Ay Caramba!

If you are Tintin fan, you will recognize the phrase. Why it was plastered in two metre high letters on the inside of a circus tent in Santa Cruz is beyond me. It may simply be that old circus tents never die ... they just move on down and down the line.

Saturday or Sunday, I noticed that a circus tent was going up in a vacant lot near town center. As Manuel and I were walking past yesterday on our way to the mechanic’s shop, we stopped and asked about show times and ticket prices. 8:00 p.m. and $1.50. Sounded doable to me.

I arrived at the star studded venue and fought through the crowds to find a seat. Wait ... that was the Canada – Russia hockey game which I was missing. The inside of the tent was indeed covered with silver stars and the three energy efficient bulbs worked well to camouflage the lumpy dirt floor and left over debris of previous performances. By 8:00 p.m. there were almost twenty of us sitting on the rather precarious 1 x 5 boards around the tiny center ring. The announcer came on the loudspeakers and announced that in only a few minutes we would be amazed by spectacular performances. This must have had some effect because more people began trickling in. The short rain had stopped so that may have had more to do with it than the prospect of wonder and amazement.

The three bulbs went black and the spinning dance floor light show lit up the dressing room entrance and out came the dancing girls. They shimmied and shook to a Latin number and went back to somewhat subdued applause. The fact that one of the two was only seven or eight may have been a disappointment.

Spinning light show off, two spotlights on and out came the clowns. By this time, a few more people had come in, including a number of young men. Everyone had come to have a good time and they were happy to shout out comments and interact with the patter of the clowns. A huge improvement on the performance.

The star of the circus then appeared. An athletic man with waist long hair came out and did some rather amazing gymnastic routines. Considering the options if he were to make a mistake I was truly impressed. The safety mechanism for his one handed handstand on a metal pole three metres above the ground consisted of the smallest clown hanging all his weight on the stand.

The entire troupe consisted of seven people so lots of double duty. The lip synch dancing midget came out in a orange tasselled bikini bottom and shimmering red and silver tasselled bikini top. The number went on about three minutes too long. The first fifteen seconds would have been plenty.

The last set of the first half featured the acrobat in drag doing some great impromptu with the audience. He used audience applause to choose which of the several male targets should be his “date”.

By then it was time for intermission and the troupe headed out to man the popcorn machine and battered freezer with cold drinks. It was already 9:30 so I took the chance to head home. A great evening’s entertainment.

In school news, we are now over the fifty student mark. A small neighbourhood on the far side (read – other side of the tracks) of Santa Cruz heard about the school and got themselves organized to bring eight students. Rather impressive work.

Another new student arrived with her mother. Fifteen years old, pregnant and, consequently, married and barred from entering public school. We were very pleased to have the chance to welcome her here. It is sobering to watch this girl – still a child but having to become an adult all too soon and without any chance to grow up and enjoy the process.

Three hot days – above 35’ C and now another cold front has moved in. It is becoming like Alberta weather wise.

TTYL