Matt was my fine companion on this trip to the HOTR. It was cold and musty!

A new case of masks and puppets was especially grim looking.

Most of my shots of the carousel and surrounding rooms came out slightly blurry -

but in a way that I actually kind of liked. They seem more horrific that way.

There is an entire room filled with old organs, brewing paraphernalia and crufty computing equipment. On this trip I was interested in the room's green lanterns - which have been

carefully placed to illuminated particular details of the machinery. 

The circus room is always one of my favorites - bordered on one side by the dollhouses, and on the other by a large display of mannequins wearing gaudy (almost fetish-y) costumes. 

On this visit I saw many scenes depicting a secret, dark world - backstage where people crave privacy, and have little. Life behind the curtain - sometimes sexual, sometimes sad.

This, and a juxtaposition of people as spectators and objects... occasionally rejects.

I wonder about the folks who arranged these little people into poses and lit them for show.

And on top of all that seething loneliness and misery: spectacle. Ahh, the big top.