The Greatest Show on Earth

The weekend we had a week ago a blast. We had what could be described as great February weather. The sun was out and I think it hit 72 both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we went to the circus downtown. The Ringling Brother's Barnum and Bailey Circus was at the Bi-Lo Center. Jane got the tickets earlier in the week. We weren't certain about taking Isabelle to a show that might be loud and have a certain amount of peril, but in the end we are glad we did. Now, before I get too far in to this I know there are those out there who don't believe the circus is a good thing. They have a reputation for mistreating their animals and a few other issues. I'm not saying this one is any different but they did make a fuss about preservation and a few other things. Either way just put it aside for a minute and let Isabelle enjoy the show. (I have to admit I had a hard time finding too much good publicity about the whole thing; now I'm having second thoughts...) The whole things started with a carnival type sideshow with clowns, a painting elephant, dogs, and ponies. There were areas where the kids could dress up and meet some of the performers. Then everyone went back to their seats for the show. The big opening was pretty spectacular. They brought out pretty much all the performers and had lots of music and lights. I thought the elephants would never stop. There were 11 in all! The acts were pretty impressive and the clowns did a wonderful job between the main shows. At one point they even ran down the aisle we were in and gave my head a polish. Isabelle loved it! I think the most remarkable acts were the elephants dancing in unison, the Asian acrobats on the swinging bars (not exactly trapezes but close), and the two fellows who did the big counterbalanced swinging thing (sorry I can't describe it any better). The only thing missing was the sphere of death with the two motorcycles flying around.

Isabelle liked the dogs and the horses. Jane really enjoyed the zebras. The tigers were pretty neat too. The only thing Isabelle really didn't like was the cannon. It made too much noise and frightened her. One thing that was really impressive was watching the goings on behind the scenes. The set-up crew did a great job of getting things in place and pulling on ropes for the silk cloth dances (very Cirque du Soleil) and generally moving the set around. It wasn't a true three ring circus but there was always something going on somewhere.

I guess it certainly was worth the money (as long as you can keep from buying the $7 drinks, the$9 cotton candy, and the $20 program.) In the end we did get Isabelle a coloring book that she proudly took to school for show and tell.

Sunday was another pretty good day. Isabelle was overtired and did have a few meltdowns but I still managed to get away to the lake for a paddle. Down here it is hard to find a place to paddle because everything is privately owned. The lake I went to was Lake Robinson. It is operated by the Town of Greer as a watershed and as such you need a permit to be on it. I paid my $3 and had a nice paddle amongst the powerboats, rowboats, and other kayakers. The lake itself is about 3 miles long and located about 25 minutes north of where we live. It might be worth getting a yearlong pass for the lake. That would be $30 but also gives me access to another less busy lake just downstream of this one.

This week we have company so there will be lots more adventures to go on about.

Kayak Update

Here I am blogging while the Superbowl is on. We just got back from the neighbor's house for a pre-game party. It's true that football is as big as religion her ein the U.S. No wait a minute, it's bigger than religion. In the end everyone had a good time with lots of food and friends from around the neighborhood. Everyone here seems to be a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Only time will tell although at the end of the first half things look good so far. The kayak is coming along well. I have it mostly framed and everything seems to be straight and true. I cut the bow and stern today and put the center stringer on the front deck. Here are the pictures:

Stern looking forward.

The boat in profile (I'm glad I brought Peter's Workmate workbench)

The bow looking back to the stern.

The stations are plywood and I decided to use board instead of plywood for the bow and stern. I should be about ready to start skinning it next week, maybe on the weekend. There are a few options for the skin but I'm considering painted canvas over vinyl. The canvas gives me more flexibility for colors and designs. It also means less gluing and more sewing. Either way I need to do some research. Other than that the weekend was relativly quiet. We had some friends in for supper on Friday night. Saturday we just worked on things around the house and took it easy. We did go out to get bagels and a few groceries. Jane finally found a decent bagel supply. The store baught bagels here just don't match up to what we are used to. Today we managed to get out to the dog park for Maggie and the playgound for Isabelle. I think it did them both some good.