This weekend, my mom had a brilliant idea to entertain the whole family: go to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Where else could their kids (that's me!) and their grand kids all go together for a fun, indoor (it was at, or felt like, freezing) time? Her idea turned out to be genius.
I have to admit - I went into the circus expecting to be either unimpressed, or offended (not sure by what, but I was ready for it), or both. Turns out, there was nothing to object to here. It was just a fun time. The various gymnast routines, high wire acts and such, really are impressive. You'd have to be a real cynic to think otherwise.
I could have done without the animal acts, which played a relatively minor role in the show. Part of me just cringes at how circus animals used to be treated (or still are?), and wonder if it's all worth it. It does seem like Barnum is involved with animal conservation and takes complaints seriously, so perhaps my concerns are unfounded.
More importantly, the circus gave me a chance to play with my new Canon T3i. I took about 500 photos of the event (man that camera makes snapping photos easier than ever), and most of the photos were pretty unimpressive. *But*, I wasn't plagued by my usual lag issues and any exposure issues were definitely within my control to fix. Alas, the camera doesn't automatically take great photos, but in the end, I really was pleased with how it performed. I'm more and more sold on the weight to capability ratio.
Here's a few photos. And don't be skeptical like me, just take your kids and enjoy.
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