Kent Family Magic Circus Daily Blog

Hollywood, Strange candy, Dim Sum, Magic Castle, Griffith Park

2012-01-31T22:51:00.000-08:00

This week in Hollywood....and Covina. Here is our story in pictures....sorry they are out of order but I am too lazy to rearrange them.)

Monday started Scottish Week at the Magic Castle. The Gent to the right is a close-up Magician from Scotland, I am next to him, founder of the Castle, Milt Larsen, is in the middle and two pretty grirls joined in. On of the girls borrowed by hat.

Monday morning before we hit our busy schedule JC shows Bill a trick at the hotel. Bill was purposely uncooperative and drove JC crazy. (On the drive home JC would say the most memorable and funny comment: "Before I forget, this weekend was the most memorable of my life."

On our way to the Griffith Observatory we drove down Hollywood Blvd. Where I saw the 5'9" Darth Vader again. I wish he would have turned around.

These two are not real Hollywood Police....I think. Like many others they are costumed street performers who for a tip will pose in a picture with you. Elmo, a 3' little person dressed as an indian, an emaciated batman and a potbellied spider-man were among many others. Some had great outfits others were so ridiculous it was funny.

Powerful me holds Hollywood in my hand.

While JC catches Hollywood in his hat.

And Bill crushes Hollywood.

Alas, Hollywood survives us.

This retail hawk spent his morning flying over the Griffith park. So I shot him....with my camera.

Hollywood in the foreground, LA in the smog.

So this is graffiti at the Griffith observatory. They have people constantly paining over any graffiti on the walls. So the bad guys have gone for carving it into the toilet seats.

Super powers exposed as JC hits a pose at the observatory.

Most of Griffith park has been taken over by a film crew. There were hundreds of people, tents, trailers, equipment trucks, cameras, etc taping an episode of a TV show called Castle.

From the observatory we went to Rosemead, CA and met up with Gordon Wong, a childhood friend. He treated us to dim sum

We pose with our food.

JC trying a chicken foot.

Since I put my foot in my mouth so often why not try a chicken foot. I also tried a very tasty pigs foot or two.

Back to the castle. Well actually we had one more stop before rushing back to the hotel to change and walk up over to the Castle. But I will get to that in a moment.

Pop Hayden, the Tennessee born turned Angelino Magician and Medicine show man poses with us. JC has know him for years and Bill has exchanged emails and discussion board arguments with him for years. I was just happy to meet him.

The three musketeers.

OK, back to earlier in the day. Above are picture of vials containing weird candy. Unlike Jelly Belly where weird named candies like "boogers" actually taste like what they are. These just have great names, and look like what they are called but are sweet and yummy. Zombie Boogers, Uncle Urnies Ashes. DNA Kit containing "urine", :Blood" and "Mucus" are also available. So where did we get this large collection of weird stuff....?

From the Candyman, David Klein, inventor of the Jelly Belly Jelly Bean. The Goeletz family tricked him into giving up his creation to them and have made millions as a result. It was David who came up with the unique idea of gourmet beans and the unusual marketing that made them famous.

See "urine samples"...really just lemon candy with real natural lemon flavor.

After spending a couple of hours there we headed back to the castle to have dinner and enjoy some great shows.

I want to mention that we will be promoting some of David's candy at our shows this year.

He is reintroducing the gourmet jelly bean calling them David's Gourmet Jelly Beans" and has Jelly Belly worried. He told us JB is using their giant corporate status to block distributors from selling David's beans. So anti-trust suits are flying and the fight by the little man begins. Watch his story on Youtube The David Klein Story. It has been on various TV networks over the past couple of years. It will enlighten you as to how some of the BIG boys crush the little ones. David Vs Goliath. In the mean time go to www.sandycandy.com and buy some candy.

Hollywood 2012 on the Blog

2012-01-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

JC Dunn, Bill Jackson, and I did our 8.5 hour drive to Hollywood, CA for our yearly pilgrimage to the Magic Castle. The drive went quickly because of the great conversations and horsing around that three pals do on these trips. We are staying in Hollywood just off the Sunset Strip just a couple of blocks from the castle. Our room was pretty sweet.

Before hitting the castle we strolled Hollywood Blvd. Being a Sunday the streets were full of all kinds of people including families and young couple, older folks, hookers, homeless, and a large number of folks in fancy dress costumes. I snapped a picture of Darth Vader from behind, mostly because he stood only 5'9 though the picture didn't capture his stature as well as I hoped.

In one store window I saw an Elvis cardboard cut out with Justin Beeber and a few other teeny-bopper idols...it was just wrong to put Elvis in with them of visa versa.

I had a hangerin' for some sushi but sadly our regular spot was closed so we asked a Korean Girl who happen to be waiting at a light with us if she knew of any other sushi joints. She did, we went, it was terrible.

So I had a better meal at the Castle latter that night.

At the castle we were joined by my childhood friend Gordon Wong and his beautiful wife Diane. Performing Buddy, Eddie Rice and old time performing friend Dennis Forel. (In the picture below.) We ran into a whole passel of magical names: Milt Larsen, Irene Larsen, Norm Nielsen, Mark Wilson, Dale Salwak, and many many others. It was an incredible evening and for a Sunday it was down right busy.
We were in bed by 1:30 and up by 9am. Sadly the room we were in is needed by the hotel so we have been moved to a not a s nice room. But they are giving us a price break. c'est la vie.

HOME: Snow on the Road-Road trip Finale

2012-01-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

At the writing of this I am at home and suffering from "Road Buzz" (that vibrating feeling all over by body from the 16 hour constant hum of the road and van engine) and jet lag...still on Central Time.

We woke up yesterday in Gallup, NM to a blanket of snow on the van and the roads. Hwy 40 heading east was said to be closed due to the snow. Thankfully, westbound was wide open. Mushy, slushy, but open. The snow on my windshield was thick and thankfully a well prepared man from Chicago was leaving the hotel the same time we were and he had an ice scrapper on hand and gave me a hand clearing the windshield. The wind was so cold that even with the heater on the windshield the remaining snow and ice stayed on the glass for nearly two hours. The sliding windows were iced closed and the wipers were stuck but the Chicago man used the scraper to loosen them .

It was a two hand on the wheel keep it under the limit drive for a while. At stops Victor enjoyed playing with the fresh powder.

Our original plan was to drive as far a Bakersfield in California. We would stop in Lake Havisu and see the London Bridge. While on the way we looked up the London Bridge on my smart phone and we discovered it wasn't much to look at and figured it wasn't worth the drive. Both Victor and I expected something a bit more grand. So we had extra time and decided to drive until I got too tired to drive. That got us home. 16 hours after leaving Gallup, NM we were pulling into our driveway. We were greeted with hugs and kisses and Belle gave all the family a "I'm home" kiss. It was nice to be home.

The phone machine is filled with many messages and most of them are show bookings and Inquiries...PTL. I also want to report we have confirmed we will be at the Mohave County Fair in Arizona in September. (BTW in AZ they spell "Mojave" "Mohave".

Roadtrip...Now we are in New Mexico

2012-01-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

From OK City to Gallup, NM.
I wish I had a lot to report but outside of Victor beating me in the Alphabet game and we split a game of crazy 8s (at the hotel) there isn't much to report.
We drove under wonderful weather except for high side winds from Amarillo to Gallup.
The other kids all made it home 12AM yesterday or today or whatever...they are home.
We are thinking of stopping and seeing the London Bridge tomorrow as long as the good weather holds up.
Cheers.

Goin' Back to Cali - Nashville Road Trip In Reverse

2012-01-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

After a good night sleep and a nice breakfast Victor Jr and I gave Jim, Miles, Olivia, and Amelia hugs and kisses and we started our trek back to Cali. We made it all the way to OK City. Victor won the alphabet game again (4 wins to my one loss). The rest of the day was filled with homework, old time radio and driving.
Our cheap hotel non-smoking room smells like a smoking convention occurred here and the young lady next door I think has a spare time night job according to some of the banging noises on the wall. But I can't be for sure. Fortunately that's the only noises making it through the walls. It''s official, tomorrow I stop being cheap.

Shotgun Red Taping Nashville

2012-01-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

Today is the day we have been driving and flying cross-country for. We got to the General Jackson River Boat where the Shotgun Red Variety Show is taped. This is season 2 and we are one of seventy-two acts chosen out of 2000 acts that were considered. The Jackson is located just around the corner from the Grand Ole Opry.

We arrived just before 8am (and remember we are all on California time). We had to carry all the props you see on the stage in the pictures below from the van to the boat down the really long gang plank. Miles was limited to holding doors open for us since he injured his foot at youth group last Sunday. He has been on crutches but on stage he toughed it out and did a splendid job.

I was surprised how small the stage was because on TV it looked a lot bigger. It's amazing how TV can do that.

We had to five minutes to do our piece then 2 minutes to do an interview, thirty seconds for a commercial lead in and then we did a bit more at the final bow.

Here is what we did....Intro-I ate fire and lit my tongue on fire. Used the fire to light a fire in a cage then covered the cage and made Amelia. Olivia and Belle Appear. Victor and the girls laid down between Belle's platforms. Belle jumped over the three of them through the three hoops they held. Victor climbed onto the tightrope and walked most of the way across and turned around mid-stride then walked more than half the way backwards to the other side. Olivia came out and made Buttercup appear (the snake). Then Miles whipped an item out of my hand and mouth. Next Olivia climbed a pole and Jim balanced her on his chin. Then Miles came out and laid on the bed of nails. Jim stood on him juggling Machetes. I then broke a brick on his stomach while on the nails. That ended part 1. For the commercial lead in we had Miles whip an item from the Sheila, the co-host's mouth while Jim balanced the giant bottle of Anti Monkey Butt Powder on his chin. At the close I hammered a nail into my nose as Miles did lasso tricks and Jim continued to balance the big bottle.

The host, a puppet named Shotgun Red, really respected our wishes to promote AMBP and talked a lot about them. We even gave free samples to the audience.

The funniest thing was right after we did our first part Belle disappeared some place. Since things are taped out of sequence it was alright because we didn't need her but it became a big running gag as to where is Belle. The ship crew, musicians, camera crew, stage hands, performers and us all went on a search as we simultaneously cleared the stage for the next act. She ended up being under the musician stage risers. Seemed she was spooked by the live band and especially the drums.

All the pictures here are about an hour before the show since it got real busy from that point on.

Everyone did a great job. I envy singers since all they have to do is show up. Being a prop heavy show had us the first people there and the last to leave. Since we were deprived lunch we grabbed some yummy pizza on the way back to the hotel. Tomorrow Vic and I will start the trek home and the rest will fly home.

Nashville----The rest of the Group Arrives

2012-01-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

The kids arrived via aeroplane today. More accurately, this evening. Victor and I spent the day mostly at the hotel just hanging out, napping, and Victor doing his homework. I wasn't as lazy as I made myself sound. For I too did some work. I called a few clients and did some advertising and networking work. After the kids arrived we met up with our good friends the Gonzales'. We had a fine meal at the Santa Fe Cattle Co. It's a meat and potatoes kind of place with animal mounts on the wall and peanut shells on the floor. The service was good and the company was even better. We all had a lot of fun catching up and discussing the future.

In the Parking lot we stopped to get a couple of pictures and let the dogs run around together. They have a male poodle the exact same size as Belle. His name is Chase. I think when they meet again this summer they will have great fun together.

James showed our friends his newest stunt with Olivia, one we will do for the cameras tomorrow. It ended up being a show stopper as passer-byes had to stop and take videos and pictures. Our after meal time in the parking lot was cut short because it was down right freezing. We also have to wake up early for the rehearsals so it is off to sleep shortly.

I forgot to mention that earlier today Victor and I decided to take Belle for a long walk along the main road while looking for a place to have lunch. Our California blood wasn't ready for the chill so our walk lasted about a mile or two before we were frozen to our cores with red frozen ears and runny noses. We ended up just having fast food from the McDonald on the corner.

Though the whole day was a nice blessed day. One really good thing about today....no Alphabet game and that's a good thing indeed. In regards to the flight out. I was told everyone had a great time. It was Olivia's first trip on a plane so she was thrilled but the 3 hour lay over bored her to tears....well, she didn't cry but she didn't forget to let her boredom known.

Nashville Road trip Day 4

2012-01-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

Before I give the daily report click on the new artwork picture below...it should get bigger so you can look at it closely and give me your opinion and fixes. ThanksWell. we are here in Nashville. Little Rock to Nashville in just about 6 hours.

On the sports report....Victor won the Alphabet game making it making his lead 1-3!

Our hotel tonight (and for the next few days) is awesome. Last night's hotel turned out OK...thanks to be exhausted. And in spite of the room change (actually we were moved to a whole different building last night...as far from those roaches as possible.

Amelia (8) made me a little scarf, she weaved it on a homemade weaving board thingy. I didn't think I would really need it on the trip but a cold front hit Nashville just after we arrived and it got cold fast. So when I went for a walk to pick up a couple of things at a nearby store my neck was kept warm. I was very thankful for the scarf. Thank you Amy!

These are just a couple of churches that were right next to hwy 40. So cool looking I took a picture.

They named a rest stop after Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams. Is that a compliment? I mean think about it.....they have to share the honor. And the honor is basically having a roadside restroom named after you. Hmmm.

Arkansas and most of Tennessee seem to be hills and leafless trees. (Guess winter is the reason for the latter). There are lots of lakes and swamps along hwy 40 in AR. I bet it is quite pretty in the spring.

Well, the last sentence sounded like a what I did for winter essay so I will wind things up before I further prove I have no writing skills.

Nashville Road Trip Day 3

2012-01-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

First the good news: look at those gas prices our here! From New Mexico through Oklahoma gas has been $2.99 average. We paid $2.94 at one place!!!! No snow anywhere today and we had a great back wind so we had 20mph with the VAN! Can you believe that!

Traveling with Victor is great. However he beat me at today's Alphabet game leaving me stranded on Q!

For a couple of years Victor has been trying to get me to try the KFC Double Down sandwich (lots of cheese and bacon between two deep fired chicken breasts for buns). It was the bomb y'all!

We've made it to the Little Rock, AR area. Our hotel had guests in the room when we arrived. Victor saw one on the wall and smooshed it. It resembled a smooshed bed bug so I took it to the front desk. When I came back Victor had found another one but kept it alive. Turns out to be a baby German Cockroach! Darn Kraut-bug! Enough to make us change rooms. Too tired to change hotel rooms or get angry. Just happy it wasn't a bed bug. But I am down with this chain of hotels.

Here is a picture of the live one. He's naked so close your eyes if you don't like to see naked bugs.

Victor is calling me to play cards since we pulled into town earlier than usual so good night.

Oh, one more thing. Miles hurt his foot and had x-rays today. Hope all is good because the producers of the show we are taping this week specifically wants the Bullwhip and bed of nails on the show. Prayers for him and his foot...please.

Nashville Road trip day 2

2012-01-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

This is what most of our drive looked like today. Day two took little Victor and I from Kingman, AZ to Amarillo, TX....and we once again lost one hour to the time zones....we are on Central time now.....only one more time zone to go!

Our hotel here in Amarillo is a bit smaller but much nicer than the one in Kingman. And no smells. Why is it that even good hotels have smells. I guess my nose is too much like a dog's. Oh, we aren't staying in good hotels the previous statement was just a ponder. After all I am of Scottish decent.

I one the daily alphabet game so tomorrow will be a nail biter and if covered by ESPN it would be a top rated show. Watched more the the Tebow-Brady match up.

We decided to stop and check out the snow a little so we pulled into a McDonald's. I got hit by a snow ball by a little brat named after me. Belle got her feet dirty in the sludge and so there went my upholstery. We then went inside and tried their new popcorn chicken like chicken thingies. Really not so good. Many of the pieces were just deep fried dough. It was just a snack so no big loss.

I got two surprise calls from Olivia and Amelia while driving. Too sweet.

On the road to Nashville (day 1)

2012-01-14T22:09:00.000-08:00

It is a father son trip as Victor Jr and I hit the road in the AM on our trek to Nashville to tape the Shotgun Red Variety Show. Victor beat me at the Alphabet game that took a good four hours because there wasn't a "z" to be found. We will spend the night here in Kingman, AZ then try to make eastern NM or Texas tomorrow. We listened to some old time radio and tried to get the 49er game on the radio but could not find it. We learned from the clerk at the donut shop (Frosty's) in Barstow, CA that the niners won. He even gave us a couple of free donuts. We did catch the tail end of the Bronco spanking. Too Bad.

The rest of the fam will fly out to Nashville later this week where we will meet them and then tape the show. We hope to meet up with some of our friends in Nashville so it promises to be a fun week.

Saw the sign to Lake Havisu and the London Bridge....might stop by and see that on the way back.

Belle and Buttercup are traveling with us. And so far they are doing well.

I want to thank Anti Monkey Butt Powder (www.antimonkeybutt.com) for sponsoring our trip. If you are our fans we beg you to support them and get yourself one of their soothing cremes or powders for any chaffing or itching you might have. You can also thank them by liking them on Facebook.

Oitoke Pond...I translated this Japanese Ghost story 18 years ago.

2012-01-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

Before I begin. Cynthia returned to Berea today and made it back safe and sound.
Victor Jr. and I will start our drive to take our equipment to Nashville this week for taping next week of the Shot Gun Red Variety Show.
(The rest of the gang will fly out.)
We also have a great gig up in Chico (Private) that will include the trapeze.
Now...here is what passes as a Ghost story 100 years ago in Japan.

Oitoke Pond

A long time ago, near a little village in Japan, there was a very large pond that was said to be abundant with fish. So the nearby villagers would often go there to fish. The strange thing was that nobody would fish there during the day. Only at night would fishermen go and happily fish away until their creels were full. Occasionally, after pulling up their creel, packing-up their gear and were just about to leave some fishermen would hear “Oitoke, Oitoke” which in Japanese means “drop it drop it” in a very commanding voice. The voice sounded like it came right out of the depths of the pond. Hearing this, the fishermen would drop everything and run away. Before long this was happening all the time so fishermen stopped coming and the pond became known as Oitoke Pond. Even today people rarely venture to go fishing there, night or day.

Now, on the edge of this village there lived a man named Sanzaemon. He was a man of boundless courage and nothing easily scared him. “Why is everyone so afraid a voice? A voice can’t do anything to you!” he would exclaim. “I will go and no matter how many times a voice says to drop it I will surely return with my fish.” He announced one day.

That evening he set out for Oitoke Pond; after all it’s more fun to fish at a haunted pond at night, isn’t it?

He fished frantically trying to catch as many fish as he could as the night grew darker. Once full he pulled up his creel and packed up his gear. Just then he heard the voice. “Oitoke, Oitoke”, it said.

He grinned ever so slightly and looked around the pond. He couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from. But the voice was ominous; he could only guess that it compared to what a voice from hell might sound like. “Just like the rumors said”, he mumbled to himself.

“Who should I drop it for?” Sanzaemon called out in response to the commands to drop it. There was no response so he gripped his gear and the creel a little tighter and he began to walk away.

As he walked on he heard the clapping of geta (Japanese wooden clogs) approaching him from behind. He turned and looked to see a beautiful young lady. Coming to his side she smiled beautifully and asked, “Can I buy those fish from you?”

“Are you crazy!?” Sanzaemon snapped. “These fish are gifts.”

“Please don’t say that. Let me buy them.” She pleaded.

But Sanzaemon couldn’t be persuaded. “No! Just stop it! They aren’t for sale”, he bellowed at her.

She continued to beg bowing lower each time until finally Sanzaemon barked at her again and turned to walk off.

At that very moment, before his eyes, the young woman’s face transformed into that of an awful she-devil (Onibaba) and she asked, “Even though I asked you kindly you won’t drop them?” perhaps hoping to scare him.

“That’s right. And who should I drop them for?”, the un-fazed Sanzaemon asked her without turning back to look at her again. He then walked home, briskly.

Once in his house he breathed a sigh of relief, for he was more scared than he let on. He told his landlady, “Today I met a dreadfully frightening woman. I was scared but I brought the fish back. Just like I said I would.”

He told her the whole story, including the beautiful girl and her transformation into an onibaba.

Turning away from him his landlady asked, “This girl, what kind of face did you say she had?”

“It was exactly like an Onibaba’s face but being so dark I can’t exactly be sure. I tried to ignore her.”

Quickly turning to face him the landlady asked, “Is this what she looked like?” Her face had changed to look exactly like the Onibaba of earlier.

With a scream, “Aghhhhhhhhh!” , Sanzaemon passed out.

After coming to he realized he wasn't home at all but in a deserted mountain house somewhere in the forest near the pond. Of course his gear, the creel, and the fish were gone.

Or so the story goes.

-End.

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Grandma's Birthday and A Family Group Pix

2012-01-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

Holidays

2012-01-01T16:31:00.001-08:00

The Holidays. Well, we exited the new year with a BANG. I took my dad and Victor Jr to the Clay Pits for some shootin'. My pop had never fired a cap and ball gun and I happen to have one. We had fun but My Colt Dragoon didn't fire a couple of times. I think my powder was to coarse. So I bought some finer powder and it shoots better now.
Victor got his first chance to shoot a gun as well. He is using his mom's 410. He hit a few targets. The folks next to us let us their clay pigeon launcher but Victor ran out of bird shot before he could hit any. Maybe next time.

We also shot my 308 and wow was that an accurate gun. It was hard not to hit the targets.
Miles wanted a 2000 piece puzzle fro Christmas. It took 5 days and he no longer ever wants to see a 2000 piece puzzle again.
Christmas Day...all the presents are opneed and the girls are wearing their Christmas jamies.
The grand parents and the kids on Christmas day.
A tradition I started back when it was just Mam, me, and James was that I would make fruit salad on Christmas Eve. It was my gift to Mami because she loves fruit. It was expensive to do in Japan. But cheaper here in California. Still it takes a ton of fruit to make a good fruit salad to get the taste just right. And besides there are nine of us here.
I passed the tradition to the boys. Miles has been loyal to the tradition (James has taken a powder the last two years running off somewhere on Christmas Eve). We allowed another change to the tradition too. We let girls in on it. Amelia, Cynthia and Olivia helped too. Amelia hung it out until the end.

The final product a whole bunch of fruit salad.
Melons!
Jugs.

Rack!

Here no fruit. See no fruit. Speak no fruit.
BLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
I found a picture of our old apartment in Nara, Japan. This pix is from 2009 and it looks exactly as it did 16 years ago. The highlighted area is our old apartment.

update on sponsor info and other stuff

2011-12-10T02:43:00.001-08:00

This weekend Jim is in Des Moines, IA at the fair convention there. He has already gotten us a two year contract at the Plymouth fair. That's the one we did last year. He says it is cold out there but no snow storms....yet.

Antimonkey butt powder now has shampoo and body wash in a gift set.....they sponsor Our show so do me a favor and get a set for someone you love this Christmas.

I will be going to the KY and TN conventions when we go out that way to tape the Shotgun Red Variety Show in January. I love that section of the country and you can't beat the folks out their for hospitality and politeness.

Colusa Hometown Days

2011-12-03T02:44:00.000-08:00

No pictures to post because it was insane tonight. Last year we were on the community stage but we had such a big draw that we were moved to the big stage this year. That meant tighter parking. It also meant less flexibility with staging. We pulled off a great show with the largest audience draw off all the acts. I know that sounds like bragging but it is really just reporting. James' girlfriend and her family showed up and Miles' interest and her family showed up. We have a strong traditional Christian value that prohibits girlfriends until the kids are 18 or more. But the young lady who likes Miles and he her is are fantastic people and I love her family and when time dictates I hope it works out for them....in God's hands.

I will let you all in a secret. For the last two weeks I have been suffering the worst back spasms of my life. The doctors are aware that the spasms happening so I was prepared for pain and muscle relaxing control but wow has it been a tough week. I have kept it quiet as not to worry anyone but since I am on the mend I thought I would share it. Still the pain is quite significant.

Tonight's show started off with a slight breeze and a fairly comfortable temperature. But by the time we were mid way through the show a north wind kicked in and we were freezing. In spite of the wind and the tilt in the stage (affecting the tight rope) everyone did well. Especially Jim with his balancing and Victor on the tight rope. Vic couldn't do his spin around but with such a tilt on the stage. I would've been surprised if he could. We plan on adding a tilt to the rig for practice in case we run into this situation again.

The most interesting thing of the night was when I was in the porta potty. While doing the chore I heard a loud bang on the side of the building. Then again and again from various sides. When I came out I found a 7 year old boy and his brother throwing water bottles at the porta potties. I scolded them to stop but got a laugh and another toss at the buildings in response. Since the music was loud I came a little closer and told them to stop. I then turned and walked away. As I did a blond woman walked passed me and asked what was going on. (Up to now she was ignoring what I later found out was her kids.) I told her they were throwing stuff at the bath rooms. Well, I walked on and before I could make it to the stage a man reeking of beer came face to face with me...I mean real close and asked me why I called his kid a brat. As I explained I only told the kid to stop; another man came up behind me like a prison yard block in preparation for a shanking. I was a bit worried because the man was angry. He called me a F###### liar when I said his kid misheard and I was just telling him to stop throwing the bottle. (imagine being in one of those things and hearing several bangs against the the wall). He used a few more colorful metaphors to describe how he desired to hurt me so I moved a bit away and offered them the opportunity to have a nearby cop mediate. They cursed me and the cop and vanished into the crowd. Later that night I got an email from the mother and she reposted the same email on the facebook page for the event and the newspaper that advertised the event that I was a bad man. I may have no choice but to file a complaint with the local police since I was threatened by the kid's father. The guy did not realize he was loud an there were many witnesses. I researched them and found out he is a mortgage man in Yuba City so I am sure his boss won't like the bad publicity. It saddens me that there are parents like this out there. They ignore their kids' bad behavior and act like jerks when confronted with the fact that their kids aren't angels. In my day a kid acting like that would've gotten me in trouble. Today they are defended by their parents, some drunk, like the father tonight. And we wonder why society is so screwed up.

I start the year with David Jackson of West Coast Festivals robbing us and end the year with this kind of crap. I wonder why I put up with it. Maybe I should become an accountant.

As I type this Tater-tot is snuggling up next to me in bed and makes the world a little better place.

Pictures of tater Tot for those of my family and friends who do not use Facebook

2011-11-28T12:56:00.001-08:00

Tater Tot

2011-11-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

I am proud to introduce you to Tater Tater-tot, five-month old poodle. He is the newest member of the family and the show. I picked him up yesterday in Socal. I would reprot more but I am sleepy from the drive. More to follow..... by the way Belle is excited.

AFA Convention Last Night

2011-11-17T23:15:00.000-08:00

Well, the Banquet is over, the awards have been given, cheese cake eaten and dance done danced. We made some new friends like Vannesa Joy and Marvin (pictured here) singer an pianist who are fabulous. We also saw many old friends. We attended workshops, and meetings, took a nap in the afternoon and "partied" in the evening. And yes I did indeed danced with Mami.
I wore my 2012 costume to the Banquet as I did last year with my 2010 costume.....It fit better with the theme than the 2011 costume did...last year. We had some laughs and talked some business. Ironically I booked fairs in Indiana, Virginia, and Tennessee via email and calls while here and only talked about possibilities with the AZ fairs folks. I am happy that the fair manager from and her staff from the fair we did here in AZ last year was very happy with our services.
Enjoying a moment after the meal.

Steve Rosen has only been a balloon twister for a short time and he made a Monkey.....luckily this little fellow doesn't suffer from Monkey Butt ...but if he did we gave every attendee a sample of Anti Monkey Butt Powder so he would be fine.

We had lunch with Marvin and Vanessa (Joy) . It was a hoot. Marvin is a joke-aholic and quiet frankly might be insane. We all laughed so hard our stomach's hurt. The company made up for the really bad catfish I had at the cafe. It was like they pour a bottle of salt on it. Impossible to eat. But, like I said, the company was great.

Arizona Fairs Convention 2011

2011-11-16T22:42:00.000-08:00

The theme of the convention is a Flashback to the 50s. Born in the mid 60s and raised in the 70s-80s we had to get advise from my folks and Happy Days. I already owned the wig and Mami made her poodle skirt from scratch. I nearly one in the men's costume contest...I was in the final three but lost out to a Babaloo character. Audience applause determined the outcome. A very well down over the top car hop won the women's portion. Oh, I should mention that the run off of the men's top three was a hula hoop contest......wich Amelia was here to act as my proxy for that....I would've won.
I took this picture because My Dodge and Mr Ford were both represented tonight at the tradeshow. I thought it was funny. Checy wasn't represented.

Our hotel in in the background...the 22nd floor. What a view...of the desert. We aren't gambling folks so we spend our spare time people watching and being with each other, strolling, and shopping.
Tuesday light was bowling night. In spite of my back I went for it after making sure I took my muscle relaxer and pain pill. About the third frame in they had to be supplemented very quickly by a shot of bourbon as I had a minor spasm...I couldn't tell you where the ball went on that frame. That's life with a tumor in your spinal cord. But we had a really good time and I won the two game set for our lane. Over all I was probably 15th. Mami was only a few pins behind me. We had a cute game where if either one of us got a strike or a spare we got a kiss from each other.

This is the fair board of the Cochise County fair.....their bowling gear. I am not sure how they finished the night but they definitely took best dressed.
The Koi outside the Colorado Belle. The minute a human looks down at them they all swim toward them Here they come.
I took this picture because many years ago we had the honor of working with the Kid and Nic show. A great great group. We have their CD and it is awesome. They will perform at the hotel we are at this weekend. But sadly we won't be here.

Sleep has been hard to come by since each day the convention has had early activities and late night activities. We left the presidents's cocktail party early since I could not keep my eyes open. I took a nap and Mami called home to give Miles here pie recipe (best pies in the word) for his foods class.

Our sponsor, Anti Monkey Butt Powder gave us some samples to put in the gift bags all participants get. I have been told by a few people it was the best thing in the bag. One person introduced me to her friends as the Anti-Monkey Butt guy....what a title.

Hemet Mall Pix and Honeymoon?

2011-11-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

I promised pictures from the Hemet Mall show. Here are two. The three Beauties next to Saint Nick are the three local Miss Pageant queens who helped with the ticket drawings for the various prizes donated by the mall stores. The bog prize was a Kindle donated by Radio Shack.

Monday morning Mami and I go on a little honeymoon....well, in reality we are going to the Arizona Fair convention in Laughlin, NV. But we will be without the kids. Since we never had a honeymoon I think we will call this a "working" honeymoon. Five days without the kids and no dishes or house cleaning or yard work or "insert whatever you want here".

Hemet Mall Santa there and back again

2011-11-13T01:39:00.000-08:00

We left from our northern Cal abode 6am yesterday to Hemet, CA...about a 10 hour drive taking the stupid 55mph for cars pulling trailers in Cali and LA traffic into account. I planned the timing well so we hit only the start of rush hour down there. Sadly we had fast food for dinner and the hotels offerings for Breakfast were a joke...they actually had Tang instead of real OJ. Oh Well! A happy McGriddle sandwich fixed my b-fast blues.

It rained last night and sprinkled all morning so we set our show up in a large vacant store. It was actually pretty cool. The Forever 21 Store left behind some nice decor so it had a nice feel to it. Once our back drops were up and our stage set the doors opened and the mall had so many people come in they soon had to add more chairs. Since it was a luncheon they also ran out of food. Who would've guessed. I have pictures and will add them tomorrow.

We had a great time. We have been doing this gig for several years and have built up a pretty big fan base there.

I am tired so I will make a long story short by saying after the show we packed up and did a bee-line home arriving just after midnight. I sleep now!

Oh, I arrived home to see my wife in a poodle skirt and dressed as if from the 50s....she made her costume for the AZ fair convention next week. We will have time away from the kids as we head to Laughlin, NV for a few days. The theme is "the 50's".

Shotgun Mami

2011-11-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

It's a rule in our family that at the age of 12 all the kids get their first gun (they get actual ownership of the gun at 18 But they at least get to choose the gun, have it purchased and learn to shoot with it.) From birth they are taught gun safety! All of them are fair shots too.

Well today was Mami's turn. She got her very own 410 shotgun. And that means she had to go out and learn to shoot it. So today we went down to the clay pits and she took a shot at it. Literally! She found it exciting but she was holding it so tight that her bicep started to hurt. She was protecting from the kick by snuggling it in tight on her shoulder.

You may notice her gun is short. It's a child-size shotgun since her arms are so short. Still it packs a wallup. She shot bird shot, slugs, and a hybrid slug-disc/birdshot mix. Lord help anyone who sneaks in on her if you has that in the gun. The bad man will end up with very little of what gets hit.

I also had a chance to try out my new scope on my 308. I can pick a flea off a dog a half mile away without effort with this puppy.

The girls went with us and from the safety of the back of the van (doors open) they took pictures and cheered their mom on.

There were quite a few folks out their practicing today. We are blessed to have a free use shooting range in our town. Everyone there knows gun safety, or are learning it. And everyone down there are nice folks willing to give you tips or just chat with you.

My neighbor who is pushing 90 told me back in the day the high school kids would regularly take their 22 squirrel guns to school with them and hut river rats on the way home.

Well, since we have a few days off we plan on going back down to the pits as a family and get some practice in.

Piccadilly Circus and another Great Letter.

2011-11-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

We went to the Piccadilly Circus at Chico's Silver Dollar Fairgrounds tonight and had a fantastic time. In spite of the limitations of the building they were in (the fair wouldn't allow certain rigging) and the fact that the State of California wouldn't allow their Monkey's or petting zoo across the border into our socialist state the show was awesome.

Titus loved the clowns. They had some really great clown routines.

The circus lacked a ringmaster, which I think would've made it even better, maybe because I am a ringmaster.

I got to meet the owner and had a good chat with him. Since it was pack-up time my time with them was limited. I have to say they are all a great bunch of people.

Earlier in the day I lunched with my good friend JC Dunn. I mad him my famous Brie stuffed hamburgers. They were pretty big and, in all modesty, they were off the hook! It is always so much fun spending time with dear JC.

I got another great letter of recommendation today:

To whom this may concern;

The Lawrenceburg Fair and Horse Show hired Victor Kent Family Circus for our fair last year 2011. We had them for the entire week of June 27th thru July 2nd.

It is without reservation that we recommend this family act for any fair. They were outstanding in performances and kept the crowds entertained. We received countless statements from those that watched AND participated in their nightly shows.

Their shows by far exceeded any single show that the Lawrenceburg Fair and Horse Show has hired for entertainment during our fair. We were highly pleased with the shows, their interaction between shows with the crowds and the Christian respectable family that this shows brings. Again, any fair that is looking for clean, fun, and exciting entertainment, The Kent Family Circus are the ones to bring in.

I would be happy to answer any questions, I can be reached at 502-330-0178.

Kip Halvorson

Anderson Post 34 Adjustant

Lawrenceburg Fair Board President

What a great letter from another fair manager

2011-11-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

P O BOX 439

WINCHESTER, KY 40392

clarkcofair@hotmail.com

To whom to may concern:

The Kent Family Magic Circus was a new attraction to the Clark Co Fair this year. What a great decision. They were recommended to us by another county fair, and now I would like to recommend them for your fair.

Kent Family Circus is like 4-5 acts all in one. There’s juggling, trapeze, tight rope, fire eating, balancing, stunts, magic, and more. It really is a family and everyone has a talent and all perform well. They are pretty much self contained with own stage, lights you supply electricity and get ready to see a show! They do multiple performances each night and each one is unique and different. When the crowds gather, they stay until the show is over. Interaction with the crowd keeps the children as well as the adults entertained.

Word of mouth is the best advertisement, so I hope you will consider booking the Kent Family Magic Circus as your next act. You will not be disappointed!

Sincerely,

Melissa Clark

Clark County Fair

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-Letter-from-A-Fair-Manager-and-Large-Crowd-Drawer.html?soid=1104935934669&aid=263sWW-Zbcc

2011-11-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-Letter-from-A-Fair-Manager-and-Large-Crowd-Drawer.html?soid=1104935934669&aid=263sWW-Zbcc

Calico Day 3 Part 2 Video

2011-10-29T23:14:00.001-07:00

R.I.P. Prince.....Calico Day 3

2011-10-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

He protected our home and gave pleasure to tjhe kids. He was afraid of fireworks on the 4th of July and would dig holes in the lawn. He was a master of escape. He most especially had a special relationship with Cynthia. He outlived his sibling puppies and passed today at 16 years old due to age and heart worm coplications...get your dogs tested and treated. RIP Prince!
This "face" was made by the window and rafters at our stage. I lit up the back curtain and greeted us when we arrived this morning.
Here is a picture of the show programs from our shows over the past umpteen years. There were more once upon a time but someone cleaned the backstage and tossed them. these are from 1999 until now.
A standing ovation...pose.
Here is a family that themed themselves as Alice in Wonderland. Super nice folks and they win first palce every year.
Here was a fun costume that fit the Victorian Halloween theme.
Jim and Olivia fine tuning their new stunt. Video to come.
Victor had quite a challenge today. The man who did most the tying of the knots for Victor's $400 rope tie is a professional scaffold tier. He cut off Victor's circulation. But that did not deter Victor...
Even if he had to loose his pants to get out.
Find Alf>>>>>>(This was our smallest crowd today. )
Anti Monkey Butt.

Baby Anti Monkey Butt Powder fan.

Mild weather was in store for us today. What started off slow turned into a very busy night indeed. Saw more old friends and fans. I can't believe how many people come up just for our show. It is indeed flattering. Sadly, outside my Aunt and Uncle and Cousin Pam, none of my southern Cal living brothers or sister could make it out to see us. I really hoped we could have seen them since we don't get together very often due to our different lifestyles (us on tour all the time, etc.) We missed you guys, if you are reading this....We will be in Hemet in November if you can make it.

Ever wonder what we watch on TV when we get back to the hotel while everyone is taking their turn with the shower? Mostly the Food Network. Chopped, Sweet Genius, Iron Chef, etc. Doing that now.

One more day down here then that long 55mph drive up to Northern Cal.

A moving letter

2011-10-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Even though I have already posted something for today (see the post below this one) I just had to share what has to be the best letter of recommendation from a client I have ever gotten. You have to know the man who wrote it. He is a no nonsense man that will not pad a sentence with necessary anything; a straight shooter that can intimidate Chuck Noris. At the same time if you are a straight shooter to hi and give your best he is the nicest man you an meet. (If there are any typos they are mine as I transposed this myself.)

LAUREL COUNTY FAIR

PO Box 455,

London, KY 40743

606-878-2262

www.laurelcountyfair.com

To whom it may concern:

Please accept this recommendation for the Kent Family Magic Circus without reservation.Victor

Kent and his family have performed at the Laurel County Fair consecutively more than any act

we have ever booked. The show is seof-contained and cost effective, and I would not be making

this recommendation to another event if it were not heart-felt.

Event committees are often stretched in many directions and do not have time to oversee the

responsibilities of the acts we book. Victor Kent and his family do not require your supervision

or monitoring. Simply show them the area to set up in, give them their shows times, and walk

away rest assured that everything will be alright. However, you might want to stop back by and

catch one of the performances just so you can be proud of yourself for making such a wise

choice.

Each performance of the Kent Family Magic Show is varied, draws large audiences, and engages

children and adults. Victor's ability to interact with the audiences is second to none. His family

members are as personable as they are talented and will surely please your committee and

patrons.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you need any more information. But I can save you the time it

would take for you to call me by simply saying, you should book this show.

Sincerely,

C.Douglas Phelps, Manager

Laurel County Fair

Calico Week 2

2011-10-28T22:30:00.001-07:00

Week 2 in Calico. The drive up was faster than normal because we weren't hindered by the stupid laws that restrict speed and lanes for vehicles pulling trailers. We had left our trailer at Calico for the week. It acted as a bill board for our sponsor, Anti-Monkey Butt Powder. On the drive we were treated with a blast from the past...a patriotic VW.

We are so excited about a new stunt Jim and Olivia came up with. The two pictures below don't do it justice so I will try and get a better shot tomorrow...maybe even a video. Olivia climbs a pole and Jim balances here on his chin. SO Cool!

The kids had a little time to stroll the park a few times. Victor found fascination with the old canon. He loves guns. Especially historic ones.

The professor, Dr. Valadez.

Can you tell it is a Halloween Haunt event with this beauty?

Strangely, in spite of this being Halloween weekend it seemed slower this weekend than last weekend. Still we filled every seat and had standing room only at both shows today. It was a great day.

Calico Postings

2011-10-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

HUGE CROWDS! We have been incredibly blessed this year in that everywhere we performed we pulled in great crowds. In some places the size was relative to the market. For example in Winchester, KY on a weekday after a heavy rain the fair had less than 100 people on the grounds and we had most of them at our show...huge for the situation. But for the fairs and amusement parks we worked this year the crowds have been relatively and visually large.

Here is a picture of a Calico crowd and this was from one of the smaller shows. I am happy to report that many people have come year after year just to see us. I don't say that to brag. I am just reporting what no less than 50 people told me personally. I also took straw polls before a few of the shows asking, How many of you is this your first Trip to Calico?...your first Ghost Haunt?...your first time seeing us? How many of you have seen us many times? Some folks even sent us some pictures...the ones with me and my nails and Jim juggling fire were sent to us by one such fan.

Once every five years we do our old time photo. Amelia and I are in our show costumes Jim, Miles and Victor are partially in their costumes and partially the shops. Olivia is in a shop costume. Victor is as happy as a tick on a hound dogs back since he has two guns in his belt, a bag of loot in one hand and a stick of dynamite in his other hand.
Fan sent picture. Human Block head.
Another fan sent photo. Awesome.
As we waited in the car line to get into the park on the first day we saw Alvin and his buddies frolicking around.

Amelia was too short so she jumped and I timed the shot just right.
My Aunt and Uncle from nearby Barstow are a couple of our biggest fans and always make time to come over to Calico and see us.
On a whim Jim decided to balance the 78 lb bed of nails on his face during the show. A hundred phone cameras appeared in the hands of the audience as he did it.

No post today.

2011-10-22T23:43:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I won't be posting much more than this. I am suffering from a bought of ennui

and loneliness inspite of having people around me....perhaps it's the "entertainer's virus" that many comedians suffer from. So maybe after we get back on Monday...after I fix the water heater at my house. Gosh darn it, I want to say how I fee about the house and California and such but many people close to me think I should keep that to myself so I will....but reluctantly....or maybe it's the mood talking. I just look forward to leaving home again next Thursday to come back down here to the huge crowds we have been enjoying.

Beautiful Calico

2011-10-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

Well, today was set up day. We also did two shows. Since it was a Friday of the haunt it was slower than tomorrow will be. Next weekend will be crazy busy. We had all the chairs full at the first show and that plus many standers in the second...maybe around 250 at the second show.

We saw many of our old Calico friends. Belle even got to see her old buddy, Big Boy, a toy poodle owned by our good friend Janet who gave us Belle last year.

I will post pictures tomorrow.

There was a little frustration today. Victor's shoes were left behind so he had to perform in his socks today. And the bolts that hold the legs to our fire cage were likewise left behind so that was cut today. Luckily, Walmart had some bolts that might work. We shall see.

Early start tomorrow. Bye.

Barstow, Ca

2011-10-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

After a long drive down to southern Cal we have arrived in Barstow, CA. I call it a long drive in spite of the fact it was only 8.5 hours and compared to most of our driving this summer that is a short drive, because we had to do it at 55mph because we are pulling a trailer and we had to stay in the raggedy beaten-up right lane behind diesel-smoke spewing trucks the entire way. Gotta love California laws.

For most of the trip each of the kids took turns napping. They also did their home school work. I envied their slumber. I never was able to shake the morning sleep out of my head and I am looking forward to slamming down a burger and crashing for the night.

I wish I could report something exciting. The radio news day sure was a full one: Qaddafi was killed today (everyone-France, the rebels, Obama, etc- are tripping over themselves taking credit for it). Michael Jackson's doctor's trial is going on in SoCal. And the Governor of Cali signed a cap and trade bill today that should kill business in California once and for all.

On the dog front, Belle was excited to be on the road again. At every gas stop she got so excited. She loves to go romping around the greenbelts around gas stations and leave her mark. Grant it if the mark is a solid mark we pick it up. She took to her favorite spots in the van and seemed very content to be on the move again. She's a travelin' dog!

I am looking forward to seeing old friends and relatives. We have been coming here for 15 years so we have made many friends over those years. We have also had relatives here since I was a child. It's always good to see them.

On the road home.

2011-10-09T18:12:00.000-07:00

No pix today sorry!

We did an 11 hour drive from Roswell to Kingman, AZ....we are just on the boarder with Cali. I am going to have to readjust my mind to accept driving only in the right lane at 55mph or face a $1000+ ticket. Read today Cali is outlawing anyone under 18 from using tanning beds. Not that I think they are a good idea but shouldn't that be between a teen and their parents...why is the state involved? Oh, yeah they think we are stupid and need a nanny. Before we left the oil change place lowered my tire pressure and refused to but more in because Cali law forbade them from doing that. (We keep it higher because we pull heavy stuff.) Nanny state love.

OK that was a rant...sorry.

I have one more rant though. We can't seem to escape hotels owned by a certain race. I am not racist. I love all races but nearly bar none these guys squeeze us for every cent they can manage. We are staying at a middle of the road hotel...not the best, not the worst. The guy at the desk made a big to do about giving me a discount of $10 per room. I went on line to find out he is actually overcharging me by $4.00 per room. The website said, "Pet friendly"...the registration card says, "no pets". When I informed the man we had an ADA dog (after registering) he wanted to move us to a different room, he wanted to see my ADA card ( I showed him) he wanted to charge me $10.00 more. Finally I put my credit card back on the desk and said, "you can't ask for the card, but I'll show you. You can't change the room. ADA dogs get FULL access. You can't charge for an ADA dog. Each of these or even questioning about the dog, according to the law, can garner fines of at least $500 for the individual and again for the company.

One friend has become so angry in dealing with hotels where the owners are of that race that if he smells a typical odorous food of this race or sees a person of that race in a hotel lobby he will go somewhere else. Sadly very few hotels are owned by other races anymore, even many of the big ones.

I rant here because this summer I had been cheated or lied to by hotels like this so many times I have become tired of it. RV time I guess.

All Done in Roswell.

2011-10-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of sunset through the fence at the fair. Since this is the last day I often say, "we have made parole". This picture fits doesn't it?

After months and months of constantly on the road with a short stop home last month we are really truly almost finished. We will go home but we have two trips to SoCal for shows at Calico at the end of this month.

The wind was mostly quiet today. Only a little mutton chop burn at the first show.

Jim chats as he sit's in the air.

The first round went to Lukas, the rematch went to Nick
Nick left a lasting impression on Lukas.
Artsy picture.
Boy to bunny.
Fire whip.
reactions.

We enjoyed large audience. We had crazy weather. We got to explore the secrets of Roswell. We added a couple of things to the show. We added a bunch of new fans on Facebook and in real life. We added "stalkers". We had a good time. Texas and New Mexico were welcoming and friendly. We made lots of memories.

Eight Show Day and a TV invitation

2011-10-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

Victor has been doing handstands everyday and now on everything. He's even beginning to do them on stage. Here he is practicing backstage.

Today started off cool and NOT windy as we set up and performed five 30 minute shows for school kids visiting the fair. But as we finished the last show the wind kicked up and stayed in 29mph+ for the rest of the day. We took a break from the fairgrounds for lunch and relaxation but had to get back for 3 more regular show by 4:30. The wind died by 6 in time for our 6:30 show so no loss of hair for me today.

While on relaxation I got a call from a TV show filmed in Nashville and we have been invited to perform on it. I won't leak details now but we are mulling it over.

Olivia had a tough day...at one point she turned around not seeing me and walked plum hard into me, then while at the store she had her face up close to the milk door and as I opened the door her little fingers were pinched as she held the wrong side. Then at check out the bag holding bars on the rotating bag holder bobbed her once. Then later on at the fair she was walking a low brick wall in between shows and slipped off scraping her leg.
We bandaged her up and as long as she doesn't see it she is fine.
OK so I am not so good with the knocker thingy.
Lukas is proud of his heritage and has enough of a sense of humor to run with it. But an old Indian lady came up to him after one show and gave him a dressing down calling him racist. He has three different tribe bloods in him and is card carrying. She claimed he wasn't setting a good example. He tells me he visits his family on the reservation and the kids his age their run around like gangsters so by all accounts I would say he is definitely a better example than them. You also could not meet a better friend, nice guy, friendly, hard working, people loving, God fearing young man. So in my book that lady needs thicker skin.
OK, so Jim's diabolo got stuck in a tree during performance.
In a real tall tree. In garnered a big applause.
After the show it took about 20 attempts but his other diabolo saved the day and knocked the other one out of the tree.

Apparently this guy gives out flu shots for food. Or maybe he was just standing near the sign?

And Windy has stormy eyes....

2011-10-06T21:53:00.001-07:00

Today was windy. That is the long and the short of it. Most of the day it blew hard. It was sunny warm and sandy. Our first show wasn't until 5 something so we spent the time having a lazy day. But just walking across a lot to a store next door was enough to chap lips and get sand in every open hole int he body. We stayed in until we had to go. At the fair the banners in our banner line were like full bellowed sales on a schooner boned for Hong Kong in a Typhoon. We did the first show in the 26 mph wind with 42 mph gusts. And yes I ate fire to my chagrin. The wind not only blew it whipped around which meant I had fire coming at me a few times. Experience ruled the day and I stayed safe but boy oh boy do I hate eating fire in this kind of wind. I can thank Calico Ghost town for the experience.
Chief Running Bull played with his newly found Knockers. You old folks, do you remember these from the 70s? They are making a come back.
Model. I bought Lukas the headdress as a late birthday gift.
Well, out side of that nothing much to report. The wind died down by the second show, it was a night show, and all was good. Cheers.

Roswell...Aliens Amoung us!

2011-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Look at the size of that crowd. They go on and on. Over 600 people by our head count. With all of us a the top of our game and all signs of that stomach bug having bugged out we basked in the energy you get from a crowd this size and had a great time.
We found a terrific Alien mask at an obscure little shop downtown and turned Nick in Skeen, the Alien Trapeze Artist.
Skeen and Jim sharing a moment.
Sunset over Roswell.

A shot of Jim as he is about to juggle with a painted sky as his backdrop, or front drop?
Backstage with the kids.
Lukas with his Hairspray...dangerous around a man eating fire.
Victor with his vial of alien...he got it at the Alien or UFO Museum and Research Center.
Paddle ball fromt he museum. It was a buck.
One shop owner's display

In the Museum.

In theuseuem
They can't believe it's plastic!

New friend?

Everyone seems to get into the action of playing the Alien Game here. Hey, it sells stuff right? I was told there were two alien themed diners that went belly up due to the recession. Lots of the shops looked as they they were taking a beating this year. I know from our travels that RVers are few and far between so I think that might be part of it ...people aren't traveling much.

And locals are used to it.

We still had a good time visiting down town as corny as it was.

Gas down to $2.95!

Roswell...Kickin' It At Da Fair!

2011-10-05T08:33:00.001-07:00

Welcome to New Mexico! Greeted with happy gas prices....well, comparably speaking. By the end of this blog it gets even happier.
We arrived in town town and dropped the show trailer off at the fairgrounds. Then we headed to the hotel with a stop to a fast food joint for dinner. The fastg food joint next door had this sign....
Here we are, all set up. The first day all the shows went well with our smallest audience being around 150 people. The evening show was well over 300....for a Monday night. No, they did not give us enough seats. Seams all the fairs this year have underestimated our drawing power and gave us way too little seating.
Victor has given it away ...he is really an alien too.

Lukas being cool. That makes for a great segue to weather. It has been pretty cool here weather-wise. Though it hit the mid 80s on the first day it has been hard pressed to reach 80 ever since. In fact, last night (Tuesday) we had a Thunderstorm hit us, lightly at first, about ten minutes before the end of the show. No one left, all seat stayed full. Then just as Jim was about to wrap up his part the clouds opened and we were deluged. It rained all night. As I write this I am looking out the window at wet streets and puddles, and a gray sky.
How does he do it?
Hmmm. Here's a hint.

That would explain this...but it's cool to look at.
During a performance....Jim had a ripping good time.

Given some attitude.

Togetherness.

Here is one of our crowds. This has been the average. Even in the rain.
I think they are enjoying the show.

OK, so Monday afternoon I get this funny feeling in my gut. I pull through the last show and make a mad dash to the cleanest restroom I can find. I will spend much time there. By nightfall I am feeling fit for the grave. Jim had a similar bug a couple of days ago at the last venue. Looks like I picked it up. Tuesday Morning we had five 30 minute shows for special needs kids. I did each one with great anticipation for the last one so I could go back to bed. In the photo above I actually took a nap in the trapeze crate since it was the only place without New Mexico dust.
By Tuesday afternoon I was doing better and finally decided to try and eat something. It would take one more looong night sleep to make me feel better. At least mostly better. That was last night.
I told you it gets happier. Can you believe these prices? How can NM do these prices and Cali can't?

Today our shows don't start until 4pm so we are going to play tourist this morning.

Sorry no post...I am ill.

2011-10-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not posted anything yesterday and today isn't going to be much better. I have been hit by Jim's Stomach flu or food poisoning or something...what ever it is it sucks...maybe it blows....yeah that's it.

I have hundreds of pictures to go through just from the past two days and many stories to tell. But for now it is bed time. Good night and God bless.

We're Heeeereeee!

2011-10-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a travel day. An 11 hour drive from Mt. Pleasant, TX to Roswell, NM. For the most part everyone, except me slept at one point or another along the route. Victor Jr slept a good 5 hours of the drive. I wonder if he will be able to sleep tonight.

When awake we all had great stories to reminisce about this past week. It was a very interesting four days in Texas. We had a blast.

Arriving in Roswell was exciting. There are alien statues and alien decorations on stores and, well, it's all just exciting. There are signs on stores that say "Aliens Welcome" and the McDonalds Play area is shaped like a flying sauces....a big one.

We dropped the show off at the fair and will get up early to set up tomorrow morning. The folks at the fair all seem to be really nice. Our hotel is nice and comfortable.

We can't wait to get going with the shows and explore the town.

Big Crowds, Big Good Byes

2011-10-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Jim...a little green around the gills...read on....
I'm smiling because we had big crowds today. I mean BIG crowds. I have a panoramic view below. I am also smiling because the weather has been awesome. Dry but awesome.

In a nut shell we had a great rest most of the day and only had two night shows. The crowds were big and we had a ton of repeat audience members. We also have a tentative rebook for next year. We and they will decide for sure in the coming months. Sunny, the woman who did the girl's nails, brought her kids out to the fair and treated the kids and us big kids to some fair food snacks. She is a generous lady. Her kids and mine got along swimmingly. They played duck duck goose, and other games as the big kids cleaned up and a country band played pre-1980's music in the back ground...real loud. We bid farewell to our vendor neighbor East Texas Tai Kwan Do and their owner and students. The owner, Jennifer, is a nice lady with a sense of humor my cousins, Kris and Jay, could relate to. She was sweet to my kids too.

Jim had a bad day with a flu bug attacking him and his digestive tract. Keep him in your prayers. We were inundated with compliments after the shows. I record number of people came out of their way to tell us how much they enjoyed the show. Two other performers took our show info to help get us bookings at other fairs that they regularly perform. Hope it pans out. After the show was packed, hugs were given all around and we are now in the hotel with an early wake-up for our drive to Roswell. Wonder if we will meet any aliens?
Sunny and the kids.

Clean up.

The sidewhow at the fair.
Ray the sideshow guy!

Lukas dressing up.

Dinner time.

The panoramic of the 2 shows..BIG crowds.
The liquor store I got my medicine at earlier this week. Mt Pleasant is a dry or a little moist (restaurants) so we had to go a town over. What a great name for a Texas Liquor store.

Titus CO Fair Day 3 -Spa Day- Big Crowds

2011-09-30T20:27:00.001-07:00

Sunny's Nail Salon was where the girl's started their day. A fan from 4 years ago brought her family to the fair on Wed. and the girls hung out with her kids for a while. Then Sunny invited the girls over to her salon for a nail day.
They were ecstatic. that's all they talked about the last two days. And this morning their dream came true. They had a wonderful time.
While they got their fingers and toes done Jim and Miles were strolling around the fair for senior's day. Miles won hearts over as the penguin and Jim made them look up as the man in stilts.

Victor has made the strait jacket escape a regular part of his show now.
Look at that crowd. We have been blessed with big crowds at every show.
Back stage. While I am introducing the next act the kids lounge around like a lounge snake (pun for lounge lizard) waiting their turn or for the final curtain call.
And they called it snakey looooove!

MAle model Jim!

Crime and punishment.

Ever wonder how the skunk makes it on stage for when I do the skunk routine. Well, here is the culprit now tossing the rodent out on stage.
Nick under the pressures of the job.

Olivia is a hard task master. Nick wouldn't play with her so she cuffed, shackled and strangled him. We will send his remains back to his folks.
The vendor next to us is the Tai Kwan Do folks. Here is the owner displaying her feelings about our show.
Or maybe it was something I said. Like "Tai Kwan Do is nothing compared to Karate...."who knows???? I survive...when the swelling goes down.

Titus Co Fair....more pictures

2011-09-30T11:07:00.001-07:00

Just some pictures!

Titus Fair Day 2 Nine Shows today!!!

2011-09-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

We did nine shows today....seven in the morning, back to back, for the schools that visited the fair. Then two shows int he evening. ALl the shows were packed with people coming to watch us. Very flattering.

We are all tired, sunburn, and achy. It was a good day.

The clown here is Lanky. He is an awesome clown who is always on. One of the best clowns I've met.

This is Lanky's pierced belly button.
nick doing is swing then drop. Audiences love it. His hands got a good work out too. Olivia is doing fantastic on her aerial work too. Belle has become a pure pro hitting her mark and doing her tricks with ease. She did all 9 shows too and in 97 degree weather too.

Titus County Fair Texas Day 1

2011-09-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Mr Nick does Olivia's hair!

Day one at the fair....we arrived a little before lunch time but since we all ate late breakfasts we postponed that for an hour or two. The power on the northeast side of town was out so we had to deal with that as an early in the day issue. It mostly just affected the fans we use to keep the animals cool. Under the stage where there was a nice cross breeze worked out to be a good spot to put them.

The kids all worked out hard since we are coming off a two week break. It proved to have done the job because everyone nailed their parts in the shows. Only two shows today.

The first show started off with only one boyscout in the crowd but byt the time the show was over we topped 100 people. They were a quiet crowd.

The second show was standing room only and boy were they loud and reactive. It was awesome.

OK I tried the fly bar and I stunk...no upper body strength at all but I have a cute belly button.
Stud?

Hmmm.. reading? Sleeping? Ignoring the camera?
Victor nails the tightrope...not a flaw in the act.

I nailed my act too...literally!!

Belle takes a moment to give love to a volunteer.
During our two weeks off we went to trapeze school. Olivia has already added some of the moves her teacher taught her...like this "by the ear" move.
This young man's family came to both shows and remember us from when we were here a few years ago. The mom has invited our girls to her show this week for a manicure. Cool. The kids hung out with each other for quite a while. They gad fun.
Hmmmmm

Upity?

We are blessed with the opportunity to work with performer friends from recent past and distant past. Mike Mesmer and Wade Henry are here. There are some new performers we have never met before here too. I will try to get pix.

Well, the power was back on before the shows started and all went well. People in this part of Texas are really nice folks.

We have been blessed immensely this trip and praise God for it. We all send our love out to all of you.

Set up Day

2011-09-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

Getting back into the Cnetral Time Zone "zone" is pretty hard. We all slept in pretty good today. But we made it to B-fast before it closed so all was well. Here at the Hamster Inn the Bfasts are really nice. If ever we put out an album here is our Album Cover. Everyone with a pose and attitude. The kids spent the day setting up the show and enjoyed a lunch of southern Brisket, bean, bread and butter pickles and more. In the mean time I enjoyed leftover cat fish as I stayed at the hotel and did the laundry.

The folks running the fair are good ole folks. When I went into the office to get our schedule and passes they all talked about the lunch that day and mentioned pickled okra. I mentioned I had been having a craving for that and the nice lady went and got me four...with an offer for more. They were very nice!

Ever wonder what a carousel looked like when it is folded up for travel?
Olivia doing her best cord on the cob impression.
Victor too.

While I was doing the laundry and running around picking up supplies Lanky the clown, our old friend form four years ago, stopped by an said howdy to the kids. He noticed that we had new faces (Nick and Lukas). He noticed that Nick didn't look like the rest of the crew...he was white. So Lanky went on a relentless clown attack on Nick. He will remember Lanky for ever.

A surprise to me was that Mt Pleasant is Dry....recently moist. What surprised me is that I heard these terms in Kentucky but I did not know that there were still towns outside KY that enforced prohibition. No booz in Mt Pleasant. So we had to drive to the next town to get the alcohol we need. (No I'm not giving the kids, even the 21 year olds booz. ) For those of you in the know I don't have to explain, for everyone else....remember, I AM a fire eater.

interestingly we had to drive to the next town to get the stuff. My GPS took me on a very interesting route that included a road the directors of "Deliverance" would have loved to use in the movie. It was overhung with trees, narrow, cow pastures flanking the sides, dusty, gravelly, and dark. It came out to the fwy access road and into the town with only 945 people. On the main drag almost every store was a liquor store. I bet most of their business comes from a town away. Ironically this is the only town (Mt Pleasant) where the Hamster Inn (Hampton) that has free beer at the Manager's meet and greet each night.

Well, that's all for now. Good night.

Mt Pleasant, TX....Catfish and Cheap Gas

2011-09-26T19:25:00.001-07:00

Once you leave California something magical happens...gas prices fall. In land-locked states where there is no facility to make gasoline, in states where there are no oil reserves. In states where the gas is imported from California. Makes one wonder.

Anyway, after another 9 hours of driving we are here. We set the show up tomorrow and start shows on Wednesday. After 2 weeks off we need the practice. Everyone is beat right now.

For dinner we had catfish, like we did four years ago when we first came to this fair. Same place too. It was fabulous.
Deep fried pickles. Not as salty as last time and crunchier. It's like they have improved the recipe since our last taste.
Cat fish, hush puppies, fries. There was also green tomato relish, black eyed peas, spicy and non-spicy beans, cole-slaw, etc. It was awesome.

Not sure why he is looking this way? He enjoyed his food. Though his appetite is small due to his stomach problems the day we left. he spent the night before sick and being sick all night long. He even got sick once (the first day) about 10 minutes from home. But he's been fine since, just a tender tummy.

On the road again!

2011-09-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been absent for a day or so. Yesterday we had a seventeen hour drive from home to Winslow, AZ (yes we are getting our kicks on rte 66). We planned on stopping in Flagstaff but when we got there the town was flooded with NAU (Northern AZ Univ. ) parents, it being parent weekend there. No rooms at the inn. Well, there was a Ramada that had a suite with not enough beds and a second room with no TV at gouging prices. We took the 52 minute drive to Winslow. By the way, our drive would have been quicker if Cali didn't have that dumb law about trailers having to stay in the torn up right lanes and drive at 55. It was like riding an elevator very slowly up a tall building passing through 2/3 of that state.

We almost ended up pulling a "Wyoming" because as we pulled into Winslow we found out the town was full of motorcycles in for a big rally. We got the last two rooms at a low end Super 8. The rooms were clean but the rooms were small, bare and the beds hard. But the front desk lady was nice and got a fair price for the rooms. That is to say an average price for today's travels.

AntiMonkey Butt Powder is still getting a lot of attention. While on hwy 58 outside of Mojave a woman on a bike rode by and gave me the thumbs up. Seconds later her man rides by slaps his butt a couple of times as he passes and gives me the thumbs up. Bikers love their AntiMonkey Butt Powder. Our trailer is a popular thing for people to take pictures of....or I should say the AMBP ad on the side is popular. At the Madera Fair I caught a couple getting their picture next to our AMBP banner.

Today we kept the driving down. Only 10 hours or so. It's hard to keep track since we went through two time zones...we lost two hours. Getting up tomorrow is going to be hard. We have made it to Amarillo and will do a 9 hour stint tomorrow to make it to Mt. Pleasant.

Everyone is doing really well. Lukas and James spend a lot of time sleeping. The little ones do their studies and play. Nick would love to drive since he has been the driver of the van all summer. But then I would have to be a passenger and I don't see that happening very easily.

We had some really bad Chinese food for dinner. I don't think we have ever had good Chinese food in Texas. Oh, well. We were able to squeeze a tiny Bible study in this morning. It was nice since we are missing church today.

Well, that is the update for now. Ciao.

Oh ...gas in Albuquerque was $3.19/gal

Titus turns 14.

2011-09-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

He can't walk, he can't talk, he still wears a diaper. he doesn't understand many things. But inside that head is a very very smart kid. When asked what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, through a series of yes no questions (which he answers by touching our fists; one represents "yes" the other "no") he choose a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Then through lots of ideas he choose a horse and football to be on his cake. So Mami whipped this up today.

He tried to blow out the candles but couldn't so shortly after snapping this he leaned forward to try and take a bite of it.
The Grandpa serenade.

Gettin' Ready

2011-09-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

In my last post I laughed at the term "Two Weeks Off" because at that point I had yet to have time off. I also lamented the endless list of things that needed to be fixed or replaced since our return. Fortunately nothing else has broke since that last post. And each of us have been able to grab a little R and R here and there but the preparations to go back on the road, half way across America, are daily.

Yesterday was haircut day for all the boys and Belle. With the dry hot of our Indian summer here in Cali, the haircuts have certainly helped cool us off. Which just reminded me that there were two more things that "went wrong" since our return. The aircon in Mami's van is broke and the "service engine" light has come on in the Chevy van. I'm putting both off until we get back in October.

I made some updates to our website. Jim, as well as a couple of fans, gave me a heads up about a few links on my website. Some speculated that I was hacked. Turns out the links were to a URL that I used to use "kentfamilyillusionshow.com but have stopped using. So when the url went dead the links (which actually just bounced from that url back to my regular site) the service provider sent them to an ad site. So all that is fixed. I noticed while fixing those things that I have neglected much of my website and a complete update needs to take place.

Midori has left America and is in the air as I write this on her return to Japan. It was nice having her on the tour but job hunting season in Japan is nearly over (yes they actually have a hiring season) and she needed to get back and get a real job. So she will miss out on Texas and New Mexico and Calico. She will be missed. One Facebook friend has already written to us about her young son (5 or 6 years old) being in Love with Midori and will miss her so much. He was planning on marrying her.

Had lunch with my good friend JC. Sadly the restaurant we went to, one we have been going to for years, is suffering from the Obamanomic economy and has cut back in many areas that sadly it was not a good experience. I think we are done with them.

We hit the road Saturday.

Two Weeks Off....Really?

2011-09-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

That's me kicking a $2100 tranny that cost a total of nearly $3K to have replaced. That is the old one.
Jim balancing a grill on fire on the last day in Madera.

Some peppers a friend of Midori's in Chico sent down to us.
And other stuff too.
A whole bunch of stuff....we discovered our grape vines had a bumper year too and the girls had fun picking those. We freeze them and enjoy frozen grapes all year long.

Well, after the Madera Fair we found ourselves with a two week vacation. We will take off for Texas, NM, and Southern Cal near the end of this month coming home finally around November 1.

Our home coming was truly an interesting affair. I took the Ford (which I reported earlier had transmission noises and silver filings in the pan down to be fixed.....$2920 later she is running like a top. When we got bak and my mechanic checked it he found more filings, even though it had been services and cleaned out in Madera, which meant something in there was coming apart. Shortly my money and I parted as well.

We also discovered on homecoming that somehow the plug for our deep freezer in the garage had been pulled out so it had become a lab for mold growing. Several of the buttons on the dishwasher don't work either. The door latch on the front door had loosened (it does that once a year) so i had to take that apart and fix it. Since I was in fix-it mode I took my office window (i broke the inner pane last year) down to be repaired (another $85.) Oh, and the swamp cooler pump shorted and had to be replaced. OK, so there are no profits left from the summer tour and I still have to analyze and figure out why the RV's ABS and Break light keep coming on.

I hope I am not depressing any of you. I am actually finding this all rather hilarious. How can you not? I mean we started the season off with a promoter not paying us for 10 days of work and have every natural disaster under the sun follow in our wake (tornadoes in OK-two days after leaving Canton, OK then just one hour after leaving OK City, major thunderstorms everywhere, Missouri River Floods in Plymouth, IA, Earth Quake in Virginia one week after leaving there, Hurricane Irene floods Walton, NY one week after we leave. Oh, and not to forget about the big power outage in Ohio while we were there. One Facebook friend wrote, "...and destruction follows them..." It has been weird.

If this all seems disjointed I must apologize. So much has happened that the flood of thoughts are overwhelming and I have a scatter brain anyways.

Upon returning I called one good friend and he goes into atrial fibrillation while I am on the phone. Thankfully he is fine and we will meet for lunch next week. Then I get off the phone to find out that Buttercup the snake had escaped from his cage (he is harmless as everyone knows) but for his own health and well being (we don't want to find a dead snake 2 months from now somewhere in the house. So we tore the house apart. Jim's new girlfriend was over and threw in a hand. By here scream we knew he had been found, nearly two hours after we noticed him gone and 10 or 12 hours after he escaped. The house was now in shambles. UGH!

So what is next to come??? What an adventure!

Tomorrow the kids head to Trapeze Arts for practice and tips down in the bay Area.

Madera Fair (day 3) Visitors From Home

2011-09-10T23:54:00.001-07:00

The day started with a restful night sleep and a nice quiet breakfast alone at the RV...well, Belle was with me. The family was at the hotel and all reports were they had good nights.

At the fairgrounds, pre-show, everyone worked on various acts. Victor Jr is trying to learn the unicycle, while Jim is developing a Lyra routine. Midori will be calling it quits after this fair and be heading back to Japan to take care of some personal business. She will stay at our home over our 2 weeks off until she is ready to leave. So Jim wants to take up the vacancy that will be left by Midori.

In spite of our contract calling for 2 show during weekdays and 3 on the weekend we have done 3 on Thursday and Friday and four today and tomorrow. We don't mind because we love to do what we do but it is exhausting.

Today, Nick's family and friends were here, Lukas' family came, a girl who likes Jim and her family came down from Colusa and like wise a girl who likes Miles and her Big family came down. I think the boys have mutual feelings for the girls. Still both fams were really nice people and it was a pleasure to meet them.

Lukas' dad got in the show throwing a hoop to Jim who caught it on his head in our "ADULTS VS KIDS" routine.
Victor Knnels on the wire.
The eveil eye from Lukas!
A young lady from the audience becomes the newest circus star in Madera.
Midori at work.

Nick spent a good part of the day hanging out with his visiting big brother. Nick even taught him a few things on the trapeze.

One funny incident in the second to last show was when I was performing walking on broken glass. A man from the audience kept giving me instructions, kind of heckling me. Finally I just exploded and said, "do you mean like this" then marched heavily all over the pile. Then I jumped up and down furiously, "or this" then I ground my feet in as I did a twist move like in the twist dance. I the said, "Is that what you wanted, smart allec? Now why don't you come up here and try. I later learned the audience thought is was part of the show. I just lost my cool. The guy got up and left after that. Fine with me. Luckily I didn't get hurt. Anger can make you do some pretty stupid yet spectacular things. The stunt went over big.

2011-09-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

I love this old sign out near the hotel we are staying at. It makes me think of the old time radio shows I listen to often. The hotel itself has been redone time and time again to be modern but the coffee shop is as it always was. It's really quite cool.

In our show tonight Jim entertained friends and family of Nick and his own friends who came all the way down from NorCal to visit us. with his Samoan Fire Knife Dance.

We also had our chevy van brought down from home base to bring the large trailer home since we are worried about the condition of the Ford Van's tranny. It goes into the shop on Monday. Ever since the servicing yesterday I haven't heard any noises. But with a Texas and New Mexcio and Socal Trip in the near future I don't plan on taking chances. What little money we were going to bring home it will be evaporated by this repair.
Jim then took his fire knife and lit the fire cage on fire and...
Amelia and Belle appeared fromt he fire.
More fire.
Titus got a warm reception . All the crowds were large but not as big as Arizona and Iowa. There are many Spanish only speakers here so many of the verbal jokes don't work. Still we are drawing crowds of 300-500.
Victor did his upside down strait jacke tescape again. Man can that kid put on a show.
Miles' new fire whip is insane. I mean the fire ball from that is off the charts big. The audience eats it up.
Right before the last show I had a back spasm and took a muscle relaxer to help. This is me after the show a little spacey from the pill. One thing those pills do is make one tired.. Luckily I sleep at the RV so I didn't have far to go for bed.

Nick's family and friends, plus Jim;s friends, plus Lukas' family (coming tomorrow) plus one more surprise family guests (tomorrow) sure is making this an interesting show trip. Nick's parent find it hard to watch their son risk life and limb for show business. It's fun to watch them watching him.

We sold out of the stuff we sell at the shows in AZ but luckily FEd EX brought in new supplies so kids can have a cool remembrance of our show.

I bought Jim a big ladder yesterday so the balancing part of the show will be more impressive. Tomorrow I am getting him a grill that we will ignite and he will balance that on his face. Need to keep it hot!

Cynthia called. She is off to a church retreat in Indiana this weekend.

Hard to believe we will stop by home, albeit for only two weeks, this Monday. We will hit trapeze school one day during that time and I will build a Crystal casket illusion while at home to keep things fresh. I am excited about doing the Titus Fair in TX and the Eastern NM State Fair in Roswell. We are thinking of having Nick do the trapeze as an Alien. That might be fun.

God, I love my job.

Well, blessings to you all.

Madera Fair Tranny Trouble 105 decibels

2011-09-09T00:31:00.001-07:00

I started today rather philosophical. Then I jumped into my van to do some running around (pick up mice for Buttercup for one) when I noticed that my van had a funny sound, like a card in the wheel of spokes on a bike, but only when the car was in low gear or reverse. Yikes. I went back to the fair and reported I would need to have it checked but first I had to get all the rest of the crew ( three were at the grounds practicing) from the hotel then go. I also put a call into a mechanic friend of ours for advice...he wasn't in. The drive back and forth to the hotel brought about a change in the sound. it was no longer in the low and reverse but only when Overdrive was off or when the car shifted down from overdrive. Hmm. On the way to the mechanic I noticed the noise virtually disappeared except for an occasional rough sound. Since it would have to pull the big trailer home (four hour drive) on Sunday, then do a Texas - new Mexico trip later in the month I took no chances and took it into Madera Transmission. Steve, the owner took care of me right away and explained everything. He drove it and wouldn't you know it, no noise. So I had him service the transmission and low and behold we found silver shavings in the pan...not good news. He changed the oil and seals and gave me advice to give it a good 30 minute drive somewhere to see if the noise came back. I will do that tomorrow. I also finally talked to my mechanic friend at home who had lots of great advice...he will be getting the van in his shop on Monday.

In the mean time, since Nick's family will be driving down here they will be bringing my Chevy van down to us so it will pull the large trailer and the Ford will just go home with no extra weight.

There will be several visitors this week. One surprise visit was Tiffany, a girl Jim has been communicating with. Her and her family came down from Colusa, Ca for the weekend. Nick and his fmaily plus friends and relatives will be coming down tomorrow. Lukas' family will be here Saturday. And there are more surprise guests I can't mention yet still coming.
Yhe area we are at is beautiful. Only one small problem. See the circled area above....that's the grandstand...directly behind us. The grand stand show started at 7:30pm our second show started at 8PM. At 105 decibels our show was nearly drowned out. We ran our speakers hot, pushing their limits just to compete so our audience could here us. It was exhausting. We pulled around 200 people for the first crowd, 300ish for he second and 200 for the third. Pretty OK for a Thursday school night. The fair opens at 5pm.
A shot of our set up. We bought so neat colorful lights that match the back drop and I will try and get a nice night shot if I can to show you them.
Studying?
Fish face.
Too serious?
Haning around....silly smiling girl.
Jim and Nick have been practicing passing clubs. I got Jim a taller latter today to balance on his face. He and Nick got the idea to work out a juggling passing routine while on the latter. They are getting close to adding it to the show. Amelia is practicing her hoops. Since our shows were all back to back we were all pretty much in costume the show time we were here.
In between the shows Nick and I had a pepper eating contest....it was a draw at 10 peppers each. I accidentally got some in my nasal passage. Ouch.
Miles' infamous fire whip...it is a scary thing.

Well, today was a pretty nice day. The sad news about the van, it may need to have the tranny rebuilt or replaced, made it a bummer for a while. The loud competing music also made it a bummer for a while. But we did well and there is a prayer and hope for the van so I will call it a good day. By the way, if there are any rich people near the end of their life who would like to write us into their will to help safe this season please do so and let me know. Thanks.

Blessings to you all.

Rambles

2011-09-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

It is strange. Time, distance, places, weather, people, all of them are strange.

By strange I don't mean anything mean. I mean unusual, weird, odd, in their own relative ways.

OK, by now you can tell I am going a little philosophical. Can't help it. I had a great night sleep last night. For the first time in two weeks I slept in the RV on a fairgrounds while they are setting up or tearing down the fair. The sounds of the tractor trailers, clanging tools, men shouting in English and Spanish, the fork lifts, and squeaky breaks, and a myriad of other sounds familiar and unique to the fair lulled me to sleep last night. I started off at the hotel but found the bed and the noises common to hotels just unbearable. So I drove the mile to the fairgrounds with Belle as my room mate and found home.

When we go "home" we strolled the grounds for a while and watched as hard working crews labored to bring a pile of metal and light bulbs to life in the form of a Ferris wheel or a Himalayan ride. I chatted with the mechanical bull man, a good Christian gent, about the ins and outs of life on the road and life as a Christian in today's world. Since we both work lots of fairs and festivals we have both seen it all! We pondered how and when did the rebel image of old become the norm. You know, sex before marriage, drugs, open depravity, etc, etc. I posed him a thought that my friend, Bill Jackson, posed to me a few weeks back, "With the things that were once considered rebellious now the norm being a strong stand-up Christian is makes you a rebel today."

After my chat with the bull man I met the night guard out here. It's always good to know the guards. He now knows who I am and will not have to worry when he sees me wander at night. And he knows who should not be in our area after hours.

Meanwhile Mami was back at the hotel getting Titus bathed with Miles' help and the little ones were all getting themselves ready for bed. The big kids were just out of the pool and getting on their computers to watch Muppets, Monty Python and the like on Youtube and email or call friends. Midori, being the only girl, though I think that is not the only reason for even when CC was here, prefers to spend her time alone. I worry her language skills might be one of the reasons she doesn't communicate and get closer to everyone in the group. She is a knock out performer and a really hard worker, but quiet.

I am writing this as the kids are outside the RV on our stage area practicing for today's shows. Nick and Lukas' families will be coming out this weekend. After all, they haven't seen each other for months and we are just 4 hours or so from home. There are some surprise guests coming too but I will write about that later.

I went over to get the kids a couple of hours ago but before bringing them out here Mami and I had a "date". We went food shopping and to the post office. It was sooooo romantic! Tonight we shall have Stirfry! Yum. Still shocked at prices out here but we were happy to find some deals on some stuff, so we stocked up. Fruit is a little cheaper here, though. And we all love our fruit.

No back to why I called all this stuff strange. It is hard to believe how fast and how slow this summer has gone by. We have made so many new friends and we re-acquainted with old friends, but had to say good bye so quickly. We went from 100 degrees to the high 50s back to 100 in the course of ten days. We've seen the Atlantic, the Rockies, the Catskills, the Pocono's, the Ozarks and Appalachians. We've been in natural caverns, and man made coal mines. We have been across the plains, over mountains, under the Chesapeake Bay, in the desert, and in numerous valleys and over numerous bluffs. We have eater weird things and wonderful things. We have all been through all kinds of emotional roller coaster rides. It's strange. But it's living. The idea of sitting in my office at home and staring at the walls as I wait for the next booking literally scares me. Wanderlust has grown in my blood and I like it. It's taxing on the mind and body, and the wallet in these days of Obamanomics. But I would think sitting and doing the exact same thing, knowing that the next day would be the same, and the day after that the same would drive me insane. No, I am not getting rich, just the opposite. And, No, I have no more fame than any other performer that passes through a town. I have bills up to my eyeballs, and vehicles falling apart under me. I have to close my eyes when I pick up a pack of meat to feed the crew so I don't see the price. I have to sigh and begrudgingly pay the gas station man when I fill our tanks. The same way I have to sigh and pay the tax man. But as an honest man I will not cheat the tax man nor the gas man. I fretted something awful the other day when I thought I had not paid for the box of baby wipes that was under my cart. I realized it in Arizona that night, some three hours later. The next day I got up and rechecked the receipt and to my relief I had paid for it. I was so tired I just didn't realize I had paid it.

I got a call for a booking for while I was home. It would be for a school carnival 80 miles from my home. I thought it would be a nice little extra money maker before we took off for Texas and New Mexico. After several email exchanges it turns out they only want to spend $100. They wanted our show with strollers for $100! WOW. Naturally I had to turn it down. If I had even performed the show alone I would have lost money. Many people don't realize the value of our show. perhaps those same people have no concept of value for anybody's work.

We have many offers for 2012 and it looks like it may be bigger than this year. But not all of those offers have heard our new rates. I think it is a great value for what they get but......

I think back to two years ago when Discovery followed us around at an event filming a sizzle reel only to say we were too milk toast for the public. Then I think of the hundreds of times this summer when fans insisted we needed to be on TV. I know they would've gotten a lot of pretty cool drama this year. Starting with that loose promoter, David Jackson, who stole all the performers and vendors' money, through the trials, tribulations, and exaltations of the season. If 19 and Counting can be a good show then The Kent Family would knock socks off. But there goes my ego. Oh well.

The philosopher, complainer, and circus boss has to sign off now. I have to run and get some mice for a snake.

Great Expectations

2011-09-07T19:13:00.001-07:00

For the first time since Early early early May we are back in Cali. That same depressing feeling I get when I return to this state hit me again. We slept in Bakersfield, then gassed up and dined on a nice breakfast in a grocery store parking lot. We are so sick of restaurant food! I was shocked at the prices of things. Blown away might be a better description. Gas is nearly a dollar more than other states, as is milk, and orange juice. Nothing was cheaper though there were a couple of things that were similar in price. The most shocking thing is water. Bottled water (cases of 24) is $2.99 almost everywhere with no CRV fees. Here it is $3.99 plus $1.20 CRV. When you drink a ton of water on the road that can add up. We are buying big jugs instead of little bottles now.

Our spot at the fair seems like a nice area. We are on grass and have been provided a huge lot. I will post pics tomorrow. The fair staff has been very nice here. Our set up is very similar to the setup we did last week in Arizona.

All quiet on the western front.

Good night.

On the road to Californee it was a hard and hideous journey...

2011-09-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ok the title of the blog is a lie.....well we were on the road to Californiee but it wasn't hideous...except for the gas prices. Nearly a full dollar more than another state! The title of today's blog is from a song Alfalfa sang on an old episode of the Little Rascals. It was his debut and he performed it with his real brother. Later in life he would be a guide in the foothills near the very area we are heading towards tomorrow. He of course died after being shot by a guy he got into a fight with, deemed self defense.

When we left Flagstaff this morning it was under thunderstorm conditions. The drive was none the less easy and went very quickly and smoothly except for hwy 40 in Arizona the closer we got to Cali and then alllllll the way through Cali. Titus' DVD player kept stopping and skipping because of the roads. Oh yeah, "quickly" was killed by the rule that vehicles pulling trailers in Cali have to stay in the crappiest lanes and under or at 55 MPH. The only state to do that to us this year.

We will miss Flagstaff. the audiences were off the charts awesome.

We were aiming to stop in Barstow but as we got near we realized we still had sunshine and pep in our step (metaphorically speaking) and so we went on 2 more hours to Bakersfield. Sadly all the hotels in this town are in bad parts of towns....or is there a good part of town?...There has to be.

Yucky fast food for dinner.

We are only 2 1/2 hours from Madera now so we will be able to get the show loaded in earlier than we expected.

The drive time gave Mami a chance to get some intense homeschooling done. I eavesdropped and was pretty impressed with how smart these kids are getting. Mami is very clever at coming up with ways to present problems to be soled. i.e. " A banana walks into his kitchen and is surprised to see 6 octopuses hanging from the ceiling. How many legs did he see?"

Well, no pictures today. Midori took a boat load of them because she has never seen high desert. This whole trip has been a new experience for a couple for our troupe this year. It's neat to see things from their eyes.

Last day in Flagstaff

2011-09-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today we the threat of thunderstorms hung over us, according to the weather people; a 50% chance. Instead we had warm sunshine and the occasional cloud, though we could see the storm clouds off in the distance. All three shows were packed though today had a lower attendance at the fair over all (all kinds of Labor Day events in the area and the rain threat). But still we pulled off audiences of 300+ at every show. One fan posted a video of us...I posted that video on the blog just before this one.

In the pictures of Miles you see here is is showing his singed hair. Though we did not of the rain during the shows we did get some strong winds and while he was doing his new fire whip the fire ball from the crack (see the fire ball in yesterday's blog) was blown back on him and his hair was singed. Crazy. He was and is fine.

James and Buttercup sharing a kiss?

One of our "stalkers" (fans) family ran the llama ride concession. As a treat the family took the girls for a ride.

They even let Mami take a ride. last year it was her first John Deere combine ride. This year it was her first Llama-cart ride.

The fair ended early so all of our shows were back to back with our last performance at 2:30. The fair was closed by 4 and we were half packed up by then. By 6pm we were totally packed and hooking up when those promised rains hit. And did they hit hard. The short drive back to the hotel had roads with as much as a foot of standing water and storm drains at capacity. If we were on flat land I would worry about flash floods but since we are on a mountain top I worried little about that.

I have to say that so far Flagstaff is my favorite AZ town. We haven't performed at many venues here but the pine trees and mild heat were very nice to be around.

Tacos and Burgers for dinner tonight. The boys are watching Monty Python videos on Youtube. Midori is watching Japanese videos on her computer. Everyone is winding down. Tomorrow we begin our drive to Madera. We will start on Thursday. We will make a mild 5 or 6 hour tomorrow. And finish with a 4 hour or so on Wednesday.

Like everywhere we made lots of friends here and will miss the great audiences.

Kent Family Magic Circus Performance

2011-09-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Filmed by an audience member who posted it to Youtube

Coconino Fair Day three 300-1000 audience members per show!

2011-09-04T23:24:00.001-07:00

Get a good look at this pure white face....by the end of this blog it will "magically" change color.
Olivia is getting better and better on the lyra.
There is a vendor at the fair that I believe is equal to the snake oil sales people of old. The people selling the product are actually showing up all over the US...and its pure crap! There is a Balance bracelet that goes by many different names. They cost anywhere from $5.00 upto $30.00 and they are supposed to realign your protons and give you better balance and make you feel good. The problem is there demonstration is right out of a 150 year old strong man or hypnotism act. I demonstrate it on stage today. (I will post the video of it soon.) Simply have the person stand like the boy is doing in the picture. The charlatan then puts his hand on the victims elbow and pushes down...the victim loses balance. They put their bracelet on the victim and do it again. This time he doesn't fall. Wow, it's a miracle..he has gotten balance from a piece of plastic with a metal or magnetic strip in it. Baloney. Here is the secret. The first time the creep puts his hand on your elbow he applies a downward and slightly outward pressure, you loose balance. The second time, when you wear the bracelet. He simply pushes straight down or slightly inward. Since you are instructed to push up against his pushing down you can't feel the difference. Don't be scammed. I will repeat it in every show tomorrow because I can't stand people intentionally ripping people off like this.
A shot of the new backdrop.

Studs. Might look better if Miles wore one his size instead of Nicks backup unitard.
Victor made a chess set from water bottle caps and duct tape. Miles and him played chess.
Mommy and her baby!

OK, now these are real fans...I mean stalkers. They were great fun. Chatted with their whole family afterwards.
Haven't posted this style pix in a while so here it is.
Samoan Fire Knife dance.
The new fire cage...a great way to introduce Belle and Her trainer while CC is away.
OK. I know I shouldn't be doing this stuff with a back in my condition ....I just can't resist.
A burst from Miles' new fire whip...it is a big hit.
The parents verses kids ring toss onto Jim's Head.
OK...guilty dog got into the garbage and had spaghetti ...then she got a bath at the hotel .

Our good friend Wade Henry is performing out here. Haven't had time to spend chatting with him but we hope to....we will work with him in Texas in a couple of weeks.

An old Circus stage hand from the Carson show and one other show watched our act with tons of compliments. He regaled us with many stories from the road. He was a lot of fun....should've taken a picture with him. Oh snap!

Nick is thrilled with the new weighted trapeze bar. he is adding some very daring swinging stunts into the act. He finally took the safety harness and showed them to me today. Folks are going to love it.

Coconino Fair...love this fair!

2011-09-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Sporting a look. I rotate three looks at most fairs.

A backstage moment.

Studying? Drawing? Love letter?

Getting ready to go on stage. Amelia has been doing some of CC's work since Cynthia ran away from the circus to join a college.

Peace, love and cheesy smiles!

On stage! Love that new backdrop!

Lyra girl!

Midori with her new Lyra routine.

Nick gets a little frustrated with Victor. HEHEHE
Pink Gorilla gives Super Penguin a trapeze ride.

Yeah!!!!
Here lies Nick ...No he isn't dead, he is sleeping in the BMT crate. we couldn't afford a hotel room for him.
Hmmmm
Double HMMMMMM!

Where is Alf?

Victor goes for it again!
Trapeze hands. Very normal for that line of work.

The crowds have been awesome...over 500 per crowd at least. The shows have been going great too. Titus and Mami nailed their parts today.

Dinner was a fabulous stew, MMM.

The weather was mid 70s but we were hit with sprinkles a couple of times...no biggy. it is hard getting used to the dry heat. Dry hair, skin, cuticles, etc.

Where is Alf?

Birthday and crushed hats....Coconino part 2

2011-09-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

Olivia had a blast with her new bike (see part one of this blog) riding it all around the fairgrounds. Mami made a strawberry cake with chocolate icing. Ice cream was on hand too. We enjoyed it all after our last show and after a dinner of chicken, broccoli, corn, and rice...oh, and cheese sauce; Olivia's choices.

All three audiences were packed. We haven't seen crowds like this since Iowa. We had more than 500 in at least two of the shows. Even though James and Nick had to go to an event downtown to promote the fair we pulled the crowds in and kept them. Afterwards soooo many came and got wands and learned wand tricks.

We did the new fire cage illusion to just practice it. In the first show we made two of the girls appear and in the second we made Amelia and Belle appear.

Bad news of the day is UPS sucks. The new top hats came in but the box and hats were crushed. The store I bought them from told me he had four similar complaints about crushed hats from UPS in the last two days. He will send out new ones next week. A shame too. I wanted to use the short top b lack one in the shows this week. The blue one is for next year's costume.

Mami and Titus performed at the second show today and did well. Titus acted a little reluctant and was more happy just staring at the audience. Mami nailed her juggling act.

Miles got to use his his new fire whip. It is awesome. A 20' ball of flame was produced by the whip with an awesome crack.

Miles' Fire-whip.

Happy Birthday Olivia - Leaving NM - Coconino Day One Part 1

2011-09-02T11:54:00.001-07:00

Olivia made a birthday mask for herself...
Riding her birthday present. Very Happy Girl!
To add to my Cincinnati and Las Cruces Tea Party T Shirt collection. It's not a political party. It's a believe in small government, lower taxes, personal responsibility, and honoring the constitution.
Cleaning up in Amarillo the girls discover a new game....turn the tent canopy into a parachute.
In NM our Rv park didn't have much of a playground...but that didn't bother my kids.
Roasting jalapenos in NM.
Midori takes a taste...a few minutes later she turns red.
Lukas reacting to the roasted jalapenos after nearly eating the whole thing.
Oliva get's Olivia books from Grandma and Grandpa.
Here's my new bike.....
Our new backdrop on display.
CHEEEEEESEcheesey
Wand power....
The crowd at the first show.
more of the crowd
After the show I teach wand tricks...look at those who stuck around...it was packed.
A shot of tour layout from above.

AWWWW
Ollie and Buttercup!
Stinky cheese.
This is a panarama pix of the crowd....

It's only 12:30 when I am typing this...more stuff to come tonight.

Gettin' our Kicks on Route 66

2011-09-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

First let me say I am sorry I am not posting pictures today. I have a whole bunch but I left my camera at the RV at the fairgrounds and we are in a hotel tonight.

There has been a buzz in the air since arrived today. Everyone seem so incredibly happy to meet us. Apparently we have been greatly anticipated, or so we were told by a couple of people at the fair. All the fair folks have really gone out of their way to make us comfortable and provided for. If the crowds are half as good as the fair folks then this is going to be a great gig.

We left Grants, NM this morning around 9AM Mountain time. The RV camp their was old and dusty, though the facilities were good. The two older men who work or own the place were extremely nice. They gave the kids knick knacks from their store. It's a called Lavaland RV and though it doesn't have a pool or much more than pull-up bars as a playground and inventful child can have lots of fun...but you have to remember you are in NM and that means scorpions, snakes, spiders, and ants....mean ants.

We pulled out and had a nice 4 hour drive to Flagstaff, NM. The trip was mostly uneventful except seeing the look on Midori's face who has never seen the Southwest. Oh, and the stop at the gas station outside Holbrook where there were 12 Christian motorcyclists gassing up. They saw our Anti Monkey Butt decals and we gave away a few samples. A couple of them had interesting stories to tell. Seems this group was form California and they were on their way to Colorado for a "Soldier's for Jesus" Motorcycle group national meet. They will be riding easier now due to the Anti Monkey Butt Powder. Seems every motorcycle rider that passes us waves to us and one in every 20 trucks will honk and wave. I didn't tell anyone else about this but one young lady flashed me...not sure if she was just trying to get a raise out of the old man driving the RV or she likes the powder and was showing me where she uses it. Sadly or mabe not sadly, I actually missed the big moment, just caught it in the corner of my eye, and by the time I had full vision I was getting a wink as she adjusted her shirt. Yeah, I'm pretty glad I didn't get the full look.

The nice thing about being in this area this time of year is that it is now in the dry 80s. The nights are crisp. And Flagstaff is surrounded by wonderful smelling pine trees.

When we arrived there was a constant breeze with a few gusts and that means setting up the banner line, which surrounds the RV, trailers and backstage, was like fighting a windstorm on a schooner. The banners were like giant sales. We ran metal stakes and use over 20 cinder blocks to hold the line down.

When we arrived I was informed we had a number of packages...this is one of our big mail stops. While traveling we have to choose spots where we have goods to sell, parts for cars or tricks or props, private mail, etc are sent. Today it was two new banners, a 20' pipe and drape set, wands, private mail, a weighted trapeze bar, a fire-whip, flea meds for Belle, and more.

At, this writing we are back on the same time as California since AZ doesn't do daylight savings, and we have a 10:30 AM show (I assume for schools). So bed is essential, especially since we aren't used to the time. Just 4 days ago we were all settled in eastern time.

For dinner it was pizza....one was called the Flagstaff. It had ricotta cheese, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, and lots ob basil.

102 to 68 ---- No more 'magic'?

2011-08-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

Today will be a quick posting.

We are now 6000 feet above sea level in New Mexico. It was 68 degrees when we arrived. We started the day at 102 in Texas. That state needs your prayers as it burns up. It is supposed to hit the low 50s tonight where we are.

We had Mexican food for dinner and even roasted our own Jalapeno peppers. NM peppers are the best!

We will be at the fairgrounds tomorrow. Everyone is looking forward to getting set up and practicing. 10 days was too many days off.

On the show news front we have decided to drop the word magic from our show name and starting 21012 season we will just be the Kent Family Circus. We are an internationally registered circus. After much research I have found that the word "magic" is a stigma with many bookers because there are so many magicians out there, and in the words of a couple of fair managers and a few bookers, "most of them bad magicians". I love magic but I know our show has transformed so much so we had a meeting and made the decision.

There will still be lots of illusions and magic in the show and I will still do private and public magic shows separate from the big show.

Blessings to you all. Cheers to you JC and Dean. Love you guys. Cheers to Mom and Dad, love you too. Thanks for all the help.

News to the house sitters.....we will be back Sept 11. Mami and Titus will end the tour then but the rest of us will continue to Texas, New Mexico and Southern Cal.

Expensive day.

2011-08-30T20:07:00.001-07:00

Sunset over the smokey skies of Texas as it burns in the drought out here. Amarillo!
I'll explain the pictures in a minute. But first an update on the automobile problems. As I wrote yesterday I got new back tires for the van. This morning was an early riser day so I could get the RV into the shop. The fam would wit things pout around the RV camp (pool, ping pong, walks, buffalo viewing, etc. ) The shop was right next door to the camp. So my commute time was less than 2 minutes so I beat the shop owner and his crew to the shop. As I sat in my RV waiting I saw a big bushy Dog hanging around the the front of the shop. He was the shop's dog by default. The owner arrived and jumped on my problems right away. I explained the tests I did with the help of my hometown friend, Mr Butler, who owns a shop back home. While we talked the shop cat came out. She went to the glass front door and started annoying the dog through the door on purpose. It was hilarious. Seems every auto shop has a pet cat. Again, by default.

An hour later they told me the diagnostics indicated trouble with either the sensor in the differential or with the gear the sensor interacts with. So we opt to change the sensor anyway. I also order a brake job as the pads were looking pretty bad. There was also a squeak in the front left tire and the emissions diod was on. His test there showed nothing special on the squeak and the emissions problem was bad gas...my RV hates ethanol.

While waiting I did a supply run to the store then I stopped by an RV sales place. I was looking for an RV I saw last year and liked a lot. They had one on the lot. A Fleetwood Storm 32BH class A motor home. Big and stable with pull outs and a breakfast nook that turned into bunkbeds. With the pullouts out the kitchen area is huge and the ceiling above the driver's seat comes down and turns into a bed...rare in class A RVs. Only $79K...anyone want to give me $79K?

I got to play Mami a game of Ping Pong and happy to report she kicked my butt.

I want to make a note about the Rockwell RV Camp in OK City. It is awesome, affordable, clean and the staff is great. The owner is a really nice man. Back in May we stayed here one day and saw the ground work for a new section of park being laid out. Today we saw the finished product. It has come a long way. Also I remember there was a large mud puddle near the Buffalo pen but that has long since given way to the drought and is a dust bowl now. 100+ degrees today. Dry heat. But tempered by a wind coming cross the plains. My cuticles are shot.

We got the RV back around 2:30 and were on the road. We wanted to make Amarillo tonight. Everything was going along swimmingly but around 3 hours into the trip the ABS and brake light came on again. With no loss of pressure or braking ability I am convinced a sensor is getting a wrong reading or is fouled. When we got to Amarillo we took the front tire off and cleaned the brake pads and rotor and killed the squeak..hopefully that helped fix the problem...we shall see.

Since we got here near 7pm everyone was starved. I set out for pizza but found a chikfilet. So Chicken sandwiches all around. Very nice. Cole slaw, Carrot raisin salad, criss-cross fries with skins...mmmmmm.

The straw in the picture above comes from my chikfilet story. When I came up to the register I said get ready for a big order I have to feed a small circus...really. That got us talking. I noticed a lot of people were listening in. Sadly I hadn't a single prop on me. I noticed juice boxes and that they had tiny straws. I asked to have one and I took the straw and did my Human Blockhead trick...I stuck it in my nose as far as it could go. Everyone in the place came over to see. it was a hoot! Cool thing is I could breathe through it. One woman and her kids who saw it became a facebook friend tonight as a result.
This guy is a visitor at our camp.

Tomorrow, onward ho! To Albuquerque. But first a trip to Petco to get mice for Buttercup.

Gremlins in the Gears!

2011-08-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

As I reported yesterday the RV had the ABS and Brake diodes come on. Well, today, I go the "service engine" light too. I know this one is unrelated to the other two. This one comes on whenever I put bad gas or gas with ethanol in it. But my dash was lit up like a Christmas tree none the less. I was supposed to take it to Camping World this morning. When I called yesterday Kammy told me to come in the next morning at 8AM and Pat would take care of me. We stayed at an RV five minutes away so as to make the trip easy. I set my alarm clock yet still slept very lightly not getting that full deep sleep. Then everyone rushed around earlier than we usually get up getting things ready to go without an RV for a few hours. Pat turned out to be a real piece of work. I arrived about 5 minutes before the place opened and saw a group of mechanics standing around . I walked over and the eldest of the group came over to meet me. I told him I was looking for Pat. He was he. And I said that Kammy had to me to ask for him. He told me they were having a meeting but I can see him inside in a few minutes. I stood at the door like a fan in line for the hot ticket. They unlocked the door and I went in. I walked over to Pat. He looked at me like he had never seen me before in his life. I repeated what I said outside and described my problem. Oh, we don't do that kind of work here. I was confused and sad and angry all at once. I asked if he could at least put meter on the car and look at the code so I can fix it myself. He said he would check to see if someone in the back could do that. He disappeared. When he came back he walked past me with out looking and up to another customer and clerk and started working on his problem. When he was done I walked up to him and began to inquire again. He said that they couldn't fix it but they could hook a meter to it and tell me the codes...but he would charge me 30 minutes labor for the 30 second job.....at least $70. I said no thank you.....and then I said thanks....at the door I added "a Lot!"

The night before the crew was so nice. I had always gotten bad service at Camping Worlds but the night crew made me feel there was a chance that at least one Camping World was alright. I was wrong.

I noticed the diodes weren't on so I decided to get out of MO and try my luck in OK. I made reservations at an RV park we stayed at in May. They told me there was an RV service shop next door. I called them and have an 8 am apt again. Pray for me.

An hour into the trip Nick radioed me and asked if the road was bumpy. I said it wasn't so we decided to pull over and check his tires. Last time we felt that feeling when the road was smooth was when the RV had tread separation then a blowout.
We found this gash in the tire. Nick said the rough ride started a few minutes ago yet he had not run over anything. Turns out this gash wasn't caused by hitting anything. Somehow a bubble of air formed under the radial layers and started to cause the tread to lift away from the tire. Then at the edge (inside and out) the tire started to chip away. There was a smaller but similar gash on the other side of the tire too. You could see the rubber kind of crumpling up.
Nick And James helped.
The only place we could find to pull off was at an adult book store so prevalent out here. Mami and the girls jumped out of the RV thinking we were at a place where they could use the restroom. I quickly stopped them before they got the surprise of their lives.
Mami though it was funny that everyone including the dog were crashed while we drove. She got the camera and snapped everyone pix. Ten minutes later she joined the dead-sleeping. Wish I could've got the picture.

When we arrived in OK City we quickly set up and I rushed the van off to the tire place. Turns out the spare was the wrong tire from the time I had the front tires changed in KY in July. I wanted the better of the two tires changed. He accidentally gave me the one that was also beginning to get tread separation. So I had the tire folks here change the two bad tires and moved the one good tire left to the spare position. They were very busy and it took then over 2 hours to do it.

While I waited I went to a cheap pizza buffet and stuffed myself. Mami and the kids cleaned out the fridge at the RV. Good thing since it will not be hooked up while at the repair shop.

Our RV park has buffalo. It also has a pool, a ping pong table and air conditioned game room. Did I mention it was over 100 out here. We are in the land of dry heat so it was a different 100 than the east coast.

Oh, nearly forgot. While driving I drove over, but did not hit, a piece of black plastic like the type used for door paneling in cars, but smaller. I heard it lift up and bang along the undercarriage. I asked Nick via radio if it came out. He said yes then asked me to step on my breaks. I did and he informed me that my wire connector wasn't connected any more. The trailer was disconnected (Power-wise). So after driving through a construction zone I pulled over and checked it out. The connector was worn down a little on one nub but otherwise fine.

Gremlins were mucking about today. I was too tire to be mad or frustrated. I am in the submit and take it mode.

By the way, I mentioned the names of the Camping World clerks. But notice I did not mention they were from the Stafford, MO store so as not to upset some people who read my blogs and hate when I name jerks or bad people. So rest at ease.

ABS/Break Light - Walking Stick

2011-08-28T19:25:00.001-07:00

Is it a stick or a bug...it's a Walking Stick bug! This is a baby one. The owner of the RV park we are at says they get as thick as a man's thumb! Very cool. They are all over the pace. Leaf bugs, spiders, mosquitoes, flies, horse flies, and bugs of every type are here in south Missouri! We didn't quite make our goal of Branson.

As we pulled out of the RV camp in St Louis after two great nights there I had a feeling deep in my gut that things have been going way two easily. I really did. I was waiting for a shoe to drop. So maybe I was riding a little more sensitive than usual and I dismissed the brick like feeling of the brake pedal when I pushed it once coming down a hill. I let up fast and pushed down again and it was soft again. Hmm. It would do it once more but never again. However, about 2o minutes later the ABS diode and the Brake trouble diode came on. UGH. We pulled off at a gas station and filled up. I let Mick (the other driver) know what was going on and we came up with a code word we would us in case we needed to go into emergency stopping where he would use the van to slow the rv down if the dire need arose. I didn't want to worry any of the others.

When I started the engine the abs light came on momentarily but the brake light didn't. Whew! We dodge one there. Must have been a computer error. BUT, five minutes later the light shone bright on the dashboard. I started making calls around to find a nearby RV camp that also allowed tents since I knew, it being Sunday, no service shops would be open. I called a chain RV Store and they told me about a camp near one of their outlets. They also told me their books we full but if I came in first thing they might be able to take me. I will put my best sorrowful looking face on.

So we are not in Branson and instead of seeing a show I will see an early bedtime and then see my money go bye bye. I hope it's something simple. But with the way things have been going financially this tour....it will be an arm and leg. If not I will gleefully report it here. If not I will set up a donation fund and beg for contributions. (LOL)

The camp we are at has a pool a big field to play Frisbee, soccer, etc. and a jungle gym area. The owners are really nice. They have told me, as every RV park across this land is reporting, it's been the worst RVing summer in their lives. Many have a few choice words for the president. 30% chance of rain today and tomorrow so say a prayer for our five or size in tents tonight.

Talked with Bill. He separated from us after Ohio. He visited friends in Illinois and is now on the road to Oroville.

For those of you wondering, since the Louisiana Gator Fest pulled out we will go from the Madera fair in California back to Oroville for two weeks when most of us will continue to TX and NM then Socal. Mami and Titus and the RV will stay behind.

Someone told me it was all happening at the zoo!

2011-08-27T18:39:00.001-07:00

We went to the zoo today. That makes our 3rd zoo this year...for me. For Mami and the girls it's the second (SF and St Louis) and for everyone else it was their only zoo this year. We went for two reasons. It was something everyone could enjoy, and it was free. OK, parking was $12 and drinks at the zoo are three times normal price but entrance for 11 people was zip zero nada! That's important as those of you who read yesterday's blog knows. If not, let's just say I will end this tour broke. It has been very successful with record audience sizes, great responses, record news coverage, but we were screwed by David Jackson in April for several thousand and we lost the Louisiana Gator Fest due to their loss of sponsors. That coupled with the worst economy of my life and a government that passes stupid laws so my health insurance has doubled and gas prices are through the roof. So much for hope and the change so far sucks!!

All that aside. Today was fabulous. We all slept in and then hit the zoo. Like the night before parking in St Louis is tough. We managed to find a spot in the paid parking area way in the back. The zoo was packed with families of all sizes. I mean I haven't been at a zoo this packed before. The grounds are laid out very well and their are wonderful and beautiful flora and trees everywhere. But there was a woefully low number of animals. Many exhibits were empty or closed. We saw no Rhinos and a number of other animals touted on the brochures and signs. As far as animal content the L.A. zoo that I visited in Cali with my dear friend, JC, wins the prize. But this place won for activities and layout. Still a lot of wasted space on fauna and not animal life.

Since there were so many people it wasn't hard to find a baby crying around almost every corner. Since Titus is a sympathetic cryer we had a dickens of a time keeping him out of earshot. He cried a lot today. This zoo also wins for good food. The LA and SF zoo could learn from this zoo in regards to food. Actual grilled hamburgers that you get straight from the outside grill fresh and hot. No straws for the drinks though because they are "dangerous" for the animals.

We spent about 4 hours there and boy were we bushed by the time we were done. in fact, I think we were all spent by the time we got the the two thirds mark. So the zoo got our money via the drinks and slushies. It got up to 95 degrees here so the slushies turned to syrupy drinks fast. Still they were refreshing.

For dinner, as you will see below, we had a St Louis original, Roasted Ravioli. In actuality they are deep fried and smothered in parmigiana cheese. Wonderful. The lady at the RV park's front desk told me the best place to go in "the Hill" district...little Italy in other towns. Her family has a restaurant but she sent me to a place she considered even better than her family's place.

Very cool sculptures and art decorate the St Louis zoo. More money spent on that than the accumulation of animals me thinks!
They had an outside and an icy inside display for the penguins. Inside they had the artic birds. Brrr. Titus and Belle did not enjoy that so much. That's right Belle,as a working dog, was allowed in. She drew a lot of attention by people. Probably because there weren't as many animals as there should be so she became an exhibit unto herself.
Look Puffins!
Note the famous Lukas blue beanie. he put it in his back pocket at some point and lost it!

The zoo had many misting areas since it was so hot. Even Titus got misted.

Zebra...I had a few jokes about zebras but decided to save them for a future date. My favorite is in regards to the people today. People have reached such a point of confused depravity that they now call black white and white black. The following week they were all killed in a Zebra crossing. (By the way anyone who reads race into that joke you have a serious problem so get a life! You probably have projected your own problems into it. )
KISS...remember Gene Simmons's famous pose?
Mom and son learning.
far off in a tree (we used the telephoto to get this shot.)
Any monkey with mutton chops is OK with me.
The snake curator of the zoo.
Olivia loves snakes.

Yikes it's a hippo. You know more people are killed in Africa by hippos than any other animal?
I'm teaching Titus how to pick a hippo's nose.

My signature pose.
Another snake statue.
oooo, a real elephant. SF zoo didn't have any. They were sent to a sanctuary for elephants at the pressure of PETA and others...they died enroute. LA had more elephants...just one here.
Another snake statue.
Roasted Ravioli.
Dinner.
Monkey Butt anyone. Just remember if you get this just try our sponsor's product...Anti-monkey butt powder at www.antimonkeybutt.com
Here is an extreme close up of a moth that looked like a stick. A mimic. It was on the RV door handle.

St Louis has the feel of the Bay Area back home. Busy, crowded, but with all the conveniences one needs. There are also lots of green areas. But the area has more free stuff for families to do. And they have lots of big attractions too. There is a Six Flags Amusement Park just down the road. We won't get the chance to visit the free museums and tours (including the Anheiser Busch tour) as we need to start moving southwest to Arizona.

Show Business! Yogi Bear! The Arch

2011-08-26T21:28:00.001-07:00

Show business...what a life, Huh? Days off you play around the pool. Drink from cups with umbrellas. Hob nob with the rich and famous.....well We hung around the pool in KY at the RV camp in Berea. We met with Cynthia for a few minutes as she had a load of homework (it's her second day of classes.) It was too late to hit any real stores so we did the Walmart there for supplies and the antique, flea market hybrid store across from the Oh KY RV Camp. Mami got a couple of books and Amelia got a piggy related thingy.

We left an hour later than I planned today for St Louis. But it worked out OK since we gained an hour due to the change of time zones.

On the drive today we saw this grass fire on the side of the Highway in Illinois. We passed through Ky, IN and IL on our drive to MO. We found a great RV camp outside St Louis related to the camp we stayed at in Nashville, Jelly Stone Park.
Instead of the Hey Ride that Nashville had we had the train ride. It drives around the park and you wave to everyone.

Afterwards the driver took us over to Yogi's cave where we all hollered for Yogi to wake up . He came out then pointed to the sign on the door and shut the door on us. We coaxed him out and he came out for pictures and hugs.

I had told the kids I was too big to take pictures with Yogi. He heard and pointed at me. Then waved me in for a picture. The "smarter than the average" bear then proceeded to put the peace sign over my head! Too bad it wasn't bear season.

Later, after a meatball sandwich dinner, we drove back to St Louis and spent nearly 20 minutes looking for parking so we could visit the arch. UGH! One park lot said my 15 passenger van was over sized and rudely waved us on. More driving around we stumbled on an area I think only locals know about...waterfront parking....literally water front; on the break water rocks and mooring chains. It was a buck cheaper than the place that waved us on.

It's hard to get a picture of the arch at night. It's big, and dark, though it is lit-up, not enough for my camera though.

Victor had to do a handstand under the arch. By the way our parking was nearly under the arch as well. We were just 100 yards away from the arch directly under the middle.
Olivia showing off too!

We got into a discussion today about the trip and the tour. We are convinced this season is all about relationship and people. People within our group and friends, family, and fans outside the group. Miracles in relationships have been occurring the entire trip. This year is definitely not about money. The loss at the beginning of the tour when David Jackson and Lisa Jackson from West Coast Festivals and LA Spring Fair stole thousands from me, vendors and other performers is an example and was an early warning that 2011 wasn't going to be about money. I will end the tour with a net gain of zero. The paid staff will end up richer than us when we are done. In fact, the debt I started with will still be there when we finish. But that is not here no there. It has been a remarkable journey this year and the people and places we have visited are fantastic. I've added over 400 Facebook friends.
Victor Attempts to escape from old Boat moorings.

Happy Birthday Lukas! TIKI!

2011-08-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the new Tiki backdrop banner for our Bamboo (Bananas to the Beat) production number. It will debut in Arizona.
Lukas, our sound engineer, roadie, friend celebrated his 21st birthday today. No booz but some really good cupcakes from the local Toledo Bakery that won "Cupcake Wars" on TV.

H e had a laid back day toady. We will continue to celebrate his birthday down the road. I have an idea for a present but can't get it here.

Enjoying Time Off Before Hitting the Coconino Fair

2011-08-24T15:37:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe we took off on this wild tour technically at the end of April (but since there was a quick trip back home we left in early May) and are still on the road. We just came off of a nonstop month of shows and traveling to shows. With how busy we've been this time off between gigs is appreciated by everyone.

We are going to make the best of it too. Leaving Ohio we will hit Berea, KY and visit Cynthia at school for a day. Then we plan on hitting St Louis, Branson and haven't figured out the next stop....just as long as we make Flagstaff, AZ by the first.

The fair has contacted me and are excited about having us, as we are excited about going. But the change from the south, midwest and northeast is going to be something to get used to. It is already getting cooler in the north with very chili evenings.

Today however, it was warm enough for the kids to hit the local pool and make a splash down there.

The rest of the day has been everyone chilling...strange not to have someone climbing rigging, or practicing a routine.

Oh today is our sound-guy, Lukas', birthday...21!!!

Flying Pig.....A Day at the Cousins

2011-08-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

Swirling clouds and a burst of sun. That was the scene out my RV window as we drove from PA to OH yesterday. To our parents' delight back in Cali we met up with my cousins, the Parkers, in Toledo and, if you read yesterday's blog, supped.

Today We all slept in to a degree. I beat everyone with a 10 am wake-up. Of course I sleep in the RV everywhere we go so I get the advantage of not having 17 people buzzing around whilst I slumber. I think I needed it.

One cloud formation I saw was a flying pig....see below.

Flying pig.....

Our day today was nice. The girls played with Jessica. The Boys played with Brandon and Wesley. Belle played with Barkly and Kodi(ac). I had a little business running around to do and then made it a laid back day. Mami kept trying to find things to do so she cooked bfast for everyone and kept trying to clean up everything in the Parkers' house. She doesn't know how to rest. The older boys and Midori all did their laundry. My boys had the full wrath of our large family laundry load to deal with. Except the white...they never do a good job on those so I did the whites.

Pizza was in order for dinner. We had Gino's pizza, a thin crust pizza. It was alright but the gas bubbles in me tell me something in one of those pizzas didn't settle right in my tummy.

When we went to pick up the pizza I must confess I was a bit rude or maybe blunt would be a better word. I noticed as the 18 or so year old young lady who worked at the register had a recovering hickey. I could not resist. When told hello and how am I doing I said, "fine, and you? Looks like your hickey is healing nicely. She played it cool and said, "yeah". But when I gave her my ATM card to swipe it wouldn't swipe for her (it's old) and so she started swiping it harder and harder and faster and faster getting frustrated." Poor thing. Maybe I was a bit rough. I was pleasant in every other respect but I was bothered by the hickey and I shamed her...shame on me? I had a hickey once and I have to admit I was embarrassed of it. You know, you really don't realize you are getting one when wrapped up in all those hormones....hmmm. She might next time, I suppose. I'm a baaaaad Boy?

In the early eve Jim, Nick, Midori, Bill and Lukas went to the mall for some shopping but also met up with our local "stalkers". They had a good time. Tomorrow is Lukas' Bday...what to do?

We will hit the road soon to visit sites along our path to Arizona.

Brazilian BBQ in Toledo and A Fire Cage in PA

2011-08-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

We slept late this morning. The RV park was spacious, quiet and green. Dew on the ground up until we left at noon. The sun was out and cotton ball clouds filled the sky, nothing ominous about them. They were the pretty type you can find taking on the shapes of pigs flying and dragons blowing white billowy fire from their nose. There was a cold breeze that felt great in the warm sun of the morning. Fall is coming on fast out here.

Packed up we hit the Walmart on the way out of town for food supplies and such. While everyone else hit Wally's world. Belle and I hit the Petco to get Mice for Buttercup. What luck that they shared the same shopping area. Still we were parked pretty far from the Petco and I got a nice brisk walk.

Back in the vehicles we started our long drive out of PA. However we made one stop. If you read the blog regularly you know we have a new illusion called bananas to the beat of the Bamboo illusion. We have been developing it over the season. It needed a better way for "the girl" or "banana queen" to come out. Up til now she just walked out on stage. This new illusion, the Fire Cage, will allow Jim to ignite the floor of the empty cage with his Samoan Fire Knife after doing his dance. Then the cage is briefly covered and uncovered to reveal from the fire is the girl. We are also adding Miles dresses as a Samoan as well eating fire in the opening sequence. Since the dress was made for a taller larger girl we are also taking the dress in a bit.

The illusion was being kept in State College, that's the silliest name for a town, home of Penn State. In fact most the town is Penn State. So I guess we drove through Penn state. Lots of students beginning to show up for school. Which made moving through town a bit slow. That added to us getting to Toledo late. In fact, add the lost time for that, plus the long time Mami and the kids were in Walmart (one HOUR), and several 45 MPH, and 50 MPH construction zones and our planned arrival time turned into nearly 10:30PM!

My cousins Jay and Kris planned a wonderful Brazilian BBQ. Jay spent much time down in Brazil and learned how to do it. The boys got to try it last summer during their ill fated drive home with the lousy Chevy Van that broke down in MA then IA. So it was nice to try it after hearing so much about it. AWESOME.

We are unsure of our exact schedule right now but have to be in AZ by Sept 1. So we will plan out our route and visit a few cool places on our way. But for now, it is tomorrow already and I just drove for ever through PA. One note on that. PA driving is like those dreams where you run and run and run but never get to where you are going. We were all soooo happy to see that Ohio sign...except for the outrageous toll road....$40 total toll for the two vehicles.....and the roads are pot holed, cracked, bumpy, and SUCK! We have noticed that most blue state's roads are pretty bad. What do they use all that road tax, gas tax, and toll money for? Ain't the roads.

Lost Trailer Ball-hitch......350feet below ground

2011-08-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

I set my mental alarm clock and woke up from a very light sleep in time to see Cynthia off this morning at 5:15 AM. She and her friend Jules from Vermont were off on a very long drive back to college in Kentucky. I am happy to report that she arrived safely but sounded very tired on the phone. I look forward to hearing about her drive when she has checked in and rested up a bit. We are already missing her on the tour.

The rest of us, after finishing up packing and readying the vehicles, took off for Scranton, PA to take a tour of a real coal mine. It was very cool. Really, fifty degrees constantly, all year long when you are deep under ground. We went 350 feet down and got an extensive lesson of how coal mining worked and works. A lot of changes in the last 100 years.

On our way to Scranton, only an hour or so from the fair, I heard over the two-way from Nick that my trailer was on the slide. The ball and ball arm of the hitch had come off. I pulled off quickly and sure enough I was dragging the trailer by it's safety chains. Second time I have experienced the drag. The first time was about 10 years ago and it was a ball size mistake by the guy who sold me the trailer and hitch. This time it was a big mistake by one of us. I won't name the person, but one person in the group who had never put the ball arm on the vehicles put the arm in and then put the pin that hold it to the hitch connection...but did not set the stop on it so that it wouldn't slide out. The person had never done it before and guessed how to do it. Since any number of us can put the hitch on we regulars never guessed that the novice had installed the ball and arm. So we did not double check the pin. The terrible blue-state roads ( a term I came up with because every blue state we have been in has really bad roads....California leads them all. I noticed red states seem to take care of their infrastructural a little better..just an observation). Jim ran about a mile back to find the ball and hitch, while the rest of us looked at the trailer side of the hitch, which looked a bit grim, it had been molested fairly badly by the ball being ripped out of it's socket. Amazingly the jack still worked in spite of being dragged a half mile. Though it's bolts are a bit loose now and the jack base is ground up a little. We also discovered the RV's back bumper was scratch up a bit and slightly bent in one area. The big surprise was the trailer frame itself bent a bit at the point it meets the trailer box. Now it bend or bows about 1 or 2 inches...looks a little funny. There goes it's resale value.

After messing with the innards of the trailer side of the hitch I was able to free up the little part inside that hold the ball in place and get it to accept the ball. But we were missing a pin to hold all that weight...we found a bolt among all of our tools and stuff that was nearly a perfect fit. Still I would not trust it for cross country. We found a Walmart after going to the mine and got a new ball and a new pin. Since the ball was ripped from the socket some of it's metal was shaved off and I felt it would be safer with a new ball and a snugger fit. After a couple of weight and stress tests we determined it would probably be OK to continue on with it.
We road a special car down the shaft...the miners would actually ride in the coal cars, which could hold 5 tons of coal when full. Each miner had a quota of 15 tons (3 car loads) a day...in actuality they had to make the loads heaping so it turned out to be 16 tons a day...(this one is is for you JC...16 tons and what do you get, another day older and deeper in debt...)

The shafts are actually the area where coal once was. They would remove the coal between the sand stone and use it as the passages. The timbers aren't there to hold up the roof it turns out. They are early detection devices. When the start to talk you start to walk...or run. If the roof becomes unstable and starts to fall it puts weight on the timbers the begin to creek...that was a sign to run for cover.
Everyone had fun but the little ones did get bored a time or two since it was a long 1 hour tour with lots of coal talk.
Victor thought it would be fun to work in the mines.....yeah, right!

I found these mushrooms growing on a timber in the mine. The mines are constantly dripping water. The miners would have to deal with the water, the dust from the coal, the chance of flash fires, of cave ins, lack of oxygen, poisonous gasses.

Coming up was interesting. The light from outside was hard to take at first and the air slowly warmed as we came up. We also noticed....
the girls had coal feet.
Turned out Titus' chair couldn't fit in the car down so Miles volunteered to walk him about while we toured. He kept Belle too. After seeing the girls feet I am glad Belle stayed on top.

Even though we are only around 3 and half hours from the fairgrounds we were all worn out from the day so we hit a Cracker Barrel for dinner. The serving sizes were sadly small and the service was slow and error filled. It was our second time at a CB and I think our last since in Texas and here in PA it was the same. Where is a Bob Evans when you need one. Still I am thankful for the meal and the waitress did give me a lead on camps nearby. That is where I am now as I write this. We will respite here until late morning then run an hour or sow down the road to check out an illusion this guy has for sale. After that we will end up back in Toledo for a night or two with our cousins then onward to discover more of the country as we work our way over to AZ for the Coconino County fair..

Last Day in NY...Farewell CC...

2011-08-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Find Alf?

Today was our last day at the Delaware County fair and it was a lot of fun. Three full audiences and a playful time on stage all day.

Sadly today was also the last day for Cynthia on the tour. Tomorrow morning, very early, she and her friend from Vermont start their trek to Kentucky...13 hours or so. They plan on a straight drive....I know CC can do it she has done so with the show many many times.

This is Chet and his wife...our stage managers. Really nice folk!
I took this during the show...My view form on the stage to the back stage.
This young man was a hoot so I put some bling on him and snapped a shot. The glasses just would not stay straight.

Tomorrow we plan on visiting a coal mine after we pack up and leave here. Then we will go down to Hershey and see what that town is made of. Educational and tasty day planned for tomorrow.

Since it was the last day today I treated the kids to taffy, candy apples, ice cream floats, etc. The little ones took a couple of dollars from their earnings and bought little trinkets to remember the fair by. Everyone said their various goodbyes to their friends. They made so many here. It's kind of cool having friends in so many places.

Blessings to you all.

Freaky Friday

2011-08-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Belle resting up backstage before her part in the show. Such a prima-dona.

The morning was eerily quite for a Friday. As a result our 1pm show started off with only a few people but it picked up and was pretty full by then end of the show. Our second show was packed to start off with but a sudden thunderstorm drove in throngs and the place was packed out. It was one of those one in a hundred shows where everything clicks and goes really really well.

The rain went on for around 4o minutes and dropped a lot of water. As a result the much was back on the roads and it made for sloppy walking all day long.

Hmmm?
Hmmm??
Victor performs his strait jacket escape for a good sized crowd.

Success!
OK, Nick has gone off the deep end. His transformation is complete....welcome to the dark side. This was taken just before I introduced him and he came diving out on stage straight onto the trapeze! It was one of those surprises that I wasn't in on and I was as surprised as the audience was.

Cynthia and Jim Sing an Acapulco bluegrass diddy!
OK, Uncle bill has gone crazy too and now lives as a hermit clown under the stage.

Walton is tiny. Now Wal-mart or major chain store outside one very tiny CVS Pharmacy. The internet signal at the fairgrounds is weak and shared by hundreds if not thousands and as a result to get reliable service (if you don't have a Verizon card or similar like I've got) you have to go the Mc Donalds. Bill and Midori have made frequent pilgrimages there. I'm surprised the others haven't. Or maybe they have and I didn't know.

There are many many many Rvs here. And there is no full hookup sites here. No sewer! So one has to drive across the fairgrounds to a dump station or put an order in for the septic truck. He came today. It was worth the $20. Still for showers, since we can't just drop gray water, we have to go to one of three shower bathroom facilities. The silly plumber who designed it did two things wrong. First the multiple toilets and sinks and the showers share the same cold water pipes. So if you are in the shower you get a variety of temperatures to make showering and adventure. Second at one point the plumber put in 3" pipe for the cold water then had the toilets, sinks and showers branch off of that pipe with smaller pipes. The problem is the large pipe acts like a tank of sorts and when several people use the water sources it drops the pressure in the whole system real fast as the larger pipe has to refill to maintain pressure....the end result....scalding surprises while in the shower as cold water pressure drops. On this note, I mentioned two other shower rooms. One is located in the 4H area and is pretty much a mud and animal poo depository. The second is in between the ag area and the rest of the fair. So by 10pm it is muddied up pretty good. The third, the one I use, is near the main gate firmly in the non ag section of the fair. Another bathroom point of interest is they have bathroom attendants who sit by the front door with a tip jar. I think they are the ones who keep the places clean. But who knows. I do know this tip thing we have seen at other NY fairs and at the Maine fair but no others.