Carnival Day ~ Part Six of Six

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Jackson, Alabama was our last fair. It was an odd affair. Pretty big but with a different air to it. I recall one day setting in the joint and seeing this family of Black Americans walk by. One of the older children was an albino. Grey tint to his skin and weird white eyes. I tried not to stare but it was difficult. I had never seen an albino before than and haven't seen one since. Another time during the day there were some kids playing around the joint. They played a few of the games and I was watching them and trying to get them to play some more. One of the younger ones went over to the side of the midway, where others are walking, taking down his pants and proceeded to have a bowel movement right there. I was astonished and even flabber gasted. There was a ride on the lot that WC insisted I go on with him. I'm not big on rides but he insisted. So we climb onto this circular ride with people standing all around in this circle. We are latched in next to each other. The thing moves up and from side to side and then down again. It gets going pretty fast and then suddenly the bottom drops out and you fall into a big a pool of water. I wasn't thrilled. WC thought it was the funniest thing. WC and his brother worked the football joint. This was where tired were strung up and then people tried to throw a football through them. One night a guy stole one of the footballs and started off down the midway. WC was a healthy, stout young man and he started out after this thief and tackled him. The guy hit WC and fought him for that silly football. WC beat him and then beat him some more. I don't recall ever seeing such a brutal fight. The guy ended up falling over like a limp doll and WC walked away with the football in hand. Jackson was our last fair and when we were done we were invited to Houston with the owner for a end of the year party. We went to this fancy restaurant one evening I believe it was called The Four Brothers. The waiter would bring out a table with different cuts of steak on it. You would choose the cut you wanted and they would cook it to your specifications. We had a lovely time there. When it was time to leave I flied to Santa Barbara, California with a friend I had made. I stayed with her for a few days. We went to the Santa Barbara Zoo and I remember seeing this poor old elephant. They were leading him on a trail of asphalt and he didn't look well at all. His feet were all cut and he just looked so old and not doing well at all. That was my only memory of that zoo. The beginning of this starts here: