Under the Big Top in the Big City

We ventured out to see the Greatest Show On Earth on Wednesday night at the World's Most Famous Arena.



It was a first for all three of us -- neither Rob or I had ever been to the circus. We arrived early for the much-advertised all-access pre-show. At first, it was a little disappointing, but Dado picked up a tip from a staffer that the elephant hadn't made her pre-show appearance yet, and would be momentarily. We followed his directions to step up to the rope and were *this* close to Kelly Ann, the elephant when she emerged from the curtains.



We got a lesson on Asian elephants and watched her paint a picture -- which was given away to a lucky winner during the show. We don't know exactly what she painted, but she did shake her head when someone in the crowd suggested it was the sky...




The Mason-man, needless to say, was quite impressed. He would have been satisfied with the circus experience had we left at that moment -- little did he know what was in store for him.

The crazy motorcycle riders were a highlight of the first half of the show. At one point, they had SEVEN motorcycles/riders inside this steel sphere.




We found ample entertainment for the mid-show intermission:




As you can see, our kid...he likes cotton candy. It's a good thing, too, we spent $12 on the snack. Lucky for us, it came with a Seussian-looking top hat. Another lucky break: We had plenty of wipes to clean up this mess!



The second half of the show featured the tigers (kind of a letdown):



As well as the much-anticipated elephants: Totally worth it, for the reaction from Mason as well as the cutness of the baby elephant in the troop, who literally skipped out of the arena. It's the one looking straight toward us.



And, the grand finale:



We had a great time, and no doubt we'll hit it up again when it loops through here next year!