A Sunday Kind of Thing

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In what appears to becoming a Sunday avocation, here's the latest progress report.

Ever the tireless self promoter - NOT - here's a link to the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society's annual Spirit Walk. By the time this is posted, there's not much time left to get in on the action. Tickets are probably still available for the Sunday - tonight - tours. This weekend has been centered around this activity, and the reason for the sudden interest in trick roping.

Three years ago the fam took the tour through the historic district of Charlottesville on the 11th Annual Spirit Walk. Guided groups encounter famous - at least locally and some far beyond the region - personalities from the 18th to the mid 20th centuries. We enjoyed the experience enough that the following year Claire and I decided to become part of the spirit crew. She played Jefferson's grand daughter Cornelia Jefferson Randolph, and I the county jailer John Martin. This year, Claire is a nameless street barker - affectionately known as "Alice" - who is extolling the wonders of the 100 year old amusement park Wonderland.

Much to my joy, I've found myself cast as the 19th century cowboy legend "Texas Jack" Omohundro. Each of the characters on the Walk are given two minutes to present whatever information they deem noteworthy and entertaining. It's not easy to encapsulate the essence of a life, even one as short as TJ's, in two minutes. He was one of the first cowboys to perform on stages throughout the eastern cities, with the much better known Buffalo Bill Cody. Part of his act on stage was trick roping, and hence I've found motivation for a new activity.

The acting thing is still at least as nerve wracking as it ever was twenty years ago when I used to go on stage more frequently. Perhaps even more, now that I'm farther away from doing such things on a regular basis. It's annoying and exhilarating not necessarily at the same time or in equal portions, but certainly contained within the totality of the experience. It's an immediate form of experience, but as with most modes of performance, it's often more for the psychic well being and mental needs of the performer than it is about the form, the material, or an audience. In this brief interview between the film makers Doug Aitkin and Werner Herzog,  Herzog has a few amusing things to say about "the theater." I guess I'm not quite ready to let it "expire," but the experience in a closed space, the theater as it has become institutionalized, surely is one of our more artificial environments. Even at it's most realistic, it is still completely conceptual in nature. On the other hand, these "street performances" couldn't be more intimate. We're within spitting distance of the audience, and it's hard not to get some energy flow from the experience. Mostly it feels like it's from me to the viewers, but I guess that's part of the therapy process. The immediacy can have its drawbacks, as was exhibited Friday night, when it rained most of the entire four hours we were on the street performing and waiting for groups to come into our performance zones. Thankfully it was never a deluge, but it was certainly wet enough that we all got damp. I was much appreciative of being able to wear a hat as part of the costume.

As for the trick roping - it's come a long ways, but is still "not ready for prime time." Nonetheless, I've attempted to display a flat loop, and several times Friday evening was able to pull it off for people to see. Last night, it felt like there was only one group that got to see a successful spin. But I think the performer immediately preceding me and I have successfully worked out the transition between the two of us - she is now doing TJ's introduction - and depending upon how well my spinning is going is when I let out my exclamatory Yeehaw that turns the crowd around.

In fact, it's now time to stop diddling around here and go outside and work on my roping.