Things I Like: The Traveling Circus Part III

All photos courtesy of Retronaut. 


 When I found these images on Retronaut I fell in love with them! It's so great to see color photos of old circus performers.

A weekend with Dani.

Dani and I grew up showing horses together and we both moved to Philadelphia after high school. Dani moved to Brooklyn after college and has a really cool job in Manhattan. I think we're good friends because we are both prematurely old... Old like grandmother old. We were born grandmothers. Anyway  I headed up to Brooklyn last weekend to shoot some things for Dani's new Asos shop and we had a lot of fun. We went to her regular spot, Tavern, which is a fun bar in Chinatown where the bartenders take their shirts off and drag you into photo booths to take silly pictures. (Example after the jump.)

When the summer ends I'll be there hiding and when the sunrises I'll stay warm forever.

The train to the circus school. 

There are so many beautiful old run down houses in Germantown.

On my bicycle. 

Lovely blue sky.

Balloon shower.

My love.

This week was Jim's birthday and cause for fanfare and celebration so we filled the shower with balloons. It's a lot of fun to take a shower in a shower filled with balloons. We went twice this week to our favourite Middle Eastern restaurant. Yes, twice. The second time we brought the nicest bottle of wine I've ever tasted... I wish I could drink it all the time. It has been a good celebratory week for me. I was going to head up to Brooklyn this weekend, but my friend came down with something pretty awful and I'm going next weekend instead. Today I had class at the circus school, which was awesome, because I'm finally able to invert without needing to tag the rope to push myself over anymore. Also, I did a straddle climb to the top (Ok, I did mess up at the top and use the wrong leg, but still.) This is exciting because I'm pretty sure being able to do the straddle climb and inverting without "tagging" are the prerequisites for advancing again. So, I may be able to take more difficult classes next session. I honestly didn't expect to be doing as well as this, so I'm very happy. The only downside is that I can't enough to keep up with my body's demands! I'm, like, constantly hungry.

Things I Like: Greek Mythology - The Fall of Icarus

Daedalus was a skilled Athenian craftsman who built a cavernous and twisting labyrinth where King Minos could keep his minotaur. Theseus, who was an enemy of King Minos was sent to wander around this labyrinth and defeat the minotaur, Daedalus know he would not find his way through the labyrinth, took pity on him. He gave King Minos' daughter, Ariadne, a ball of string to give to Theseus so that he could find his way out after going into the winding caverns. Daedalus was caught and sentenced to life long imprisonment on the island of Crete.

Daedalus had a son named Icarus. Icarus was beautiful and pure, he brought good fortune to everyone he met. Not wanting his son to live his life imprisoned on Crete and being a gifted builder, he began assembling two great pairs of wings. They would fly away from Crete forever. When Daedalus finished the wings were wondrous and large, made of wax and feathers, they were also quite delicate. Finally, the day had come when the would leave. As Daedalus fashioned the wings to Icarus he warned him not to fly too close to the sun or the sea. The sun would melt the wax and the sea would wash away the feathers.

Finally, they took off, flying up into the sky they looked down at the island of Crete below them and felt the freedom they had longed for. Caught up in the excitement of being free and flying, Icarus forgot his father's warning and flew too close to the sun. Icarus began flapping his wings harder, but looked up to see only his arms waving frantically. He let out a cry as he fell down out of the blue sky and into the sea.

The sun, it rose up from the belly of sea, found its bedding up in those clouds, it hung for years.

Today was like spring. I walked around for hours and felt free and light without a heavy coat on. The sun was nice and he's slowly beginning to stay longer growing the days little by little.  Our apartment is bright and open - I wake up happy in the morning. We turn on music and dance around while making breakfast. Ludwig follows me around everywhere I go. (He's sleeping in my lap now making little snoring sounds.) I'm inspired and motivated, looking forward, dreaming and planning. Anything is possible, if you want it enough.