Circus Xtreme Hartford, CT - Repeat City

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I rode the train again because the boys went to a baseball game. It was a short run, made longer than usual by some engine problems. But near the end of the day the weather was nice and we were moving at a good clip, so I took some video.

The Hartford yard is within walking distance of the arena. It's also extremely dusty. I'm talking DUNES of dust. One of these days when it's windy I'll take a picture.

On the day off I didn't do much, and in the evening Jameson and I went to one of our favorite spots, Agave Grill. Probably one of the best places to eat in the city and its right next to the arena, so there are always a few circus peeps in there :) This time I got the street tacos served in blue corn tortillas, and we both had fresh guac made right at the table. So good.


The next day, opening day, we had a short meeting and rehearsal. The show was well attended, a nice surprise since we just played here last year. And we got a visit from the famous Tom McDonough!! It was a good day!

Thursday there was only one show. I filled the time with a First Aid/CPR/AED class. Our trainmaster wants every safety officer to have this training but it hasn't happened yet, so I figured I'd do it myself, why not. I learned the basic information and processes via a two hour online course, and then drove to a classroom to take the applied learning part. On the way I happened to see this Google Street View car! Cool!


The class was fun, though I was pretty nervous. I got to assist my choking classmates and vice versa, and we practiced CPR on dummies while learning to operate the AED machines. Then we learned to bandage wounds. A few hours after the class was over I had my certificate! Yay! Now hopefully I'll never have to use any of what I've learned haha.


On Friday we had a split. After the morning show I got back to the train to prepare some food for the week and to take a nap. For the evening show we had a visit from Ben DeCastro and his wife Susan! Ben is a former circus musician and he likes to drop by when we're on his turf. He and Susan brought us some amazing baked goods from a local bakery. To repay their kindness Jameson inserted some accordion sound fx into the Camels act just for Ben! (Ben plays accordion). Nice!

Saturday was a normal three show day. Nothing to report.

Sunday, two shows. I was surprised at what great crowds we had here since a) we don't have elephants and b) we were here with the same show last year! Thank you Hartford for coming out to see the show!

After the last show Jameson and I paid one more visit to Agave...it's become kind of a tradition for us to have a nice dinner there while watching the wagons load out of the arena.

Next stop: Trenton NJ! Yay?


Other stuff:

A beautifully written article by Blue Unit Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson, about the recent departure of the elephants and the future of the circus. CLICK HERE to read.

Elephant art by Bernadette. She'll be opening an etsy shop soon. Dunno about you, but I can't wait!!

(photo courtesy Bernadette)

On the train run to Hartford we hit a little "bump"....as in, the train jerked very hard, sending various inanimate and living things flying. I lost a meal to the floor and broke a small plate, nothing major. But at the time I was annoyed, so (I'm embarrassed to admit) I took to facebook to rant a little. Well, Susan saw my little tantrum before I deleted it, and on Sunday she brought me a lovely "girly basket"! It was full of plastic dishware, as well as some really nice collectible plates, nail polish, tea, and other great stuff. Susan, you've rewarded me for being a bad person ;) And I really, really appreciate it!