From Henry Penndorf

Hi Bill, I have to do a lot of catching up to do with regards Buckles Blog. Phylis and I have just returned from Washington, D. C. We were in D. C. to meet the newest member of our family, and our first grandchild, a little girl, Margaret (Maggie) Claire Penndorf. Maggie was born on Monday, October 15 at 6:19 P. M. She was 21 inches long and weighed in at a healthy ten pounds! There is only one word to describe Maggie...gorgeous. Of course, that comes from a very proud grandfather. Regarding a comment posted by Randy ! to "No.195, Heinz Schielke with Circus Aeros 1966" photo asking about others who ever accomplished such a feat. During the days of the "Cold War" when the Moscow (Soviet) State Circus would tour the United States, I saw a Russian animal trainer do a similar trick with tigers, perhaps even going it one step further. Stepan Denisov would balance himself, like a wire walker, on a wire that was being held by two of his tigers. Like the lions in the posted picture, the tigers held the wire in their mouths. It was impressive to watch, as was the rest of Stepan Denisov's act. For Bob Cline...Gunther Gebel-Williams did teach two of his tigers to hold a wire in their mouths, but sadly Sigrid was never included in that part of the act. The center portion of the wire would be set on fire, and t! he other tigers would jump from pedestal to pedestal over the wire and the flames. As I recall, Gunther performed this particular part of his act towards the end of his career. The Big Apple circus will soon be joined in New York City by a new Cirque Du Soleil offering, Wintuk. It is the first time that Cirque Du Soleil will present a holiday show in New York City. Wintuk will be at the Wamu Theater at Madison Square Garden from November 1, 2007 through January 6, 2008. Hope all is well you and your family. Happy Halloween! Henry "WINTUK at the WAMU" sounds like a winner to me! Unless you live in San Francisco, it isn't often you get a chance to see a Nativity Scene done in the nude. Buckles