For "Marcus Cook"

"Markus",
You seen to think you know a lot about a lot of things, don't you. Yet you are the one with all the questions. I asked you to use your name, and I would answer your questions. You responded with a counterfeit name, so from here on out I don't have the time for you, and I will let Emmett respond to your inquiries instead. Don't you have anything to do to keep busy, Pal?

5 Expert Commentary:

Anonymous said...

An interesting turn of events - that Casey thing - wonder what the details are

August 10, 2011 6:30 AM

Wade G. Burck said...

Anonymous,
Not so interesting, if you know the details.

Wade

August 10, 2011 6:32 AM

Anonymous said...

And the details are???

August 10, 2011 12:58 PM

Wade G. Burck said...

Anonymous,
I wasn't sure if you were someone of importance, or just a pretender. Now that I know for sure, the detail's are NUT'S TO YOU!!! Someone of importance would know the details.

Wade

August 10, 2011 2:23 PM

Wade G. Burck said...

Anonymous,
No it has nothing to do with that. Tell you what, sign your next question with your name, and I may give you the time of day.

Wade

August 10, 2011 4:47 PM

An Exceptional Wild Animal Comedy

1912 U.S. silent movie Mike's Brainstorm starring Tom Santschi and Toodles the elephant. Does anyone know more about this movie or who owned/worked with "Toodles" the elephant?

“If it wasn’t for gravy and coffee, we’d starve to death”: Interview with a cowboy

In 1937, someone from the Worker's Project Administration interviewed an aging cowboy, L.M. Cox of Brownwood, Texas, as part of an effort to record America's oral history.

At the Ptak Science Books blog you can read the full interview with Mr. Cox and get a rare, inside look at what life was really like in the Old West. This is why oral history is interesting to me. It's a chance to capture what life was really life, without the varnish (or at least as much of the varnish) that you'd find in a novel, or a movie, or even a formal letter. It allows us to consider someone else's everyday life, outside the mystique of their time. Cool stuff.

"The usual ride was sixteen hours per day. No Union hours for them. It was from daylight until dark with work, and hard work as that. One cowboy complained of having to eat two suppers, so he quit, packed his bed and left. In about three months he returned, carrying only a bull's-eye lantern, saying that where he had been working he needed only the lantern and had no use for the bed.

... "In the late 80's and early 90's came the covered wagons and then the sheepman. We stood the covered wagons pretty well but it took a long time to get on friendly terms with the sheepman. They were sure enough trespassers in the cowman's eye. One sheepman got his flock located on some good grass and the cowmen came along and ordered him off their premises. 'I can't go now,' the sheepman complained, 'I have lost my wagon wheel.' Cowboys always had a heart and tried to be lenient but they also hated deception. One of the cowboys who had heard this gag before, looked around a bit and found the missing wheel hidden away in some mesquite bushes. The sheepman was hustled away in a hurry."

..."Boiled beef and Arbuckle Coffee was our standby. The boys used to say if old man Arbuckle ever died they'd all be ruined and if it wasn't for Pecos water gravy and Arbuckle Coffee we would starve to death.

For you folk's who like this sort of thing--Move out day 8/10/2011

For RJR--Giraffe Trailer Blanketed & Ready to Roll

For RJR--Giraffe Trailer

Through the back door


As mentioned in the past 4 giraffe are hauled in this trailer. The male is isolated in one stall, and the 3 females travel together in the end 3/4's of the unit. It has rolling up and down doors, often refereed to as "coca cola doors" as they are usually seen on trailer's that deliver soda. When the door's are closed because of cool weather, the bottom sections can be dropped for ventilation. I dropped one in the top photo to give you an idea. Note the "decorative" grill work to make it visually appealing to the public. Beside the trailer in the top photo, I had the guy's place the last gate which the door's close against, to give you an idea of the dividing gate's in the trailer between the male and females, or it can be divided into three separate units.

For you folk's who like this sort of thing--Move out day 8/10/2011

This trailer is one of the older one's on the show, and has a rather unique history. Back before the "day's of wine and rose's" it was used to transport the few horse's the show had. Once it arrived on the lot and was emptied, it served double duty as the ticket/office trailer. You will note the ticket windows in the last picture. In the top picture you will note the sliding cover's which closed up the ticket window's when the horse's were loaded. It is now used to haul sawdust in the back compartment, and old harness in the front compartment. The middle compartment, in the third photo, is used to transport the kangaroo.

For you folk's who like this sort of thing--Move out day 8/10/2011

This is the horse transport, which hasn't received it's new paint job yet. It hauls the liberty act and one arrogant, prick of miniature stallion. Each animal is separated by padded swing gate's.

For you folk's who like this sort of thing--Move out day 8/10/2011

The new paint job/graphic's that is now being applied to all the trailers. Three were finished in Coacalco, and plans are underway to complete the rest of the fleet in the next few weeks. That's Armando Ferra with the tigers, Mrs. Ricardo Aguilar with the giraffe, and my friend Jorge french kissing one of his sea lions. Sea mammal trainer's go above and beyond in their "affection training" don't they Jim Alexander?

For you folk's who like this sort of thing--Move out day 8/10/2011

After a 3 week date turned into 8 1/2 weeks due to record rains and great crowd's(go figure) the show is finally preparing to move to a new lot. That is the "tiger tent" in the background which is normally not seen in past pictures, when the main tent is set up. For reference to past photo's, I am standing where the entrance/concession/hospitality tent was set up in the photo below

Trash service in Coacalco, Mexico--6:15 Central 8/10/2011

John Milton, how is this for a homemade rig. :)

Barnum & Bailey--Another look at the fabled "carousel"

This of course is an artist's "interpretation" of the carousel. Noting the "tubs" the white horse's are standing on, it looks an awful lot like the carousel in the clip posted yesterday from the English circus at :31


CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN - British Pathe

Emil Volkers

Title page from "Abbildungen vorzüglicher Pferde-Rassen", by Emil Volkers, 1880.

Emil Volkers

"Lippizaner"(Lipizzan or Lipizzaner)

From "Abbildungen vorzüglicher Pferde-Rassen"(Illustrations of Excellent Breeds of Horses), by Emil Volkers 1880

I have collected Emil Volker equine prints for a number of years, and consider him to be one of the finest illustrators that has ever lived. Below are the Volker illustrations that I currently have in my collection, and the one above is the next one I hunger for, when "funds" become available. :)

Emil Volkers

"Ostpreusse" (East Prussian Horse)

From "Abbildungen vorzüglicher Pferde-Rassen"(Illustrations of Excellent Breeds of Horses), by Emil Volkers 1880

Emil Volkers

Hungarian breed Horse (Arab descent)

"Aegypter" (Egyptian Horse)

"Araber"(Arabian Horse)

"Arabische Stute mit Fohlen" (Arabian Thoroughbred with Foal)

"Berber"(Barb Horse)

From "Abbildungen vorzüglicher Pferde-Rassen"(Illustrations of Excellent Breeds of Horses), by Emil Volkers 1880

Emil Volkers

"Neapolitaner" (Neapolitan Horse.) From "Abbildungen vorzüglicher Pferde-Rassen"(Illustrations of Excellent Breeds of Horses), by Emil Volkers 1880

Crayon type lithographs, with lithographic color toning and additional accent hand coloring.

Emil Volkers

Wood engraving on vellin from: 'Abbildungen vorzüglicher Pferde-Rassen', by Emil Volkers, made c. 1880. Plate "Aus Dem Circus I (From the Circus)


Wood engraving on vellin from: 'Abbildungen vorzüglicher Pferde-Rassen', by Emil Volkers, made c. 1880. Plate "Aus Dem Circus II (From the Circus)

Emil Volkers (1831-1905): German painter, lithographer. He is known for his landscape and animal scenes. For a time he worked for the Prince of Romania in Bucharest, but most of his career was spend in Düsseldorf.

Carousel's--Fact or Fiction

John O'Brien's 40 horse Grand Carousel at the Olympia in London, England Barnum & Bailey 1899 Posted on the "history channel" July 2, 2008 with this comment:

Fred Neill said...

Where are the other 30 horses?! By the 1897-99 visit here to UK O'Brien had built the act up to 70 horses. What varied slightly here was the horse he rode - though usually white, newspaper reviews mention other colours. Needless to say they were impressed by the act.

03 July, 2008 04:53

The picture was posted again on Oct. 8, 2010 with this caption: "My dad wrote on the back:

Barnum & Bailey- Olympia, London Eng. 1899
John O'Brien's 40 Horse Grand Carousel."

With this comment, also from Fred Neill:

Frederick said...

You don't do him enough credit - it was 70 horses. What seems to have varied sometimes was the horse he was on - often "Mufti" but others were used. Earlier Route books show the number building over a couple of years from 50 or so.
It was with the show right through Britain 1897-99 inclusive though he didn't stay through Europe4 (if my memory serves me right).

Fred Neill

12 October, 2010 05:57

Wooden living carousel hand carved by Robert Clarke

Six rows of horses, all turning at the same time in opposite directions. Size 5'3" X 5'3"

This Mechanical Marvel has 6 concentric rows of horses all turning in alternate directions, at the same time.

Approximate size 5'3"x5'3"

This Mechanical Marvel has 6 concentric rows of horses all turning in alternate directions, at the same time.

Approximate size 5'3"x5'3"

This Mechanical Marvel has 6 concentric rows of horses all turning in alternate directions, at the same time.

Approximate size 5'3"x5'3"

I posted these pictures of this wooden carving above on Oct. 12, 2009 and the link below on August 8, 2010 with what I suggested was an actual "carousel" depicted at :31. Actually when I first posted this link I listened but did not read. The commentator refers to it as "the greatest show on earth" and I thought it was Ringling. It is actually the Tom Arnold Circus from Great Britain. Type carousel in the search bar for past posting's of modern suggested carousel's.

CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN - British Pathe

Jorgen Christenson

The immense, immense value of photographs today, like the one above which depicted an event are as a reminder to us of what it was, and what it will never be again. What we had, and what has been lost forever.

Animal Training "Urban Legend"

I have had numerous debates/discussion's with famed American horse trainer John Herriott on the validity of a horse pyramid/carousel ever actually occurring in the circus. They are always depicted on old lithographs as being a 4/5 tiered "wedding cake" type of formation. I have always thought that was impossible not to have the horse's step/fall off the sides and was only an artist's "interpretation" to elevate the animals so as to give the public an idea of how many were in the ring. I believe the rider/trainer was elevated in the middle and nothing more then animals going around in different directions, in the fashion of the brief shot in the clip below at .25 to .28:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2zzaz-93dg&feature=feedlik

The post card above is the only "photograph" I have ever seen of the supposed horse pyramid/carousel and not a drawing done by an artist for a lithograph. If you enlarge it, you will see that even it has been doctored/altered given the disproportionately large horse's up close to to elevate, mounted trainer. I really don't think it happened the way the litho artist's wanted us to believe it did. I believe it was closer to what we see in the clip without the 4/5 tiered "wedding cake" in the middle. Not to take anything away from having a pot load of animals in the ring, I just don't think it happened. Which gives me an opportunity to post once again this remarkable video of the famed Swiss horse trainer Fredy Knie Jr. I for one, never grow tired of looking at it:

Little Nap

I knew if I posted just the picture above some smart ass would have said, "I don't care what kind of horse trainer Little Nap thinks he is, he is nothing unless he can ride." That is why I have saved the picture above until today, so I could post it together with the picture below. To quote John Milton, "case close, nuff said."

Mia and Rambo

A couple of quick shots of Mia, a three year old white female and Rambo a long yearling normal colored male having a go at each other before settling down to practice. They are the newest member's of the future act of 16 (8 white 8 normal) planned for Circo Aguilar. I am real excited about them as Mia is a real beauty. I have only known two female white tigers as perfect physically as Mia and they were Isis and Karma. Rambo is also a magnificent animal and very big for his age. He had a white father so my hope is that they eventually become compatible and breed. Genetically given Mia's size they should produce some magnificent offspring. Rambo's name was Romeo when I acquired him, but no way was that a suitable name for this stunning animal, so I immediately changed it to Rambo. Mia, being more mature mentally, as well as physically soundly handles Rambo and puts him in his place. If he runs from her one more time, I may just change his name to Weasel. :)



Friday morning when Mia and Rambo first learned what a seat was. Note Rambo's "body language," and Mia isn't even looking at him. That is the silent world of animal communication/vocabulary that is so remarkable and such an honor and pleasure to interpret and be a part of. You animal folks know what I am talking about.

The spin world of animals in captivity

Apparently this is how you round out an 8 hour work day, when you can't find enough to do in today's zoo world. Then you alibi it with an environmental message like "so the elephants can forage, or search for all us nitwit's, like they would in the wild." That's as valid as trunking up a line of elephants, shoveling their grain in place, then giving the command "all right" allowing them to eat and calling it "foraging as they would in the wild." Geez.......



Elephants "foraging"(search) for a better understanding of "like they would in the wild."



Elephants "foraging" (search) You decide if it is "really in the wild, or not?"

What do you think happened this day?

Actually what happened is this: The trainers brought two of the three pachyderms in first, the trainers where going to give this one-Gina, a foot trim. Gina is upset because she thought she was going to be left out and she wanted to go inside. Now she is upset. The trainers are standing inside the green gates, giving her voice commands trying to get her to calm down before they allow her inside with the other three.

11zoofan 2 months ago

"The explanation offered above by 11zoofan doesn't make sense. First the liberties taken with the term "trainers". Second, the elephant seem's to be awful focused on the green "cage/shift chute" and the people inside it. Third, if she is upset at being "left out" why would she need to be calmed down before allowing her back in with the others. Surely she would not try to hurt the others, after being "upset at being left out." There is a lot more aggressive behavior, head butting, head standing shoving logs, kicking at "invisible" objects, etc exhibited here then fear/apprehension at being left out side. I wonder if it was the first time they were going to try to work on Gina's feet by letting two inside first?"