DRALION!

Yes, DRALION! A blend of DRAgon and LION. hence the name DRALION.

And there were dragons and lions in the Cirque du Soleil presentation of DRALION at the Tucson Arena this afternoon. Dragons and lions and jugglers and aerial artists and acrobats and clowns and rope skippers and loud music and dancers and costumes and ... and ... and I can't remember what all. (No cameras were allowed, so these pictures came from the printed program.)

This was the final day of performance in Tucson for this traveling troupe. Next week they'll start a stint in Phoenix. Suzy bought our tickets on line, no refunds available unless the show was cancelled. This morning I checked the Tucson Arena's website and saw that the show was ... cancelled. Oh no! Then I checked the Cirque du Soleil website; cancelled. Suzy, being the one who double-checks everything, looked again and found that it was the evening show that was cancelled, not the afternoon show, so we threw together a lunch and headed west on I-10.

Of course, we got there an hour an a half early, even stopping for gas at Costco on the way ($3.11 per gallon compared to $3.45 in Benson). Getting there early, we found ideal parking within 100 yards of the entry door, then sat in the car and ate our lunch.

What was for lunch? Well, you know Suzy has had bariatric surgery and can eat only a small amount before filling her new smaller tummy, so she is supposed to concentrate on protein. We each had a bottled protein drink (Pure Protein brand from WalMart) and ate a protein bar (also Pure Protein brand, this time from Costco). Total protein for lunch: 43 grams. Lemme tell you, that much protein will carry you a long time without any hunger for anything else.

When we ordered the tickets, we selected what looked to us like pretty good seats fairly close to the stage. When we got the tickets, they were in a different section, higher up. Suzy called the ticket broker and was told that it was an upgrade. The broker had learned that the section we selected had an obstructed view of the action. The new seats in Section 212, Row B were much better. When we got into our seats as instructed by the usher, they were ideal, virtually center stage, cushioned seats, with enough rise above the rows in front that there would not be any obstruction. Then we learned that the usher has seated us in the wrong section! She had put us in Section 213 by mistake. We trotted over to Section 212 and found our seats, just a little off center stage, but still excellent.

What was the show about? About an hour and three quarters, plus intermission. Other than that, it was about artistry, the artistry of well-honed and well-trained human bodies, the artistry of presentation, the artistry of perfect muscular control. We were well satisfied with DRALION.

Afterwards, we moved eastward to eat a dinner at the Hot Rod Grill. This is a new place, a combination cafe and hot rod garage. From the cafe you can watch mechanics and technicians working on hot rods. Of course, that part of the show is closed on Sunday, but we got to see some of the cars that are being restored, including a 1931 Ford Victoria. How was the meal? Good but somewhat overpriced. The service was excellent, the atmosphere mediocre. We probably won't return.

So, for now, that's the picture of ... Our Life on Wheels.