Yale-Lunch-and more reasons to Kick CT out of the Union!

We moved from Waterbury to a town near New Haven. I prefer the suburbs. Victor has been feeling good (even when his veins aren't coursing with codeine). In fact, he is eager to get to being a tourist. So a day late we headed to New Haven, after settling in to our new hotel (they were very kind to upgrade our rooms to make things more comfortable for Victor at no extra charge), to have lunch at the birthplace of the hamburger, Louie's Lunch, and Yale.
We drove into town and quickly found a parking lot. We told the attendant where we were heading and he told us that Louie's closes every summer during August. UGH! We have been planning this for months. After walking around two blocks and then up one then down another two we found a diner, the CopperKitchen. It was good. It has a 50 year history and it was across the street from Yale. Later I would find out it was half a block down an ally from where we parked the van. {I have one observation from our looking for a place to eat. Either locals don't like giving information out or they all live in weird little world where they know nothing about their neighborhood. Because everybody we asked about places to eat, and this include parking attendants, students, shop keepers, etc., they had no idea about nuttin'!}
After lunch we went to the New Haven welcome center (right next to the diner) and found out where the Yale bookstore was and walked over. We had to go slow for Victor. At the store we picked up some souvenirs. While the kids continued looking around and since it was so hot I walked across Yale to get the van. (The plan was to keep Victor from walking in the heat. ) The buildings of Yale are incredible. The old Gothic brick buildings are fantastic. I found a short cut cutting through a courtyard of one of the Yale Colleges. There were a few summer classes meeting out on the green. And as I passed through the archway on the other side there were three new moms having a baby play date on the old brick benches. Once through the arch I came upon locked gates. Turns out all the gates were locked except two; the one I came in and one very close to it on the same side and street. So much for being a short cut. It was beautiful and it was kinda cool. There were several bronze statues of scholars and heroes past.
I got the van and drove over to get the kids. Between the 5 blocks I was cut off or zoomed by, by at least 20 cars. After getting the kids and back-tracking to the freeway it happened even more. In fact one (what looked like your average middle class white) lady with an Obama sticker on her car went out of her way to cut me off, zooming up when I turned my signal on to move over because a cop car was blocking a lane. She literally was willing to let me ram her as she sped up. Once past the cop the three lanes opened up easily and I was able to pull next to her where I waved.....all fingers (no rude jesters) I also mouthed, "Thanks a lot, kind lady." I made eye contact.
Once out of the city and back at the hotel we relaxed then went to the mall to see what they had to offer. There are a couple of stores with suits and shoes that only a performer would love. We may go back tomorrow.

Our waitress, Sophia.

Yale

Yale.

You would think a Yale bus would be A. newer and B. have air conditioning (it's 90 degrees).

One note. The buildings that make up Yale and the businesses in the area are awesome. But newer architecture that they are building around the school is artsy and ugly. The city planners really don't get what they have.

CT folks are a strange breed. They are aloof and live in their own bubbles and care very little about others outside their bubble. It's a blue state and is made up of two classes...the elitists and the poor. Those who think they are better than others and live by Progressive values (government is the answer) and the poor who are relying on the government for their living. The middle class folks we've met have all be red state folks stuck in a blue state world...and they are few and far between. You can see the old structures and skeletons of the conservative past that died by the hand of unions, scholar-elitists, and other progressive punks. So many inventions, so many major companies, so many great ideas were born here and were run out of town over the past 30 years. I have been reading the history of the various towns and the slow decline from leadership in so many area, so many great people with honor gone, so many great ideas lost in history replaced with a nanny state and rude people.

Don't get me wrong. We have enjoyed performing here (many of the guests have been from all over New England). We love performing here. But we could never live here, for sure.

Kentucky and North Texas are still our favorite all around places of potential living-ability. We are still seriously considering Somerset, KY. Only God knows.

Sleepless night--Timexpo- More

Victor's art at Chili's.

A Nino's for dinner.

In front of Timexpo.

After the sleep of a father worried about his son and wanting to keep an eye on him all night I awoke to a beautiful warm day cooled only by steady breeze. I slept for no longer than 15-30 minutes at a time when I would awake to look onto the peaceful slumbering Victor with his slinged-wrapped arm protecting his broken clavicle. He slept completely through the night and got a great rest. He was his regular self (though one wing down) when he awoke and was eager to go out for a walk. After trying to book a orthopedic doctor all morning only to be given the run around by everyone (makes you really want to live in CT) I asked my cousin Jay if he had any Ortho-buddies (he’s in the medical profession). He has a bud in Ohio (hi hometown) who gave us answers we needed. So since Victor is doing well, not needing pain meds much and there are no protruding or bumpy areas along his clavicle line we are planning on finishing the tour (13 days) with him in tow. In fact, he was asking what tricks he can do with one hand. What a trooper. (We were thinking about having his grandpa fly out here from Cali and take him back.)
So our day as tourists started. We hit the Timexpo (Timex Museum)…the Waterbury Clock Company became Timex. We took the tour and Nick and I bought watches there. Turns out Timex is no longer made in the US (even though it is a US company). The story goes that like many companies the labor costs forced makers to take their manufacturing abroad. Get this, there are no watches made in the United States anymore by any company. (Add that to TVs and hundreds of other things and we are becoming a purchasing country not a manufacturing country.)
Then we hit that CT original restaurant, Chili’s! (Not really from here I just was being facetious.) Victor wanted ribs and milk and today he owned me….I’m a sucker for them when they are sick or injured. Then it was to a book store then the mall to meet the cousins where we shopped a little bit and then we broke up into groups: Cynthia and Cousin Emeris went shopping; The big boys went to see Harry Potter; the girls went to a kiddie movie and the other boys went to see GI Joe. Victor Jr and I went around the mall a bit then to Wal-mart to get more goodies for the injured trooper; sour candies, a book, lemonade, and a couple of $5.00 DVDs. Then it was back to the hotel and while Victor watched the Tom and Jerry movie…..I slept! (but not enough).
Everyone congregated at the hotel and we went to the Italian place next door for izza and hot wings. It was nice. Thank you cousin Jay! ( He treated.)Oh, I forgot to mention that when we went for a walk thins morning we found a Boy Scouts store where we picked up a couple of wood crafts for Victor to work on.

First Day Off in 2 months and we end up in the Emergency room

"Never take a day off"

-Victor Kent 2009

Wow, what a day. Started off uneventfully. Standard clean up and check out of our hotel. Then it was off to Waterbury and check into our new hotel. We had planned to eat lunch and then visit the Timex Museum (they were once the Waterbury Clock Company). We decided to hit the big local mall and the food court. The food at most mall food courts around America usually taste pretty bad. This mall's food court didn't change that common notion. We were all pretty hungry so we ate. The Timex museum is right across the street from the mall so it was convenient.

Turned out to be a waste of time because the Museum was closed. So we hit a few stores in the mall and the strip mall next to the museum and then called my cousin with whom we have had plans to BBQ with.

Her brother and my other cousin and his family is visiting from Ohio so it was going to be a nice size gathering and a ton of fun. We were all chatting and having fun all the kids were out playing when Miles came in from the backyard and said Victor was laying face down on the chase lounge and he was hurt. We all ran out. Turning him over caused a very serious scream and cry. Now on his back we checked him over and discovered his clavicle was broken...no doubt. Cousin Jay (a former OR assistant with tons of medical experience knew to stabilize his arm so he pined a stint of types around his arm and waste. Once secured it was a trip to the Hospital. Fortunately they were slow and he was in and out within 2 hours. His clavicle was indeed broken...picture below. We have to contact an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to see if he just needs to where a sling or if the break will require any extra work.

So what happened...Mami and I always knew he would be the first to break a bone. He is very energetic and loves to do "boy" things. He often throws himself down hills and rolls and tumbles. Warned many times it would eventually hurt him.....it did. I haven't seen my cousin since I was a kid and when, after 30 years, I do and this happens.

He is doing great and even wants to go the Museum tomorrow. He has a high pain threshold and is a total "boy"!

Pre-Exam

Post Exam



Nick's fan club sent me a letter saying we don't post many pictures of him....he hides from our camera. So we were going to take a ton of pix of him today and post them. But apparently he paid Victor to break his clavicle to distract attention.

Last Day at Quassy

Show number 126 since July 1 is under our belt and we have loaded up the trailer and vans. We will now enjoy five days off. Our plans are to have a BBQ with my cousin, who lives out here, (and her family and her brother and his family visiting from Ohio) at her house on Monday. We will visit Yale and Louies Lunch (the birthplace of the hamburger). We will also visit the home and burial place of the Foy family (Eddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys)...New Rochelle, NY.
We may even visit the city.
It was Hot today. I mean it was very HOT. I lost a least 15lbs in sweat. Still we had great audiences....I wouldn't sit and watch my show (no matter how great we are) in that heat. But instead of dwindling away it grew and grew. There was one poor bald man who was dripping wet and red-burned head by the end of the show.
For the last show my cousins and their families showed up. They really added spice to the hot crowd. It was fun to see the kids all playing together, riding rides and frolicking.

Gettin' Jiggy wif it.

OK...what is jiggy and why did I spell"with" with a "f" instead of a "th"? Why did I even write that in the first place? I don't know!

Busy day but uneventful. We met many wonderfully nice people and performed for 100% fantastic audiences. We had a great time and everyone of us is pooped right now.

We did visit the flea market on the roadside on the way to Quassy and bought a few trinkets at great bargain prices. We went back to that great pizza place in Naugatuck for their totally awesome pies. Gonna miss that joint most of all. Jim balanced one of their very heavy tables on his chin for the staff at the Pizza joint.

Beyond that nothing but sunshine and great crowds.

OK OK I just recalled one thing I want to mention.
During every show when I introduce Cynthia one of the kids sends our skunk puppet thingy over the backdrop to land on stage. I go into a routine that's pretty funny and then announce that we sell these after the shows. This summer we have sold almost 350. ( plus nearly 1000 wands) But I DIGRESS. One of the gags is when I offer to let a person in the front row pet it only to launch it through the air where is lands (attacks) someone further back... it gets laughs. That person then throws it back up to me and usually misses and I make an off hand comment about how they could play for (insert local ball club here). This time it came short and landed next to a boy about 10 in the front row who grabbed it and loudly explained, "It's mine now sucker...just try and get it" then crouched around it so no one could get it. (He really seem to mean it....and I should add he had been a mouthy one through the whole show.) No expecting an attack from the rear a girl near him grabbed it and through it up to me. He said a jerk-worthy comments and pouted. I said, "you my son are the reason there is birth control. " Then I commented on how embarrassed his parent must be at this moment. Then moved on.

Peace out!

Last Weekend At Quassy

Drove over to Naugatuck today to do laundry (tricked myself into waking up early...too early).

This 1" fly was hanging out on a washer.
There is a sailing school near the park. To get certified they have to intentionally flip their boats and then right them....here they are practicing.

Two of the gang crashing between sets.

Sunny and hot is what today was...we all sweat out about 10lbs each. The first audience was a "TV Audience" the rest were awesome and the final show was off the hook!

We are all looking forward to the 4-5 days off next week before the Wolcott Fair (pronounced "Wulcut") next weekend. Then we are off to Maine and back to Cali.

In spite of the fact we are on the road we have continued to book shows for Sept., Oct, Nov and Dec. and for next summer. July was an all time record July for us and nearly a recd month over all. August will best all previous Augusts and September will do the same.

A bad night sleep and the early rising has paid a toll on me. There are probably a million things I need to add like the heckler who walked past that I decimated with verbal wit. And the crazy ride marathon Victor Jr and Amelia undertook hitting as many rides as possible between shows...some rides not even I would ride. Or me riding on the Tilt-a-whirl so that Olivia could and nearly throwing up the chimichanga I had just before going on. Or the disappointment I can't write about because it is too personal. But I am too tired to think or write so cheers.

Updates from CT

As I mentioned last night our last show yesterday was canceled as the park was closed early due to thunder storms. The rain continued through the night into the morning where it waned off into gentle sprinkles and dying off only to re-sprinkle every once in a while. The girls decided to help get rid of the puddles that formed by taking spoon full by spoon full of water over to the lake. (the pictures below show the story.)

I forgot one cute thing from yesterday. Once the girls got into the van after walking through the deluge and the river of water that flowed through the park Olivia noticed her toes were wrinkled from the water. She said, "my toes got old". It brought much laughter.

Due to the threat of rain and low turn out they closed the park 2 hours early. Still we got 2 shows in and believe it or not we had great turnout. The first show was full seating and standing. (Several camps and summer schools were there.) The second show had about 50 people (all families) and they sat through it all in spite of several moments where it began to rain. Nick and the boys would cover props with tarps as who ever was up performing did their routines. It was awesome.

Below is the link, the text and a pix that was put out on the national Amusement Park News Site:

http://www.amusementtoday.com/

Think big at Quassy Amusement Park! (Aug 9, 2009) Jim Kent strolls through Quassy Amusement Park Wednesday afternoon on stilts between stage performances with The Kent Family Magic Circus. The Kents perform daily now through Aug. 16 at Quassy Amusement Park’s Vacation Village Resorts Lakeside Theatre. Shows start at 1 p.m. with parking $5 at the Middlebury, Conn., lakeside property. There is no admission fee to the park, but there are fees for rides, beach, waterpark, food and attractions.

East Coast Donuts Suck!

Ok...the title is a bit universal and impossible to prove that Every single donut out here is bad...but, up to now, we have tried, a ton of donuts (an a few felt like it was a ton in the stomach). We have tried several Duncan Donuts, several generic stores, several grocery stores and have been scared off by several places just looking at them. I think for most breads, they are better done on the west coast with the exception of the bagel. I think the Mediterranean climate of the west helps make better bread (similar to the weather and climate of France and Italy). This humid climate just doesn't do bread well...and that is reflected in the really sucky donuts. Still champion donut spot in the world is Forsty's in Barstow, CA. You can't get a more fluffy, perfectly sugared, delectable donut anywhere as of now.

OK...now your wondering what brought this on. Well, we are Travel Channel junkies and right now on TV there is a show about donuts on. That got us talking about the lousy donuts out here and my uppity nerve to express my thoughts here.

Pewter---Day cut short----Paris

The day began as every day does with the kids in the hotel pool....then...

Before going to the park today we went to Woodbury Pewter a store-factory on the road to the Quassy.

There is a window in the store part that lets you see them work on the various pewter goods. Amelia got the craftsman to wave at her several times. We are told he rarely waves...Her charms win the day.
Pewter is such a part of the area's history it was nice to be able to visit a place that makes it and sells it. We thought this would be the only remarkable thing of the day but nature had other plans.....

Pre-rain photo of Perky Pal the Penguin (Miles) in front of the Quassy ice-cream shop.

The day started off overcast and warm. In spite of the clouds folks came out to Quassy today...a sharp contrast to yesterday. The prediction was 40% chance for Thunderstorms. We did our first show to a really great audience and a good sized crowd. The second show started off with an even bigger crowd that grew as the show went on. The clouds remained over head but didn't seem ominous until about 10 minutes before the end of the show. The sky grew dark...we continued the show but took the precaution of covering the speakers with bags. We also pulled tarps out "just in case". Drops began to fall as Jim started juggling fire. A few in the crowd left, a couple moved over to a nearby patio under table umbrellas. The rain became more steady as Jim ended his main fire routine. He began our comedy bit of blowing out then relighting the torches as the sky opened up and a deluge ensued. "We are the Kent Family Magic Circus...thank you and good bye", I quickly rattled off as the crowd began to run for cover and the sky fell.

The boys took to covering or stowing our equipment. I went over to the office to see what the plans were for the park. After about 30 minutes it was decided the park would close. I was in the office when the decision to close came down. The owner told the office manager to announce it over the park intercom. She said, "I'm no public speaker". The owner looked at me and nodded (implying, "use him"). I agreed and it was my voice that announced the bad news to the park goers. And so, one show short for the day, we went back to the hotel.

Just 7 miles from Quassy the roads were dry and no threat of rain showed in the sky...go figure.

Well, I guess today make up for the slow days these last two days past.

We booked Paris, TX today. It will be an adventure as we begin there the day after we finish at the Tehema fair in Cali in Sept. But with a little magic (and airline tickets) we will send Nick out to Texas ahead of time with a unit of our show then fly out there the day after the Red Bluff fair. We have never done this before but may use it as a standard in the future.

Haircuts

Two princesses got their locks cut today. Princess Cynthia has been wanting to do it since we left Cali. But Princess Amelia decided just yesterday.

The weather was wonderful...warm, sunny, and just the right number of clouds....in spite of the fact the news was reporting that it was going to be a stormy day. That might be the reason the park today was very quiet. The pontoon boat only did two trips around the lake and the rental paddle boats had only 6 rentals all day. Our audiences were small...but we had all that could come. The first two were what we call TV audiences....they just sit there. They looked hot. Still they complimented us on the show and came back to the other shows. The last Audience was very good.

Backstage my day was filled with some sewing repairs, some stilt repairs, and some painting. I took the slow day as an opportunity to get things fixed up. Buttercup took the night last night to get some work done as well. He finally shed his skin. It was the longest wait we have had so far. Maybe the two mice snack yesterday gave him the extra protein needed. He also did what he does only every 7-10 days....he pooped. So together he ate, shed and pooped. Productive night. More exciting than the shows today. Don;t get me wrong, I love performing.....but slow days are slow days.

We booked the Tehema Fair in Red Bluff, CA for the 2nd to last week in September. We also have been invited to perform in Paris the following week. It night be tough to squeeze them both in but we have submitted our proposal for the Paris gig and may be flying out there the last week of Sept. If they like it.

By the way, Paris, TX!

I had to turn down a gig for Ohio in September and I confirmed a gig in Madera, Ca for November. And that's the news form the office section of my day.

peace out

Slow Day in CT

Not a lot to report today. It was a beautiful day...a bit hot. But no records. We did laundry this morning...drove to a Naugatuck to do it as it cost only $2.00 per load as opposed to the $7.40 per load around here. Better deal but not a breaking story. The new lens for my camera (55-250 w/image stabilizer). Cool but again not big news. Small crowds at the park meant small crowds at our show but not record small and not bad audiences so nothing to report there. I was tired all day due to waking early(for the laundry) but I've been tired before and this time I didn't accidental kill anyone. Buttercup ate two mice....but that's what snakes do. So I am sorry that I haven't much to report today. The kids did ride a few rides today. We had average sales. We ate food from Friendly's, an ice cream joint that sells regular food too. We ordered take out. How much do you tip for that?

Still food here is expensive.

Interesting point about Naugatuck, CT

We go 10 miles down the road to Naugatuck, CT to do our shopping because the area our hotel and the are the Park is located are really expensive....tomorrow we are doing our laundry down there. Here is and interesting fact:.S. Rubber also produced Naugahyde in a Naugatuck factory, but it is no longer produced there
Ever wonder why it was called naugahyde? I know you did, JC.

Sunday in Middlebury---George Lopez

There are a lot of 'burys" out here....Middlebury, Southburry, Waterburry, Wood Bury, etc etc.
Today was overcast all day...it was like Seattle. It was pretty cool, bordering on cold. Global warming people kiss my........................solar flare. There was a 50% chance of thunderstorms. But that didn't materialize until right after our last show. Still it really was more of a little shower. Still the threat of the storm was told to us at the end of the storm and we announced it's impending approach to the crowd which put a damper on our sales. Oh well. Bummer, since it really didn't materialize as anything significant.
We headed into nearby Nagatuck to go shopping (cheaper than around any of the 'burys"). Walmart provided us with b-fast foods and other supplies. Then it was a grocery store and then a little diner-like-pizza-like-drive-up place. The food was alright. Jim said the Burgers we out of this world. Victor gorged himself on pizza and made his tummy hurt yet still had the "nerve" to ask if he can eat some candy on the way back to the hotel.
Picked up Dunkin Donuts for desert. (Giving them a second chance...they were pretty bad in NY). Nope they still suck. The best in the world are still found at Frosty's in Barstow, CA...size, taste, fluffy-ness, etc.
Lately as I type these notes and do other work the kids have George Lopez on TV. I have been distracted many times. I have laughed my butt off many times. As a result his humor and even his accent has snuck into my act. The kids even make fun of it....it's been unintentional .
Good news. JC is doing great. I talked to him today. You can't keep a good man down. He will do a show this Wednesday....less than one week after surgery. He's a real trooper.

100' Rope Tie is A Hit and comments from the public

100" rope tie as performed on CT Style TV show last week.

We just received an email from out hosts at the park and apparently the verbal compliments from the public have been off the charts and the following email come into them this morning:
I visited the park yesterday and saw the Kent Family Magic Circus. They were unbelievably wonderful! I would love if they could comeback again next year. I would definitely come back to see them. I would also like if karaoke would be put back in the park. I am a disabled person, so there aren't very many things I can do, and I enjoyed when I was able to do karaoke.

I noticed at our 7pm show yesterday (our 4th show) that there were about 20 people who had been to earlier shows and I befriended a couple and their daughter who came to the park and watched 3 of our 4 shows (missing the first one). And the compliments to use directly have been steady and very kind. We are blessed. Also visits to our website ,according to our counter, are off the charts.

Earlier this year I thought it might be fun to add an escape challenge to the show for Victor. We would bring up three people...any age...and they are given 100' of rope. They have as much time as they want to tie Victor Jr (8) up. (Just not around the neck or privates area. ) We thought it would be fun but it has turned out to be hilarious. Who could've guessed. Victor hams it up and the crowd loves it. He has the same amount of time it took to tie him up to get out. If he doesn't make it in that time the audience members who tied him get $20-100 each. Needless to say he escapes....once his pants nearly came off during the escape and that just brought down the house.
We didn't expect it to be so funny. We save it for very special large audiences.

Shows 99 100 101 and 102

A beautiful Saturday here in CT. It has been unseasonably cold but I guess that's what you get when solar activity slows to it;s lowest levels since 1938 (But I've mentioned that before). Audiences swelled at each show until there was no room to move at the 7pm. They were a lively and happy crowd too.
We made friends with one family that stayed for 3 shows. The mom and dad live in CT but are originally from Jamaica. Their little girl hung out with the two princesses all day. Real nice folks. I hope they stay in touch.
James learned a new way to make tips. Since he is the only stilt walker I've ever met who can touch the ground folks put dollars down just to see if he can pick them up....he made 3 bucks.
We had brisk sales today and I even caught a man in his mid twenties try to steal a skunk (one of our props we sell.) He claimed he was just looking but as he walked by (not slowing down) he grabbed one without slowing. he didn't realize a screw held it to the pole we sell them from and he brought the whole thing down. I came out of the back stage just in time to see him and I stopped him. He claimed he was planning on bringing it over to us to buy it. He lied. Once I asked for payment he conveniently didn't realize it was so expensive. I let him go. But we have new policies regarding the sales stuff.
The day started with the kids swimming again...and so will tomorrow.
We are coming up on laundry day again too...but laundry costs over $7.00 per load. Yikes.
Good news. My friend, JC, is back home. He still has tests results to find out about. But he tells my wife he will be doing a show this coming Wednesday. The show must go on. What a trooper.

Wild Times in Ct....is that possible?

This is Austin...he won the Kids Club Jr Magician award and got to be a magician on stage with us. We dressed him up and he got to make a bunny appear. We also gave him some prizes.
Perky Pal the Penguin working the crowd.

Jim can touch the ground now. very few Stilt walkers can do this.

Today is Friday...we have been warned...tonight is 25 cent ride night and 50 cent hot dog night...the park will be crowded...it will be filled with lots of regular folk. Well, after 5pm the park filled to capacity and then some. If you weren't in the area around the stage by show time at 7 you weren't going to get in the area...it was a sardine can. And they were a lively, happy, loud group...and we loved it. CT being an expensive place it is nice to see a park that has the heart to have a low cost night so everyone on the economic scale can come. And they were all having a roni! (roni is an '80s term meaning a "good time")

The kids started the day with a swim. I meanwhile got a haircut at a tiny place across the street. The barber was a woman that reminded me of Fran form The Nanny (minus the nasal voice). Boy could she talk and boy did she have stories. Her son is an American hero. he served 3 tours in Iraq...voluntarily. He was one of those guys that always lucked out. He saw an IUD go off and dived out of his truck getting a few pieces of metal in his leg but living...the others in the vehicle didn't. While hanging out on base he went inside to hit the can...while inside a mortar came in and took out the folks he was hanging with. She said, "we don't know why he was blessed ...God must have some plan for him. We just don't know what it is yet."

We got a package from home. Cookies...home made cookies...and cards for each of us from Mami. And of course she included the bills I need to pay. Oh, well! I have the best wife ever.

Keep JC in your prayers we are waiting to see how things are going.

Pizza - Rides -

Beautiful weather begat a very busy day at the Park. All three crowds today were good. But outside of the following joke I said the day was pretty uneventful....show-wise. In the 2nd show I came out wearing my black shirt and my bright green tie. I told the few who had arrived early (it was about 15 before the show) that it was my "green" tie"... my "environmental" tie....Yeah, it's made of environmentalists. (This area is a blue state area. I got a few giggles and a couple of smirks. Nick and I were busting up....but not showing it to them.
Today was ride day for the little ones. We got them their arm bands and they hit the rides. They had a lot of fun. Wish something cool like one of them throwing up or one of them slipping out of the harness and flying across the park. But nothing notable happened except three kids had smiles, giggles, and fun.
After the shows we drove out to Nagatuk ( a larger nearby town). There is a Walmart there and the prices were like home....we stocked up on all kinds of stuff. WooooooHoooooo! Then we found a a pizza shop with the sign reading "Pizza". I went in as the kids went off to the grocery store next door to pick up ice and tomorrow's lunch. The little shop was hot. The pizza ovens heated the joint...I guess their aircon was out. It was the perfect whole in the wall. The employees fit their positions and everyone was really nice. The guy in the back, the dough maker, and I as well as the Pizza cook chatted as the pizzas cooked. I found out the cook liked to balance things on his chin like James. I found out after getting their card that the name of the place is Medano's apizza.
We ate the pizza at the hotel. The smell in the van was incredible and proved to be just a shadow of the taste. It was delicious. Out of three pizza not even a sliver of crust remains. And we all have been complaining about distended stomachs.....we are full!
Friday will be a 4 show day and after 5pm it's 25 cent night...all rides are only a quarter. And Hot dogs are only a buck or two so I am told it will be very very very very very busy. I'll let you know how it goes.
I should add that I am getting a bit more used to the roads and discovering where things are expensive and where they are cheap so my stress about CT is lowering. I think the quieter hotel room is helping too.
I have noticed that there is a level of racism here I haven't seen in other parts of the country. It's something that my kids have noticed too. It's hard to describe. It's isn't in plain sight like we saw in Huntsville, Texas among the older white and black folks. It's subtle ...it's hard to describ. I will see if I can figure a way to express it.
Prayers still going out for my friend, JC, in Cali.. they're testing for a couple fo things so keep those prayers coming. Of course, his wife tells me, he isperforming magic for all the docs and nurses....an everyone else.

Moving rooms -A touch of Rain- JC in the Hospital

Firewhip

Mama sent dresses for the girls that she made herself.

Victor showing his chained wrists to the audience.

Some bug.

Lasso.

Amelia during her mind reading routine.

An audience member emailed this to me.

Olivia piloting the Quassy Boat. The Captain is a very nice man.

Amelia's turn

Victor too.

The Captain and his new best friend Amelia.

Our stage from the lake.

This shack on the lake recently sold for $500K...you see the whole lot.

This boat house here costs more than what most people would pay for 2 homes.

Got word a couple of days ago that my good friend JC was hospitalized for a ruptured appendix. He had surgery and while recovering he had heart problems so he has been moved to the cardiac unit while still receiving antibiotics for the septic problems related to the appendix problem. His wife tells me he is improving and has asked for his magic supplies so he can entertain the staff and other patients.

Turns out our room was by the loading dock. That meant that at 7am a Pepsi truck backed up into the unloading area beeping all the way. Then the driver opened 7 or 8 roller doors to get to the libations. Then he loaded them and then he shut the doors....I know this because I heard it all. The lack of sleep kept me tired and slightly moody all day. So we moved rooms and with any hope tonight we will sleep well.

The shows went very well. But it looked like the 2nd show was going to rain out. SPrinkles moved into a light shower 15 minutes pre-show. By showtime, however, it moved on and we pulled off an excellent show. The rain made us pull everything off so we had to do the show out of order and ad lib a few others. Amazingly it went really well.

Time for bed....godd night.