[ti:'Bubble Man' Spreads Joy Through Performance on San Francisco Streets] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Kurth Reis of San Francisco, California, [00:04.32]has been through many hard times in his life. [00:09.16]Lately, however, he says he just wants [00:12.88]to make people happy by making bubbles. [00:17.36]You can watch him perform his bubble art for hours at a time [00:22.40]around the city's streets and in its parks. [00:27.64]Sometimes he puts out a glass container called a tip jar. [00:33.56]People who watch his show can drop money into it if they want. [00:39.32]The 48-year old Reis served in the military as a young man. [00:44.52]Later in life he was found guilty of a crime and served time in prison. [00:51.76]That left him with few close human connections. [00:57.40]Then, in 2018, Reis had a serious motorcycle accident [01:02.92]and spent time in a hospital. [01:06.24]The accident affected him deeply, body and spirit. [01:12.16]He had several medical operations. [01:15.60]Reis said he felt like he was "reborn" each time he woke after an operation. [01:24.12]Following 88 days in the hospital, Reis was released [01:29.16]and felt ready to change his ways, he said. [01:33.52]The bubble performances make him happy. [01:37.36]"It's peaceful. I mean, I can't really explain it, you know what I mean? [01:40.72]Whether I had my tip jar out or not, [01:43.32]I just, I can make bubbles. I could make ‘em until, [01:46.20]you know, until I couldn't make them anymore, it seems like." [01:49.64]Bo Smokoska recently watched Reis making bubbles [01:53.92]in the part of San Francisco called The Embarcadero. [01:58.12]"He's bringing joy to so many people," he said. [02:03.16]If the weather is good for bubbles, Reis makes a special mixture [02:08.28]that can make bubbles the size of small car. [02:13.04]The mixture contains mostly water and soap. [02:17.52]He also adds two other substances that thicken the liquid. [02:23.12]Then, he is ready to perform. [02:27.08]Humidity, or the amount of water in the air, is good for bubbles. [02:33.04]So, he does not perform on very dry days. [02:38.00]To make his large bubble, he puts a small rope [02:41.44]hanging from two long sticks into the bubble mixture. [02:46.08]As he removes it, he opens his arms wide [02:51.00]and the bubbles begin to form. [02:54.36]Once enough air is inside the bubble [02:57.56]he moves his arms back together to set the bubble free. [03:02.92]Some people feel it looks like a bubble "ballet," a kind of dance. [03:09.60]Sometimes Reis performs on Alcatrez island near San Francisco. [03:15.16]The site holds the famous former prison [03:19.20]and sees many visitors each year. [03:23.12]Reis has found as much as $150 in his tip jar [03:28.24]after a day of performances there. [03:32.28]While Reis may seem like a bubble-making expert, [03:36.36]he only got started in April 2020. [03:41.08]His girlfriend, Kelly Sullivan, gave him a bubble-making "gun" [03:46.48]that would make many small bubbles at once. [03:50.48]Reis took the gun and made it even better, [03:54.00]so it could make 1,000 bubbles per minute. [03:58.68]However, that was not enough, [04:00.88]so he started trying to make larger bubbles. [04:05.36]"It's science, but it's also an art. You know? [04:09.20]People have told me, I'm like, an artist. [04:13.76]Yeah, OK. I'm just a guy who makes bubbles." [04:17.72]Reis has been able to support himself [04:20.40]with donations from crowds that watch him perform. [04:23.84]But, money is not what stirs him to make bubbles. [04:28.44]He feels his art is useful in more important ways. [04:34.24]Not long ago, a woman spoke to Reis after a performance, he said. [04:39.64]She told him that his bubbles [04:42.24]had lifted her spirit when her dad died. [04:46.48]Reis can see smiles rise from under the face covers [04:50.72]worn by those watching him perform. [04:53.48]Children cheer and clap their hands. [04:57.84]Reis said such reactions make him feel like an essential worker [05:03.64]whose job is to spread joy during the health crisis. [05:08.48]He seems to have made peace with his past. [05:12.72]"I don't ever look back," Reis said. [05:15.84]"I can't save the world. I'm not trying to. [05:19.48]Just trying to put a smile on somebody's face [05:23.00]by doing some bubbles." [05:25.80]I'm Caty Weaver.更多听力请访问51VOA.COM