Global warming...yeah right!

We arrived in U.P. Michigan (Escanaba) after a 16 hour drive....it was supposed to be 12.5.

Since it was late we dropped me, the trailers, and the RV at the fairgrounds and the rest went to the hotel. 9AM today they showed up.  My body wasn't ready for people that early. I am not as young as I once was. Those long drives are killers.  I still had road buzz (when you still feel like you are in a moving car with the road and engine, etc buzzing your body.)

Mami and the little ones (Victor is now one of the bigger ones) were still at the hotel so I took the van as the bigger ones set up the show and went to get the little ones after doing the errands, like food shopping.  I found a taco Bell and on a whim went in and had to tacos and a fruit punch for breakfast (it was noon) and that seem to snap my body into a better state. 

We had to deal with intermittent rain and constant wind today. By show time it was all wind. Ever eat fire int he wind....not as fun as it sounds.Our first audience was tiny. But foreboding clouds and the cold played a part of that.  The second show had a better crowd and the show went well in spite of global warming....my butt.

Our first show as also riddled with trouble from the sound system and wind related technical problems. We had learned to deal w/them by show 2. 

I went out as the robot after all the shows.   Boy does he bring smiles to faces....yeah he scares a few too. College aged kids seem to be the biggest jerks when strolling. you are trying to make kids happy and they have to take dares from friends and do stupid things. so my kids who play security for me have learned to be pretty tough on them.  But still, it sure is fun to play the part. 

Ryan celebrated his bday with us and Mami made him a spice cake...I didn't know so I bought him a cake. 

Cousin Wesley is doing a great job as clown. 

set up  starting in Mi.....will post after shots later.

Almost Heaven, West Virginia......

The reports that West Virginia has flooded and floated off into the Atlantic are highly exaggerated. We were walloped by a chain of storms all day yesterday but we survived. The fairgrounds were hit pretty hard with lots of water but people stayed and we were able to pull off two of our shows. In place of our first show we sent out the Anti Monkey Bot Maximus Gluteus, Pink Gorilla on tiny bike and the stilt walking Jim.   We all got drenched but that is the business. We made the folks at the fair happy and that is our job.
Sorry I haven't been able to get posts on the blog. Our internet connection and cell phone signal are weak or non existent. Right now I am at Custard Stand...a great family owned eatery that has the freshest salads i have ever had.   I'm using their wi-fi to type all this.
Back to the fair talk.   The rain left slippery mud all around us so we did our 8pm show in jeans as to not get our costumes dirty. Since the drops still fell lightly we had to change up our show order but it turned out to be a really great show and the audience was awesome. They sat there in the rain on wet bleachers.  Solid folks here.   a mist rolled in but the rain had stopped by our 10pm show. We were able to pull off the show with no snafus. Grant it the mud made moving slippery.  Victor Jr trouped it out and insisted on doing the tight rope, wet wire, wet shoes, etc. He did slip once and splash landed (yet standing) in a puddle of mud...costume mud drenched.  But he went back up and even skipped rope up there. He was awesome.
Even though the rain had driven many folks away and the grand stand donkey pull everyone still on the grounds came out to our show.
Today is Ryan's Bday and he thinks i forgot....I am picking him up a cake after my office time here.
There is basically one main drag through this cute little town.  yesterday that road was blocked by a downed pole; a car took it out.   That closed that road for most of the day and created a snarl through the town.  But thanks to my trusty smart phone map I was able to find a road nobody else was using to get us to and fro the fairgrounds.   We have been trying to use as many of the mom and pop shops in town as possible because we are witnessing small towns dying across America these past 6 years. I always tell our crowds to support the sponsors of the fair to keep it local and to try anti monkey butt powder and insist the locals carry it because it is so good. The town mayor heard me mention that and had the regional tv news to come out and interview me about dying small towns and how keeping it local and how the fair brings in outside money through the visitors, the acts, the carnies, etc. We also got to talk about our show a bit. So i was on tv on Tuesday.

Here is the week in pictures.

 Jim would balance this saddle on his chin in one show.

 Cousin Wes the clown.   really fun having him....hard worker.

 We started selling Jim Mustaches at shows.

 A fan with Mami and Titus

 Our set up pre-rain.

 A bounce back to Iowa....

 This is a working steam tractor. My friend Marty took me to see a museum he is a part of. They may have us perform their next year.

Cowgirl sexyy mami

 Jim's newest hang out. He did laundry on Monday but is back there right now as I type this due to the rain.

 Great place to eat and currently my computer office place....I'm here now typing this.

 Sign next to laundromat.

 Miles' last day. We had lunch waiting for his ride to KY.

 Little Analyse is a natural....she has become a stalker...never missing a show.

Me and my honey.

 TV news taping.  B footage after the interview.

One of biggest fans. He too has come to every show and knows our schedule better than me. Great boy.

Just prior to leaving Iowa....with the VerSteegt family, our friends and hosts for a couple of days. 

 This was out lot before setup.

 On our way to WV we traded a show for two rv spots for two nights.  Here we are doing the show.  In Michigan. KOA Kamp.

 Fishing Lake Michigan.  Victor caught a wave....the hard way.

In the end I caught a bullhead and victor caught a bull head.....we forgot to snap a pix.   Mine was bigger........

From Iowa we drove to Mi where we fished on Lake Michigan and the St Joseph River. 

Then we picked up CC at camp and headed to WV. On the way we stopped in Toledo to get Cousin Wesley. He is Brandon's bro.