Circus Xtreme Columbia, SC - Nothing Much!

After the Miami shows Jameson and I drove to Orlando for one more night at his apartment. The next day we drove six hours to reach Columbia, SC. There we found an amazing dinner at Pawley's Front Porch!

Pawley's is a burger joint that's been featured on various food shows, including Diners Drive-ins and Dives. Jameson got the Fripp Island burger, featuring souther salsa, boursin cheese, and fried green tomatoes on a pretzel roll. I got the Sullivan's a burger topped with grilled pineapple, guac, jalapeno citrus mayo, and pepper jack cheese on brioche. Both burgers were fantastic. The meat is ground in-house, it's very fresh and delicious. We both had alcoholic sodas with our meals :)


The next day we had a lovely lunch at a little Italian place called DeLucca's. The food was very good, although we were both a little disappointed in the pasta, which was straight-up out-of-a-box angel hair. But still, good eats!


The train was very late arriving...somewhere between 12-15 hours late. We killed time by walking around a local mall and getting Jameson a haircut. Eventually we were able to get groceries and go home.

Opening day went pretty well, though the crowd was not very good. This is the first city where we're repeating the same show we did last year, and sometimes that doesn't go over well.

Friday we had a split. We had planned to have lunch with Jameson's grandparents, but the weather was miserable and they were unable to make it out. I was catching another cold again (arrrrgh) so just took a nap during the break.

Saturday, three shows. While the northeast was getting hammered with snow, Columbia escaped largely unscathed by winter weather. There were a few flurries in the morning and it was cold all day, but nothing major weather-wise. The shows went pretty well, though crowds were not as into it as they had been in Miami.

Sunday, two shows. Jameson and I ASSumed that the shows were at 1pm and 5pm. Wrong! We were surprised when we got to the arena and hardly anyone was around. The shows were 1/2 hour later than we'd thought. Oops! But better early than late!

After the shows we went to a hotel, went to Walmart for some nighttime snacks, and enjoyed watching tv with the lovely feeling that can only come from knowing you get to sleep in tomorrow :) We will be driving to Charlotte, NC next.


Other stuff:

From Johnathan Lee Iverson, the Ringmaster on the Blue Unit:
"Tonight a mother and her two children were sitting in the front row having a blast. They were all decked out as well. Mom donned a colorful wig, with removable circus tattoos on her cheeks, while her children were attired, one as a clown and the other a ringmaster. I had to meet them. So during an opportune time in the show I made my way over. They were more than elated. They suffocated me with hugs, particularly the one in the ringmaster costume. So of course, I felt like I did my "good deed" for the day. Little did I know my heart was about to melt.

The Mother: "We absolutely love your show! We come every year."
Me: "Thank you so much."
The Mother: "My son is autistic (the ringmaster). He didn't even speak until he came to his very first circus. That's why this show means so much to us."
Me: (Stunned)

You can have your gold statues, I'll take making an indelible mark on someone's life any day."

This week was a little slow. Here is Monjok on a chicken.

(photo courtesy Monjok)