The Ringling Brothers Museum, Sarasota, Florida

We have been blessed to travel and to see so much. Often we concentrate on nature especially birds and fishing and bears. Today Jenny suggested we travel to Sarasota to see the Ringling Brothers Museum. I groused a bit, after all the entrance fee was twenty five dollars each, but it turned out to be money well spent!

From the first, we were treated to an incredible display of a miniature circus that was simply huge. The figures had all been carved in a period of over fifty years and the attention to detail was evident in each one. There was even a display of trained horses, with you might have guessed, carved horse manure

Lions and tigers filled one tent and everywhere you looked was a specialty tent covering all aspects of the Greatest Show on Earth! Even tented restrooms had not been forgotten. The Big Top was a huge tent that encompassed a three ring circus.

The next part of the building contained some of the parade vehicles that the circus drove through the town. My favorite was the steam calliope that contained thirty two whistles and its own steam boiler. In another part of the building a practice wire walking strip was laid out and while it looked easy it took us both more than several tries before we rang the bell.

Another building had the actual private rail car, that Ringling lived in and conducted business while moving from city to city. It was the largest rail car I have ever seen and the restoration was amazing with the same attention to detail.

The walkway next took us past banyan groves and Mable’s Rose garden. A little further we entered her secret guardian, after passing a banyan grove where a teacher was giving her students the what for about some inappropo comment, (that brought some memories back).

Approaching the mansion, the Moorish influence dominated the outside, and again the details were the same quality we had grown to expect. Inside the carved furniture and wall hangings, all spoke to a circus theme. Unlike the Broadmore of Rhode Island, which was a mere copy of castles rooms in Europe, the mansion here was unique and a delight to the eyes.

We rested a bit in the large patio and I suggested to Renita that we should do a similar stone pattern for our patio in Star Valley. I could see it, at least in my mind’s eye, another project for the next few years taking form. Heading back to the entrance we saw a garden filled with bronzes and it turned out to be surrounded by the art museum.

After enjoying the bronze figures and fountains we entered the museum and it was so huge that we knew another trip was in order. We did explore two of the wings, but we never did justice to what we saw. Renita and I both had the same favorite painting , the Blue Madonna. The colors were so vibrant, reminding me of the beauty of azurite, surrounding the Blessed Mary.

Too soon we had to leave. What I had thought would only take a few hours, really needed a few days to explore and again we plan on returning. If only we had enough time, which is a typical retirees lament that working stiffs simply don’t understand. Clear skies.

 

I would like to add a special prayer for the children and the families in Connecticut. May the Blessed Virgin take the children into her loving embrace and may God give comfort and solace to the grieving families. I truly believe that we will all be reunited with all our missing loved ones, when we all pass beyond the veil.