like peas and carrots

*photo of Pink Ninja from daddy's cell phone.



Saturday, was spent at "the circus". I am a fan of the circus. I grew up not far from the baseball field in our little town. And every summer, American Legion baseball would come to a halt for 3 days, and the Shrine Circus would come to town. The neighbor kids would gather on bicycles, and we would head down to the field to watch them set up. Hoping to steal a glimpse of a tiger, a lion tamer, a clown without makeup. You know behind the scenes stuff. I must have spent 7 summers watching the circus set up behind a chain link fence.

So when DH told me the circus was in town, I was thrilled. We had taken The Collective once when DH returned from Iraq, and we haven't been back since. They were so tiny, I am still unsure if they recall any of it.

We ask The Collective if they would like to go. We get a hearty YES, and jumping up and down from Pink Ninja. Sir Rowland, gives a less enthusiastic version. So we, spend the morning, gathering up our things and we head out.

We find parking, and we get them unbuckled, and head towards the convention center. Pink Ninja announcing that she wants cotton candy. (I am still not sure how she knew they would have cotton candy). I note immediately I had forgot my camera in the TRUCK... damn.

We enter and find terrific seats, DH off to get cotton candy for Pink Ninja, popcorn for Sir Rowland, a pretzel for AWTM. The Collective and I sit and look at the three empty rings. Pink Ninja, then lets us know, "I do not like clowns". This is a pretty normal fear, so no biggie, but I wonder when this started, and why? Sir Rowland is sitting taking all of it in.

We watch kids taking elephant rides. I am prepared to go with them if they want. Its an elephant, of course they will want a ride. Nope, no dice. Pink Ninja wants a pony ride, Sir Rowland wants nothing to do with the animals, "they stink".

So DH returns, and the 4 of us enjoy the show. There are trapeze artists, and elephants, and clowns, which proved to be entertaining to Pink ninja, and "not scary at all". (Rockstar) She also consumes an entire wand of cotton candy. However, between the "stinky animals", the "VERY LOUD MUSIC", and after 2 hours Sir Rowland starts showing signs of OVERSTIMULATION. He can no longer buffer any of it. He is holding his ears, and he wants to leave. Pink Ninja is sitting on her Dads lap, clapping and bouncing to the music, she loves it. Sir Rowland, is cringing in pain.

So I gather him up, and we exit the arena. We are standing outside, and the wind is blowing, and he says "do you hear that? I answer "hear what?" and he sighs, and he says "nothing, it is quiet outdoors." I agree, and we head to the parking lot. Sir Rowland stops me to make sure we look at the city from the arena, and he says "I love the view from all of the way up here." "It is a great view of the city" I add. We walk holding hands across the parking areas, and it is quiet, traffic, birds, wind....

We see what looks like an antique mall, and head that direction, it is closed. We see abandoned railroad tracks, by the grain elevator. We walk along them to see that the overpass was removed, but the track over the river remains. "What a waste, I wonder why they took down this overpass? They could have used the existing route." I answer him, "I don't know buddy."

We get into the truck and I find Sir Rowland his steno book, and and ink pen, and he corrects the damage on paper, building the bridge once again where it once stood. Creating switches, and buffers for the trains.

I look out the front window to see Pink Ninjas bright red winter coat, she is sitting on top of her Daddy's shoulders smiling grandly. The truck door opens. "Mommy, I was not scared of the clowns, and I rode on a pony, I was not scared of the clowns at all....."