Time for decisions. At this point, what I’ve assembled for this story doesn’t hold together. The first guest arrives at the end of this week and I’ll have precious little free time from then on through mid to late August.
There’s another story I’ve been meaning to develop on the theme of guilt and doubt. The storyline in itself is fairly simple. I ’simply’ have to find the way to use incidents from real life without getting mired in personal reminiscence. Sometimes, family may be the richest source of material; it’s also the toughest to handle.
Watched Hichcock’s Shadow of Doubt last night on youtube. Of more interest to me for the elements he didn’t develop than for those he did.
It’s raining at the moment. It will stop, hopefully, for the rest of the shows on place Jourdain. I just placed another of my blogs on hiatus for the summer. Need the time for essentials.
***
6:50 – I think that’s the first and last sentence of the story right there:
“Myself, I dream of summer holidays, gelato, light-heartedness.”
Amen to that.
***
7:30 This is the next Hitchcock I have to watch again. Not so much for the story as for the setting “in the echos and shadows of the ancient city of Québec, Canada” – which happens to be the setting to my own tale.
I’m starting to feel the storytelling buzz. Making the younger sister return to the city because of the events. Making her happily married and settled in New York State; making her anxious to get back to the life she’s made for herself away from the family dramas inside the walls of the ‘ancient city’. All coming back to me now – rue Hébert, the weird appartment M moved into with the girls and her crazy dogs that summer. Two black labs called Samba and Perle (I’m renaming Perle Solo).
***
13:50
This is La Famille Tanza from neighboring Puycalvel: a man, a woman, their two children and their two horses. (She had just finished the comedy number when I snapped the group portrait.) Theirs was the first act on place du Jourdain this morning. A moment of pure magic. The comedy number was excellent and the older of the two girls is already a fine acrobatic équestrienne. But the two finest moments for my taste were the dressage à la voix (voice dressage) and the little girl’s number: the look of pride and tenderness on her father’s face while he guided both of them through their figures. One of the finest things I’ve seen in a long time.
I also love this shot of little Vladimir seeing papa off to work:
Did I ever mention I love circus people?
(You see the photos better if you click on the title of the post to make it a full-page spread.)
***
18:15 It’s been up and down the hill all day, emptying my camera’s memory cards and going back for more photos. The light wasn’t the best for photos, but the shows were great, excellent turnout, and everybody’s pleased. Somebody else is covering the evening shows and the fireworks, I’m zonked. Sorting through the stuff, loading up the photos for Ici Graulhet… no, enough. Tomorrow.
