Easter and the Kids First Circus, April 1999

We start with Grandma with Andrew and Grace at Easter Brunch. There are probably other times when Linda is as happy as when she is with her grandchildren, but its hard to think of them now.

Next is the first circus for Andrew and Grace. Its called Circus Chimera, and you might think of it as what Cirque du Soleil would be like if its home were El Cerrito instead of Montreal. No animals, but lots of juggling and acrobatics along with some artistic costumes and poses.

Since they didn't want flash cameras, and since there is not equivalent to fast film with digital cameras, the pictures are also a bit artistic. (Think of it as if Ansel Adams took his photographs in El Cerrito instead of Yosemite, with a not-too-flexible camera.)

We got reserved seats so as to be in the center, if not the front.

First up is a human powered ferris wheel, for lack of a better analogy. They would spin the individual wheels, similar to mice in a wheel, and these two wheels would rotate about each other on a vertical axis. Never seen anything like it before.

Next is what looks like a standard juggling act. You may not be able to tell that he is dressed like a dancer from River Dance. Despite that he is unlikely to be of Irish descent, he entertained the ladies of the crowd with impromptu  Irish jigs between juggling feats.

A family of acrobats next appeared, and after performing a variety of impressive versions of jumping and being on shoulders, the finale was a 3-person-plus-2-pole balancing act.

Next was the Queen of the Circus. Although its hard to tell why from this angle, she was given the role of the Beauty. It looked suspiciously like the Ringmaster was married to the Queen, which just goes to prove the proverb that "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder." Her act consisted of juggling a table and a vase with her feet, and then to act regal in other scenes.

Saving the best photograph for last, one woman could keep an amazing number of Hula Hoops spinning  at once.

Often you get the feeling in performances that nothing could possibly go wrong, and that no one would ever get hurt. Such was not the case in this circus. Gradually you came to fear that one of the these well meaning circus people might well fall from a terrible height trying to entertain you. The finale was something of a relief, as it appeared that no one in the audience or in the circus was seriously injured, and you hoped that this would hold true for the rest of the performances.

Grace seemed happy, and Andrew spent most of the time in his seat, so it was a successful event for everyone.