Ow

Kids, don't try this at home. Leave it to Juggling Jeff.                                

Madeleine Monday
First trip to the St. Louis Art Museum.

Madeleine vs. Mark Rothko

Madeleine vs. Donald Judd

Score: 0 - 0

Danger In The Glen

A peaceful evening in the park? Not necessarily. Juggling Jeff warms up his solo act with brutal knives. Not everyone reacts with fear.

This is the only Jeff picture I've had time to edit so far. More tomorrow, I hope.              

Jeff And Josh

Juggling Jeff and Josh Routh of Circus Kaput (just love that name) are fixtures at the pre-Shakespeare green show and, in fact, at events all over town. Jeff also juggles knives and skips rope (not at the same time) while standing on a big ball. Josh is a fire eater. Both of them put on fake English accents and banter with with the crowd, sometimes to the point of very funny harassment. They know me well. As I took the second photo, Jeff shouted in a sarcastic tone, "well, did you get it?" Yes.

We will have a bit of each of them individually. The best pic I ever took of them together is this one.                                          

It Takes Concentration

We finally got to our annual Shakespeare In The Park production on Friday. This year it's Twelfth Night and it was terrific. We tried to go opening night but, despite arriving two hours early (people have picnic dinners on the grass), it was so crowded we went home. Tried again two weeks ago but the show was canceled due to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. The third try worked.

I usually take a lot of pictures of the green show, 90 minutes of entertainment before the play itself. Didn't get much this year because we tried a new offering, a superb four course dinner on the lawn above the stage. Only had time for a few shots of perenial favorite Juggling Jeff. I've taken lots of pictures of him through the years around town. This one is my favorite.

At the bottom, the stage just before the second act.              

Let's Start Off 2012 Right

Peasants with pitchforks? Cardinal fans chasing Albert Pujols out of town? The 99% approaching the Republican National Convention?

No, it's Juggling Jeff and his pal Josh Routh of Circus Kaput (love that name) doing their fire juggling act in the street during First Night on Saturday. They really should call it Last Night since it happens on New Year's Eve and ends after midnight fireworks. The theaters, churches and other public spaces around Grand and Lindell Boulevards provide entertainment of every kind, with outdoor performers sprinkled in between. Come back in June to see Jeff and Josh in the pre-show at our Shakespeare In The Park festival.

And so we're off on another twelve month spin. I've got lots of new material to start the year. Yesterday the polar bears had their annual water skiing outing in the frigid Mississippi. While hanging around the river, I found some interesting new graffiti on the flood wall. I've got a series from a Christmas Eve afternoon walkabout in The Grove, the funky neighborhood where my daughter lives. So Happy New Year. Ha! Ha!