New Top Arrived Last Week

I was stunned last Wednesday when I arrived on the lot to see a brand new yellow and green with dark blue interior big top going up, with a new yellow and green menagerie top already up. I had no idea a new one was coming and asked Mr. Aguilar how in the world it was possible to afford a new top with all the money he was paying me. :) That's when I learned they get a new top EVERY year!!!!!! Last years red and yellow top will be going to Circo Chino, Poncho and Ricardo's second smaller show currently showing in Puerta Vallarta. I told them they needed to learn how to take care of tops, because Carson & Barnes, Gopher Davenport, and Culpepper used their's for at least 80 t0 100 years before replacing them, whether they needed to or not. That's just how they rolled. :) Look up "pride in your show" and "putting it all back in" in the dictionary. There will be a picture of Poncho Aguilar.

New top just about up.

Opening night

Old top being washed today in preparation for being trucked to Circo Chino this coming weekend. New menagerie top in the back ground.


Stranger still, late Saturday afternoon a gorgeous sunny day turned into pudding in the blink of an eye. At 5:10 central the sky turned black and the wind started blowing. By 5:20 it started to sprinkle and we prepared for rain. We had know idea. By 5:30 it was pounding rain as hard as I have ever seen rain pound. I'm talking get the boat out of dry dock Noah rain. At 5:40 I looked up at the top of the tiger tent and noticed a huge bulge hanging down over the entrance. As hard as it was raining, no way could water have collected that fast, I thought. I was taken aback when I lifted the tent wall up and there outside was two inches of slushy, wet snow covering everything. Suddenly the tent leaned left and I yelled at Ramon and the men to to shove the side poles out from under the front. We couldn't budge them, but luckily still had one of the tow vehicle's hooked up to a cage wagon, so I had them quick unhook it, and we tied a rope around each of the 3 entrance sidepoles and pulled them unto the ground releasing an avalanche of piled up slush off the tent. Not bad for a "building guy", huh? I guess my 9 month shortened season on Circus Vargas wasn't a complete loss, and apparently I did more then just chase broads.(Thanks Rex. No elephant, so I used the next best thing.) "GET THE BITCH DOWN!!!! GET THE BITCH DOWN!!!!! EVERYBODY WAKE UP, GET THE BITCH DOWN!!!!!" Cliff Vargas used to scream hysterically as he ran around the lot like a chicken with his head cut off. Just as quick as it came, it was gone in 2 hour's. Sunday morning was cloudy but sunny, photo above. Folks that try to convince you there is something "special and romantic" about a tent circus are nitwit's, and don't believe them. Take my word for it, "special and romantic" is a heated dressing room with hot water and enough electricity to brightly light all 16 bulbs around the mirror. That's good times. A tent when the weather suddenly goes South isn't........