The Greatest Show on Earth, Really

Wow! The circus has changed a lot since my last visit....when I was.....12. Yes, been a while and Ringling Brothers never fails to satisfy. Harry was gripped (that's in part to a vat of cotton candy, which came with a wizard hat, and a trough of popcorn, courtesy God-mom Cynthia who joined us for the afternoon) for two solid hours. Yes, we ALL had to wear the hat.

Bottom line -- can't wait to go back. Harry was spellbound watching the animals and most of the acts (not so much the strange clown Mr. Gravity). Charlotte made it an hour before falling asleep in the VERY loud Verizon Center. But it was a really good time. We took away three lessons: You have to be positively unhinged to get into a cage with tigers (OK, Sigfried and Roy taught us this), there is something really wrong about dressing an elephant up in sequins and making it prance around, and it doesn't matter how old you are, the circus is entertainment. And if you're a toddler, there is positively no finer entertainment than watching a woman being shot out of a cannon. None.

If you visit, be sure to attend Clown College an hour before the show begins. Charlotte got up close and personal with a very sweet lady clown. Through the entire show I kept thinking about all these resumes: Zebra Rangler, Elephant Master, Trapeze Artist. Hi, I'm Kate, I get blown out of a cannon! Now that sort of conversation would really juice-up a Washington cocktail party.