It was only 4 days … but it was all I needed to put a spring back in my step.
With Gilles going out of town for work, I was reluctant to stay at home doing nothing. So a last minute plan was hatched, a cheap flight booked, and I was on my way to my sister’s Florida home packing a sense of adventure.
Two northern girls can pack a lot of fun into a few short days and one of those days was spent at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota.
I have never actually been to a circus … I mean the kind with animal acts. I’ve been to Cirque de Soleil performances on many occasions – including this past summer to Luzia, but there was something about the animal acts that never appealed to me.
Combined with my ambivalence towards zoos, I always thought that perhaps I didn’t like animals and that was why the circus had no attraction for me. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized it was likely because I actually DID like animals.
I remember the circus acts on the Ed Sullivan Show and the big cats in particular bothered me. To me, they always looked humiliated by the tricks they were forced to perform. As any cat owner can attest to, cats aren’t exactly easily trainable. More often than not, it seems we are modifying our behaviour for them rather than the other way around.
What must it have taken to get those big cats to park their instinct?
However, I had heard great things about the Ringling Museum, art collection, and mansion, so it seemed like a logical place to visit … especially after the news that the long-running Ringling Circus would be coming to an end in May.
I quickly discovered that going anywhere on a January weekday morning in Florida means a gathering of people predominantly of the vintage variety. Even worse is the realization that I am in that same demographic.
That, however, did not stop us from behaving like children and engaging in lighthearted silliness.
What amused us the most however, was the crowd attracted to our antics and the line that quickly formed to attempt the same. It only takes one to plant the seed and we soon departed to the sound of giggling seniors.
Fun can be anywhere you choose to find it and for these 2 retired sisters, it was a day at the circus. I’m convinced that inside all of us is a child wanting to come out to play.
So I finally get you in my state and I take off to the Caribbean…figures! (said one vintage lady to another) 😉
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Yes, I did notice that 🙂
Enjoy the (extra) warmth and sunshine of further south!!
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Great pictures! I very much agree that fun can be found anywhere. My friend and I spent an hour crying with laughter in Asda (Walmart!) recently, because we tried bras on over our clothes and then did the rest of our shopping still wearing them…yes, we are very easily amused!!
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HAHAHAHA!!! There is no end of entertainment in the most unlikely of places 😀 😀
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“A gathering of the vintage variety” this made me laugh loud enough to bring the hubby downstairs.
I love that you took this adventure, I loved that you shared it with us and I especially appreciate the airboat ride you took me on, too. xo
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I’m glad you liked the airboat ride 😀
I kept telling my sister we needed to find a trai, but on the airboat we looked at each other with the same thought!
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Yeah! A very hopeful post. 🙂 And much in agreement with animals in circuses, or better without.
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Animals are meant to be free. It pains me even to go into pet shops.
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Good for you two! Great to get away and great to enjoy and laugh. I’m not sure how we reached this vintage but I am grateful to be around to take part!
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Agree! The alternative isn’t so great! 😉
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It looks like you had a blast! I have not been to that museum. We would go to the circus occasionally when I was a child.
The age demographic is January is the same in my hometown of Naples. I can’t say that I blame them. The weather is much warmer in Florida! If I can be a snowbird someday, I surely will!! 🙂
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I know a lot of Canadians who have bought retirement homes in Florida and spend the winters there. My 4 day experience there gave me a good indication of why!
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It sounds like you two had a wonderful time!
I hope I never get too old for fun like folding myself into a teeny tiny car. 🙂
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That’s a great goal to have as we get older … to never get too old for silly fun 🙂
I’m in!
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I love the fun you get up to… and this certainly sounded a wonderful trip…
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Bulldog!! How nice to hear from you again. Strangely, I was thinking about you and all your wonderful bird photos when I was in Florida. I hope you are doing well.
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Joanne, hopefully you will be seeing more of me now that the golf course is completed and now it’s all about cosmetics… if go look at my latest blog you will see I’ve even got my own animals on the course to see everyday… will be blogging more and following all my favourites again
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I’m not sure why I didn’t see your last post in my mailbox. I’ll have to go digging into the backlog to see if I just missed it!
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Cheers to the “vintage variety” ~ keep on having fun. Sounds like a great time…
Totally agree re circuses and zoos. They have always seemed like animal jails to me. So glad Ringling bros has shut down…finally!
Peta
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I’m rather sad for all the people who will be losing their jobs. After visiting the museum I got an appreciation for how big an employer a big circus like this would really be.
Sadly, there are always 2 sides to a story.
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You make a good point. I had not thought about it that way. I am sure that must be challenging for many.
Peta
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looks like a great time!
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I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t really matter what you’re doing, it’s the company you’re with that makes it memorable 🙂
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How fun! Glad you had a good time with your sister. I’m sure it was a treat to head to warm weather for a few days.
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Especially since it’s been snowing since I got home. I’m clinging to the memories of warm sunshine 🙂
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Either that’s a remarkable piece of acting or I hope your arm recovers/was recovered rapidly. 🙂
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I have a repertoire of funny faces …. sadly for the most part, it’s the same face I have to wear even when I’m not trying to be funny 😉
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you write with such a smooth voice…
and laughing at this: predominantly of the vintage variety.
ha – I’m edging that way –
and truly a special post with the timing as it is a milestone to have this company go out of business…. and enjoyed reading your thoughts about the animals
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It makes me happy to know I’ve made someone laugh 🙂
…. yeah, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around being vintage!
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yeah – a little surreal at times – but seeing you crammed in that car shows age has no limits – hah
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That’s actually my sister in there … she showed me how to do it since I failed on my first attempt. My picture is on Instagram 🙂
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ah!
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That does look like fun, Joanne. I agree wth you on the circus animals, not my thing, but the museum would be interesting and worth the visit. Glad you got to spend time being silly with your sister 🙂
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Fun! I haven’t been to a circus since I was a kid. I’m glad you had the opportunity to go 🙂
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I quickly came to the conclusion that 4 days was simply not enough time!
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Yes, I can imagine.
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I totally agree that ‘fun can be anywhere you CHOOSE’ and that ‘inside ALL of us is a child wanting to come out to play’. Glad to see that you and your sister inspired others to do the same.
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The best part was that there were a few people you would never have guessed would be the adventurous type 🙂
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I love the shot of you being mauled by the tiger, Joanne! Wait, that came out all wrong…
😀
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LOL!!! 😀
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Looks like you had a great time Joanne 😀 Acting like an adult is so over rated !
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Definitely over-rated.
On the other hand, I do enjoy the freedom I have as an adult compared to being a child 😉
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I’ve discovered that one of the best things about growing older is that I no longer give a s#%t about making a fool of myself, as long as I’m having fun and not hurting anybody. I would have been crammed in the clown car with you! I think it’s great that your antics encouraged others to take their inner child out for a spin too!
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That was so much fun to see, Janis. One minute it was just me and my sister … the next minute we had an audience offering suggestions and people calling dibs on who was going next. It still makes me smile.
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Joanne, it looks like you & your sister had a blast! What a fabulous way to spend an extended weekend!
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Oh, we certainly did, Lynn. We packed a lot of sister time into a few short days!
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Any more talk about visiting the Queen?
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Alas. No 😦
Unless I can pull a rabbit out of my hat, it doesn’t look like I’ll be going at all … at least this year.
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Looks like a ton of fun was had by two little girls. I noticed that the Circus just announced that it’s coming to an end. Looks like you picked a great time to visit the museum.
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The recent announcement that the Circus was going to close definitely made this visit a bit more interesting. It has a long and storied history.
Sadly, there will be many people affected by this closure. Until I went to the museum, it hadn’t really dawned on me how many people were given a livelihood because of the Circus.
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And a very special way a life.
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I never was a huge fan of the circus but I think the museum might be more fun. I like the bizarre images associated with it as well as the interactive aspect. I think once you show people you can be silly, it’s okay to follow suit.
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I’m not a big museum person … my attention span can be pretty short.
However, on this particular day we were able to keep ourselves entertained … and apparently other people as well 😉
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Good for you!
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Isn’t our inner child so much fun?! So happy you had a great time–the photos are wonderful!
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Thank you, Lois. I think that as seniors, we have the ability to tap into our inner child so much easier than in our ‘middle years’. There is endless potential for fun 🙂
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And thank goodness for that!
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I’ve been in that car!
https://nrhatch.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/are-you-some-kind-of-a-bozo/
And all your other pics look tres familiar!
https://nrhatch.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/send-in-the-clowns/
So glad you had a wonderful visit with your sister . . . right in our neck of the woods.
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What a treat it was to read your experiences at the museum! I believe it is a place that could be visited numerous times and you could still walk away with something new!
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I felt the same reading your post . . . so cool! Glad that you had a blast touring the Big Top with your sis.
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It’s a small world after all 🙂
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I am grinning ear-to-ear. So glad to read this.
I saw the photo of you in the clown car on Facebook – so I’m delighted to read the sequel – that you and your sister encouraged a lineup of like-minded clowns.
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No one was more surprised that we were! I think that we tend to have our *adult* on when we go out, but it only takes one person to encourage others to ‘let go’. We had a good laugh about it … both at the lion and the clown car. It was wonderful to see others wanting to give it a try 😀
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Looks like you had a fun day. The family in my town provides enough of a circus show, so I don’t have to go to the Big Top.
Glad the sun was out in Florida. And just think, in just 4 or 5 more months that good ol’ Florida weather will make it up to your neck of the woods.
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That’s a sad commentary when your family provides a real life ‘Gong Show’. You have my sympathy.
I am happy to see the hours of daylight start to lengthen here in Canada, even if the temperatures are still frozen. That’s the one thing I find “wrong” about going south.
To me, warm temperatures mean daylight until at least 8 or 9 am – 10 am if I’m at *home* in the North. To travel south and have warm temperatures and darkness around 6 pm is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. My mind just can’t handle the reconciliation.
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I’ve lived in the North a few times, but I never thought of that. I remember once playing an all-night poker game. Actually, we went home at about 3:00 am, but the sky was already getting light. Really amazed me.
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I’ve always believed that winter would be so much more manageable if we had the long days of sunlight like we do in summer. It’s the short days and looooong hours of darkness that start to drag me down.
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How fun it is to be a child again, even if it’s just for a few minutes. I am glad you had a good time with your sister.
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When we get a chance to ‘let our hair down’ and have fun, it’s the best feeling in the world. How sad that we don’t do it nearly enough!!
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I do it occasionally with the kids in my workroom. They make me 🙂
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You’re lucky!! … and so are they 🙂
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Looks like fun! Must have been nice to be out of the cold!
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Last night as we swam in my sister’s pool, surrounded on 3 sides by palm trees, I had to admit that returning home to winter was going to be difficult.
Today it snows.
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What fun! Great photos. Here’s to making the best of things. 🙂
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I’ve come to realize that it often doesn’t really matter what we’re doing … it’s who we’re doing it with 🙂
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Ha ha. I believe our inner child enjoys life more as time progresses–for me anyway and I see for you and your sister. Must be something to that after all. 😀 😀
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It seems that in the ‘middle years’ we are so overly serious with the challenges of young children, mortgages, careers … it’s liberating to discover the joys of silly play can be rekindled 🙂
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Yes, yes, and yes! 😀
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