Day Two

Well, day two was another huge success.  The clowns-in-training brushed up on all of their skills from last summer and even learned some new ones in the first few hours of the day!  Here is Ingrid juggling the clubs, a newly acquired skill. Caitlin got some rings from her parents and has clearly been practicing. Jackie is our resident juggling teacher (I am afraid I am her worst student) and behind her you see Krystyna showing off her balancing abilities!

Once the trapeze was securely in place, the girls were up in the air in no time! 

Hi Maddie!

Here is Jillian, just chillin!

Abbi has some serious acrobat skills!  But some rope burn and sore muscles brought us back down to the ground before long...

After a lunch of mac & cheese and pb&j, we had a great circus yoga session outside to stretch out our muscles while we digested and relaxed a bit.

Much love to our 4 rising seniors Krystyna, Jackie, Caitlin, and Ingrid! 

Who later looked like this...  

The Children's Inn, which serves as a residence for children and their families undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Health hospitals here in Bethesda.  It is a very similar setup to the Ronald McDonald House.  Given space and security constraints, we were only able to send our four most senior clowns to perform for the children and families there today.  But the rest of us managed to stay busy preparing acts for our two performances tomorrow...

Once we had all worked up an appetite again, we headed up to the original mansion at Stone Ridge, Hamilton House, for dinner with Mrs. Karrels, the Head of School here.  

Group shot!

And then we winded down our evening with a quite reflection, led by Jackie and Caitlin, of all of the blessings in our lives that have allowed us to be here, having this experience with each other.

Many thanks to all and sweet dreams. 

Check back in tomorrow to hear how our performances went!