive dance routine showing some one resisting the call from God to salvation and suffering the woes of life to someone who finally submits (liberals hate that word because it means relying on someone other than themselves....when they run out and rely on gov't all the time....rely on other people's money is OK but relying on the one that can REALLY save you is wrong....I don't get it....Liberalism is truly a mental disorder.) 

The set up in MO. 

The drive from Sk to MO......our route was the only one not flooded out. The city we performed in was the only one not flooded out. Except for a sild ride in Iowa where we got 70 mph gust that scared the poop out of me the ride was good.   Since SK is know for its wheat this town had big metal wheat art. 

We were put in the "multicultural tent" since the building we usually use was "requested" to be used by the city for the centennial historic display.  These kids dis a Filipino dance. 

Cousin Wes strolling in SK

Mami, my love, standing next to the official car for the event....it was parked right under the slide out of my bed room in the RV. 

People checking out our ever growing side show tent. It now has a two bodied one headed pig. 

Mami made the sign above at the last minute. she did such a good job that today be framed it.

 set up in SK

 loading up in SK

 Harry Hare Jr (aged 10.....4 years older than he should be) having some local water. the vet tells us that the traveling and having grass and water and scents from new places is what is prolonging his live.   We lost our 21 lb rabbit last week. Large bunnies have short lives and she came down with something that took her fast. That is the fifth bunny Harry has out live.   I will mention here that we also lost all three pups born to Little Girl the poodle today.  One was still born, (born on July 1) the second died yesterday and the last just died toady. We don't know why. Little Girl is confused and doesn't understand where her puppies went. She whines all the time.

 a Bollywood dancer in Sk sharing our stage.

The best of the Bollywood dancers. her expressions were really awesome. 

Our shows in MO are going really well. Over a 100 people in the first show and over 300 in the second. Many stuck around and spent time with us. Autographs, snake pictures, meeting Titus, meeting the tortoise, visiting the side show tent. MO audiences are awesome. We are truly blessed. 

They sell frogs legs here at the festival so if they are not too expensive we are going to try them tomorrow. 

Met an interesting couple today. A very handsome young black man was with a very nice white girl. They seemed to be a great couple. ( as a bi-racial family man myself I like to see this kid of stuff.) A friend of the couple loved snakes so stuck around to see Olivia's snake....it didn't hurt that her name was Olivia too. So more than an hour of visiting took place.   I asked if the first two were a couple and he said he wished but she was, and she finished by saying she was a lesbian. He told me that they long ago they shared their secrets; she shared her "orientation" and he shared his love for her. In spite of her constant pushing of him to other girls he is fully and completely in love with her....and it was obvious. So even though the advice wasn't asked for I told her that the very same excuse she uses for her 'orientation" is the very excuse why he won't stop trying  to be with her.  She thinks God made her that way, and he thinks God made him to love her.   Interesting , Huh?  Personally this guy is so fantastic of a guy I hope she gives in and accepts the love he has to give her....no doubt in my mind (from years of observation) this man is TOTALLY in love with her.  Pray for them.

Isn't the road interesting?