A Mudshow Season

Abernathy, TX. 70 miles. Cool, clear. Gravel lot. Abernathy is still papered with Circus Gatti sheets from a February date in Lubbock, 25 miles away. Saw almost as much of their paper as our own. Playing at the school, so a constant stream of children have been by to watch the tent go up or to see the cats. We're in TX for another five days.

On Saturday afternoon we finally dug out of the snow in Thursday's town, Canadian, TX and jumped 215 miles to Dalhart, TYX for Sunday. Still some melting white stuff, but the weather is returning to normal,

Monday. Tulia, TX. 165 miles. Field, Clear skies, warm, windy. Scott, the show mechanic arrived last night.

I understand that Jessi Wonderfool, our clown trekked through the blizzard to a motel. The ability to sniff out a motel seems to be a talent associated with the clowning class and probably demonstrates that they are somehow smarter than the rest of us.

Still snowed in ....in Canadian, TX. Three foot snow drifts against all the trucks and trailers. Wind chill 10 degrees F. But the sun is out and it may hit a balmy 30 degrees F (about 0 C) by afternoon. I may have to hike out for propane if we're still on this lot by mid-afternoon. Good news -- normal Springtime temps tomorrow.

2:30 PM. Snow's falling at about and inch at hour at the moment. Wind chill is 0 degrees F (-18 degrees C.) In a sure sign that youth is fickle, or dumb, or wasted on the young -- my kid Robin just asked for 5 dollars so he could walk six blocks to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Should have suggested he cart back another 20 pounds of propane while he was out.

Friday. We remain in Canadian, TX buried beneath a blankett of white. Rain, thunder, ice, snow, high winds -- got all of itlast night with more promised today. Hoping it lets up by dawn tomorrow for 120 mile jump into Saturday's town. Jeff, our 24 hour man is good guy who arrows well -- much better than most -- but getting to Saturday's town would be difficult right now, and arrows don't like 40 mile an hour winds with higher gusts. My son Robin intends to simply sleep in all day.

Thurs March 26th. Canadian, TX. 35 miles. grass. Overcast. cool. Good presale. Mother of all Plains winter storms is due in ton ight. Tomorrow, no shows due to heavy snows. Onlyu question is whether to jump tonighjt into the storm and ride things out in Saturday's town -- about 90 miles -- or stay put and hope that the road are clear by early Saturday.

Wed, March 25th, 2009 Wheeler, TX. 45 miles. Cool. Cut field. Broke down a mile from today's lot. I really need a new fuel tank, but it'll be a couple days before we're near anyplace where I might find one. Had to tear down carb to get moving again today. Expect good business today in the gas fields. Thurs-Fri rain and temps in the teens expected -- possibility of 3-5" of snow. We've chased the Spring a bit too far north and it's going to be cold.

Monday March 23rd. Memphis, TX. 65 miles. Very warm. Grass.

Tues March 25th. Wellington, TX Cool. Grass.

Woke this morning to find temps had dropped to near freezing after an 85degree day yesterday. Even at 11 AM still in the 40's. The remaining guys on the tent crew arrived from Mexico yesterday afternoon.

Sunday March 22nd. Mangum, OK. 85 miles. Grass, dirt, overcast and windy. Alternator on my house seized up 16 miles outside Lawton, taking the fan belt with it. Twenty minute fix for anybody with a set of wrenches, but on a Sunday the NAPA store in Cache, OK was closed and I prevailed upon the kindness of strangers for a ride back into the city for parts. Made Mangum in time for doors for the early show. We're heading west from here with Texas and New Mexico ahead.

Fri-Sat March 20th & 21st. Fort Sill, Lawton, OK. 50 miles. Grass. Warm. Two day stand on Fort Sill. Excellent business. A mixed up by the Federal Police led to two of our guys being detained by ICE while their Visa status was sorted out. They missed the first show. My kid Robin butchered during the first show and worked concessions for both busy days, discovering as smart kids so often do -- that the money is in the floss and corn more than merely in the applause from the audience.

Thurs March 19, 2009. Comanche, OK. 15 mile jump. Grass lot. Cool and overcast.

Arrived at the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus last night after a long drive from California with way too much mechanical drama. Fuel issues, despite a new fuel pump. Even after all the mechanics weighed in and billed accordingly we were stopping every hundred miles to blow out the filters.

This is the 25th season for CM.

I have a very old motorhome. I mean a VERY old motorhome. It was very old twenty years ago. Several years ago I tried to sell it for $500. No takers. Now it's back on the road. Yesterday Dennis, the mechanic came out to replace a busted exhaust manifold bolt. "Live with it," he said. It'll probably hang together for another ten years and you won't have to take off the head.

Because I was planning to leave for the circus on Thursday, I decided he was right.

"By the way," Dennis said a few minutes later as he adjusted the carb. "You have a gas leak. You really need a new carb." Twenty years ago that would have been no big deal. Now it's been a generation since carbs were standard engine parts. "Can I get it rebuilt?" I asked.

"Maybe."

Today in Seaside, CA I found the last guy in this part of CA who still rebuilds Rochester Quadrajet 4BBL carbs. He'll have it done on Thursday. If we leave Thursday evening, drive 14 hours, sleep five hours, and then drive another 12 hours, we'll be in Oklahoma on Saturday.

Culpepper & Merriweather's Great Combined Circus opens on Saturday in Antler's, OK. Trey Key will be presenting his cats. The Ron & Robin Dykes family is back. Jessi Wonderfool, a very funny clown just off RBBB has signed on to play in the mud, as have several other intrepid performers. For Culpepper this is the 25th season. Not bad for a circus that started in a FL campground.

There may be snow on the ground in New England, but in the southland it's spring and time for the bigtops.

It's March, it must be circus season.

Winter may be lingering in the north, but it's Springtime in south and in Texas the first tent shows have been trouping for a couple weeks. Will resume blogging from Oklahoma around March 14th. Takes a lot of guts to move a mudshow down the road down the worst economic downturn since the 1930's -- but as Charleton Heston reminded us in GSOE... "Kids haven't changed." The circus is still the circus.