Hejaz Shrine Circus at Furman

Circuses aren't nearly as spectacular as I remember them being. We took the boys to their second one today, and I was just as underwhelmed with it as I was after the first.

Is this adulthood?

I'd think so, except that neither of the boys were all that awed, either. They liked seeing the elephants, and at one point during an aerial act, Jones turned to me and said, "HOW does she DOOOO that?"

But for the most part, they were as ambivalent about the whole thing as I was.

This surprises me, because I remember seeing Ringling Bros.' Circus at the Charlotte Coliseum when I was 7 or 8. I can still viscerally feel that sense of being amazed, ASTOUNDED at what I saw. I'm guessing rising insurance costs and, for Ringling Bros., the elephant lobby, have combined with the increased capability of film and video games to make ours a hard-to-shock society.

That's as philosophical as I'm going to wax on the subject. But just in case, years from now, Jones and Freddie are watching "Dumbo" with their grandkids and wondering why their mama never took them to see such a show, I'm posting this here as proof that I did.

And, I'm sad to say, it was FAR from "the Greatest Show on Earth."

(Oh, and I took clothes for the boys to change into after church. They said they wanted to stay in their "Topham Hatt" jackets to show Mayme and Pop, who were meeting us there, so ...)

Greatest Show on Earth!

Did you know Ringing Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus is rounding third and heading for home? Well, we surely DIDN'T know that when we got tickets to take the boys. Because they need NOTHING, I'm trying to encourage giving them "experiences" rather than gifts, so Mom took the tip and bought us four tickets for Freddie's birthday. A few weeks later, when Ringling Bros. announced it was closing, I was surely glad she did!

I have to say - and Jeremy agrees with this - I don't thinkt this is still "the Greatest Show on Earth." Maybe it's because the line-up has changed - or maybe it's because I'm 40 now instead of 4, but the whole thing seemed significantly less death-defying than I remember it being. Jeremy went so far as to say, "There weren't too many acts that WE couldn't have performed with three days' of practice." I'm not sure I'd go that far, but still. It was not your grandma's circus, and I DON'T mean that as a compliment.

Still, I'm glad the boys can always say they saw the circus - even if these pictures are all they'll remember from the outing. Like Jeremy and I, they really weren't all that impressed. They stayed engaged, I guess. They watched with a little interest. But they weren't AMAZED.

To be honest, they were probably a year or two too young to get the full impact. During the aerial dancers' routine, Jones looked and me and said, very confidently and without a shred of haughtiness, "I could do that." And to be honest, with a strong bungee cord like they had, he probably could've.

Still, they enjoyed the popcorn - especially Freddie. Jones held his hands over his ears 99% of the time (though I kept telling him it was NOT that loud), so Freddie fed him, like a mama bird feeds her baby. It was hilarious - and very sweet, and he's done it once before, though I can't remember when.

They also enjoyed the elephant mugs I got them at the end of the show. I don't typically buy souvenirs - especially not at these Feld shows where the prices are beyond ridiculous - but since this was the last time they'd be able to see this circus - and since I had a circus elephant mug that Jones STILL loves to eat cereal out of whenever we're at Mom's - I decided I'd splurge a little.

I'm glad I did - and I'm glad I can say my boys saw the circus, though, to be honest, I'm not sure the "circus" is exactly what they saw.

This is the one when Jones said, "I can do that."