The Family Reunion Et Al

Well... lots to talk about as we try to get back 

into some kind of normal routine. 

Here was Lilly Ann on Thursday, as Chris and I did chores. 

Yes, indeedy, she has caught ANOTHER starling. 
What a dog!

Cracks me up. 

The weather was good and these two were enjoying a comfortable nosh in the afternoon. 

Friday morning brought this: 
The Plane That Went Nowhere

Notice the prop under the wing? 

We were to take off at 11:30.... and we actually flew on a completely different plant at 
5:30, yes, that's right... 5:30!  I was at the airport from 10 AM to 5:30, folks, trying to get 
to the family reunion.  

Part of the brake system was not working... so I guess it's good they were thorough. 
They finally brought a second plane in from somewhere else to ferry those of us who 
were left at the airport to their destinations.  The frequent fliers all jumped up and got on other flights. 
I had not flown in ten years.  I was pulled out of line and checked by some means... wiped on my hands, I guess to see if there were bomb-making materials on them. 

As if that didn't scare me enough, by the time we got into the air, it was getting dark, so I landed at the 
gigantomous Bush Intercontinental Airport in the dark. 
Thank God I had been able to charge my dying phone in KC... because I was able to 
connect with Keith and find him. 

I was so tired, we went straight to the hotel and I didn't even get to see the relatives... and poor Keith had waited all afternoon at the airport for me.  I ate a Banquet pot pie for dinner, cooked in the microwave in our room. 

That's a TRAIN coming towards us!  For crying out loud, Dorothy, you're not in 
Tonganoxie any more! 

Saturday, we met the family at the Rice University/Old Dominion Baseball game. Keith's nephew, PJ, plays for the ODU Monarchs.  The Rice campus was gorgeous... go Owls.... but we got lost in the middle of Houston due to some bad directions (Dan!) ... and trust me folks, I'm askeered of the big city traffic now. 
Keith kept a cool head and a keen eye, I don't know how he did it.  Thanks to some nice folks walking along a street with their baby and dog, we got turned around.  Thanks also to Loretta Goodin, my sister in law's cousin, who lives there, who was on the phone to help us out. 

This is Ralph and Trudy Yoder, Keith's parents, playing with baby Carson, born just before Christmas, and his dad, Jesse.  

This will also crack everyone up... the first game went to a tie of 2 to 2.  
They played 8 innings of  overtime!!!!!

Rice won. 

Then, the boys took a break and changed uniforms, and they played a second game (which was really like a third) because rain was expected on Sunday, and they wanted to get the games in.  
The kids took all the little kids "home" to where they were staying with their cousins.  Keith and I finally boogied at the fifth inning of the "second" game so we didn't have to drive clear across Houston in the dark. 

We met everyone else at his brother's house (Dan) at about 8:00 for barbecue and talk and pictures. 

Okay, maybe some of the pictures are a little blurry. 

However, there are some very good ones on our big camera, which I will download tomorrow. 
You see, Keith DROVE home from Houston, and very unexpectedly got here at 6 PM tonight... he is wiped out and in bed already... but happy.  I will download the pictures from the big camera and show you a bunch of happy Yoder descendents tomorrow. 

Here's one of them though, who missed the group shot: 

Hudson Dane Yoder and Brynn Allison Lamb partied too heartily and were down with the count when we took the group shot. 

The tiny cousins had a blast with each other, though. 

And "Papaw 'Oder" got to play a lot with his big grandson, Jace, who took his 
first airplane ride in stride.
(We all got sunburned at the game!)  

These are not Texas elephants.  My dear cousin Mary Frances aka Fuh Fuh, picked me up at the airport... and we sat in her living room to visit for a few minutes. 

I looked at her shelves idly... and sprang out of my seat... 

These were elephants my dad brought home from World War II.  At one time, 
my mom sold a whole bunch of stuff of hers and my dad's to my Aunt Mary,
Fuh Fuh's mom.  These elephants, long lost to me, were among them. 
Mary thought they were a resin of some kind, but they were carved, though I have forgotten the whole story. 
Dad was in the South Pacific... and I think they were bought in the Phillipines, but of course, the 
Person Who Would Remember, my sister Kathleen, is gone now. 
There was a third elephant... a black teak one... and a small brass one. 
I think those two are gone for ever. 

My cousin gave these to me.  Keith has not noticed them yet, though they are in a place of honor in the living room tonight.  They will be packed away gently and go to the new house with us, where they will be on display.  If you biggify that picture, you will see their life-like eyes. 

Precious to me, and I am so grateful to my cousin. 

I came home to the little Houdinis gamboling in the pasture... the ducks sunning themselves, chickens running around everywhere... it was so good to be back!  
I am so happy in my own back yard, is that so bad? 
Even though that back yard is going to be a new one... I will still be happy with my "things" and my pictures and my memories.  And a few chickens.  

Another Circus Afternoon

I dithered around all morning and decided that I was still enough of a big girl to go see Ringling Brothers Circus at the Sprint Center in downtown KCMO by myself, as Keith was going to the Royals with his daughter and her little family.  Oddly enough, while I love the TBones, I don't like going to Kaufman stadium.  I convinced myself that despite 30 years working downtown in the theaters, I was not able to go over alone.  Then, after looking at tickets and telling myself all the reasons why I should NOT go, I went.

 

I should tell you that my "vacations" from work always involved the circus, for 25 years.  I would save my pennies (literally) all year long and buy tickets to each show when not working, so I could see it from every angle.  The shows I did work I did not mind seeing over and over, and got to know some circus people well. (in the old days).

 

We had not gone to Ringling for the last five years, though... and yes, I know they are controversial because of treatment of some of the elephants.  I don't know enough about it to comment on it, but am going to ask some friends and see if I can get an answer.  I no longer know anyone on any of the Ringling shows to ask, but I DO know that I was around it a lot in the old days, and that kind of treatment of show stock was not tolerated.  So, having said that, I will also comment that there are only SIX "bulls", or elephants (all circus elephants are called "bulls", even though they are mostly female).  Six, on Ringling... it was absolutely mind-blowing for me. There were two rings of performing horses, including large paints and what appeared to be Belgians, with their manes fancily roached, so that they almost looked like huge Fiords or Halflingers. Then the smaller ring was minis, different shades of palomino and a palomino overo.  These were the only animals in the show, besides the big cats (tigers).   No camels, no llamas, no zebras lead around in the specs.  A different show.

I almost drove past the darn thing, I was concentrating on traffic so much.  How could I have missed it?  We had never been there, though.

 

Inside was same-old, same-old with Sells Floto concession stands everywhere.  Sells Floto is the concession arm of Ringling, and was actually a circus what was brought under the combined shows in the 30's. (Circus Fans reading this, correct me if I'm wrong)

 

 

Down on the floor of the arena, the "Three Ring Experience" was taking place.  Two of the liberty horses were brought out for the parents and kids to see.  I was so glad to see that, despite numbering differences, the Sprint Center is not that far different from good old Kemper, which is now little used, but where I worked for 16 years at night and on weekends.

 

However, the balconey is MUCH higher than Kemper's!  I was glad I had bought a ticket for the downstairs.

 

 

Now all the "rings' have been put away, and the prop crew is setting for the opening number.  Here a word about rings.  The only ring is the center ring.  For the liberty mini-horses, a blow-up ring was rolled out, and then rolled back up.  I never saw a ring at the ring three end, I was on the ring one end.  So there is no "ring crew" for each ring anymore, but a prop crew who wears black and floats around in between numbers.  There did not seem to be tons of rigging, either.

 

 

Here comes our beautiful flag, and ringmaster Brian Scott Thomas sang a beauiful version of our anthem.

 

 

And the bulls in the opening number... that's Stas and Vas, the two Russian comics, who were featured throughout the show, on the left.  They were very good.

 

It turns out that from reading the program, I see there was a zebra liberty act that did not perform, and also, a ring of white liberty horses, Arabian-type.  My guess is they are either out due to injury, or we had a John Robinson show at the second (3 PM) show, cut short because of the three-show day.

 

(John Robinson regularly cut his shows short!)

 

 

The Fernandez Brothers on the Wheels of Death.  They were right in front of me. The younger man on the left must have blessed himself fifteen times while the arena was still dark, blessing the wheel as well.  He performed particularly scary stunts.  I could see him praying as he waited. 

 

 

If you biggify, you can see the Belgians on the right in the center ring.

 

 

There was a wonderful high wire act, which I very much enjoyed.

 

 

Okay, let me say here that I have been sitting here reading PETA's condemnation of Ringling while these pictures have been loading.  I don't know if they present the whole picture.  I have been around those bulls... and many more of them... in the old days, and I did not see anything but "smacking" with the bullhook when there was a recalcitrant elephant.  I'm not going to get into a protracted discussion of whether or not animals should be performing for people... but I can tell you that the ONLY outright cruelty I have seen personally was 30 years ago, when my sons came to get me to stop a trainer who was hitting his apes behind a curtain.  It WAS outright cruelty, and the man saw that we could see him and stopped.  Yes, I remember who he was.  I could never watch his act ever again, and he came through here regularly.  This was not on the Ringling show, by the way, but a circus presented under the auspices of the Police Benevolent Association for many years.

 

When the bulls perform, the show is almost over.

 

 

And then, it's finished.   The houselights go up, and the prop crew gets busy setting the stage for the 7 PM show.  I took a few last pictures, went out to the car, and slowly made my way through downtown.  How happy I was to get home and see our babies.

 

Especially this one:

 

 

I've just heard from Keith, and they saw a great game at Royal's stadium, and he is in the parking lot, slowly making his way out.  I'll expect him in another hour-hour and a half.... and will be glad to have him home safely.

 

Tomorrow after church I'll need to run Nathan home to Garnett.  I have managed to pull something in my back, so I'm dreading the drive for once, so wish me luck!