USA 2008 | George Filev

Up, Up and Away !

04 Aug 2008 07:32 Filed in: USA 2008
It’s not every day that you get to perform at a Balloon Festival but that’s exactly what we did in Somerville, NJ.

18

12

This festival was amazing with more than 70 balloons launching each morning and each evening from the same spot.

30

Some of them were your average designed round balloon and then there were the special ones like these.

22
20
9

33

One of my favourites was the Darth Vadar from Star Wars. Well his head that is.

19

I managed to make my way into Washington DC and said hi to Lincoln.

6

This is Nami and I and if you look closely you can see the Washington monument popping out the top of her head.

9

15

Checked out the Holocaust Museum and that was really emotive and educational. Walking through the space made you feel like you were part of a cattle call and quite claustrophobic. I guess they wanted to give you the experience of how it might have felt. I just wanted to get out of there.

I also got to go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and it was fantastic. I saw the Apollo 11 Command Module, the real one that brought back Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins after the historic first moon walk.

18

I saw the plane that Orville Wright made the first powered flight on December 17 , 1903 on the Beach at Kitty Hawk. It lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Interesting fact was that the distance covered by Wright’s first flight was less than the wingspan of today’s 747 Jumbo Jet.

38

I learned so much about space travel. They even let old geriatrics become astronaughts these days.

43

And monkeys ! Although, this little fellow didn’t look too comfortable..... I think he bought the cheap seats.

39

But my favourite space uniform was this one. Very classy don’t you think? Great for a little Galaxy gallop, cosmic disco and a stroll around Uranus.

46

And check out the space food ! It all looked a little plastic for my liking.

30

We headed to Bethlehem and had some time off so on one day I went to Philadelphia and checked out the town hall and the Liberty Bell.

2

3

5

Then on the other day I visited my beloved Manhattan in New York City. Central Park is still beautiful.

2

4

Thought I would head to the ocean and find somewhere peaceful.

10

6

Well ok, all right, I wanted a hot dog. Can you believe they have a wall of fame for the most hot dogs eaten in one sitting by a man and a woman. It was 66 for a man and 37.5 for a woman. I found it hard to stomach one!

5

And of course I had to ride on the Cyclone. The big roller coaster on the beach.

7

11

The warning said that if you had a back condition, you should not ride this ride. It was an old wooden roller coaster and the seats were not padded very well. I felt the fillings shake in my teeth and if you didn’t have a back injury before you got on, you would have certainly sustained one after riding it. But my favourite attraction by far was this.

9

At Shoot The Freak you get to shoot a gun loaded with paint pellets at a live human target who is hiding in a junk yard. How much fun is that!!!

I will tell you what isn’t fun and that is the end of this blog. As you know, I am in Bethlehem and you would imagine that people are attracted by the star in the sky but it seems I came here for a different reason.

On the day of my first performance here, I managed to stand on uneven ground as I walked out to the poles to perform with my partner in hand and twisted my ankle. I had already performed two shows prior to this one and It was the last show of the day and as I could bear weight on my leg with not too much pain, I decided “The Show Must Go On”.

I thought I had a sprain but after medical inspection the following day, I had in fact fractured the tip of my left fibula. This means that it will be the end of this tour for me and I will soon be back on a plane heading home to Melbourne.

1

1

Looks like I will be in a cast for at least 4 weeks, which will coincidentally be the same time that this tour has left to go. I then have another 2 - 4 weeks of physio before I am able to work again. So if you feel like watching a movie with a guy with his leg in the air, give me a call later in the week.

Don’t worry, I am in good spirits, and great drugs are by my side, so I will be fine. It is the first time I have ever broken a bone so at 41 I think I am doing pretty good.

Love to all,

George

Tags: