McKinney, Texas, Monday, July 13, 2009, 5:21 p.m., D.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

A very sunburnt Rat-Nose here; hope this finds y'all well. I am still recovering from Saturday:  we went to the Freedom Festival in Crowley, south of Fort Worth.  (I live in McKinney, near Dallas, as you know by now.)

The festival was an all-day affair.  They had continuous music/entertainment, a business expo, contests/rides for the kids, booths selling trinkets along the walkway, military flyovers, a parade (that was in the morning, before the temperature really soared!), food vendors, a free military meal for veterans and their family members (I didn't partake in that; my pa, he didn't serve in the military; therefore, I had to pay for my food), and at the end of the day, a huge fireworks display that was nothing short of incredible!

Tons of people came; at times it was hard to move around.  Some also got sick; they had to get treated by the friendly paramedics/firefighters/police that roamed the festival grounds.  Some had to go to the hospital, like this one old guy who had suspected chest pain.  (They put him in a waiting ambulance and carted him off to the hospital.  I hope he will be okay.)

Others passed out due to the extreme heat (it got up to over 102 degrees; it felt more like 201 degrees!  LOL), or they suffered bumps/bruises, insect stings/bug bites, and whatnot.  The firemen/paramedics/police were kept hopping on their toes!  It was miserably hot there, especially on the concrete, which only made it feel even hotter.

At least the weather was sunny.  Sunny, but hot!!!!  I'm talkin' "fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk" hot.  It felt more like the pits of hell than Crowley, Texas!

One thing I'll say for Crowley:  their park (Bicentennial Park) has a water play area, free for anyone who wants to cool off.  Let's just say that was a very popular spot, as many took advantage of it.  Another area that drew crowds was the air conditioned business expo, which was held in the community center.

By the time they fired off the first of the fireworks, the temperature was in the upper nineties; however, that was soon forgotten when the first nightflowers exploded overhead.  Some of the fireworks were so huge they looked as if they covered the entire perimeter of the sky.  And boy, talk about loud!!!!  WOW!!  I'd never seen such huge fireworks in all of my days!  Even the ones on the Fourth of July weren't that large!!

I could have done without the band they had before the fireworks:  they had a very traditional country band entertaining the festival crowd.  I don't like stone-cold country music:  all they talk about is drinking, cheating, or divorce.  Very depressing.  I would much rather listen to someone like Pat Green or "Rascal Flatts", or Taylor Swift; they're more my speed.

The people seemed to like them, though:  there was a lady in a white shirt sitting in a chair, bopping her head to the music; she appeared to enjoy it.  The lady had blue forearm crutches; I think she had polio or something.  There were other people who liked the music, but this lady was really enjoying herself.  She had a big smile on her sunburned face.

She looked just like a boiled crawfish:  she was RED!!!!

Another lady joined her; she was wearing a grey Air Force shirt.  I think they were sisters, or related somehow; they looked so much alike, they could have been mother and daughter.  This second lady was on a cane.  She looked older than the first lady; this is why I assumed they were mother and daughter.

She was sunburnt too, but not like the first lady!

In any event, I just don't understand how people can like that twangy, fiddly country; it really gets under my skin!!  Give me someone like Taylor (Swift), Rascal Flatts, or Shania (Drool!!) Twain anyday!!

The twangy, alcoholic country music was soon forgotten when the fireworks went off.  I really enjoyed those fireworks; they were AWESOME!!!!

Oh!  Before I forget, during the day, like around twelve thirty, they had a guy jump out of an airplane; he had a huge American flag with him.  It wouldn't have been so extradordinary, excepting this dude had no legs.  No.  Freekin'. Legs!  He had two artificial legs!!  He was a parachutist with the Army Golden Knights, and during a jump, he and another guy collided.  The other guy died; this guy survived; however, he lost his legs in the accident. 

He's now an amputee.

He now goes around the country, talking to people, inspiring them to live out their dreams.  He is incredible!  I met him after his jump; he was very nice.  Name was Dana Bowman.  And get this:  his articifical legs were quite patriotic!  They were cool; I'd never seen anything like that!

And yet he walked like wearing artificial legs was nothing.  No crutches, no cane.  Nothing.  Just his own two "feet".  Yet he walked like anyone with legs.  WOW!!!!

Well, the weather here is still.  Freekin'.  HAWT!!  I'm talkin' boiling!  Supposed to be like this for at least another week.  Time to hit the pool, folks, or stay in air conditioning until it "cools" off late in the evening.  Then it's still over 900 degrees.  That's when I go out skateboarding until 11 or so; then I'm home by 11:15-11:30.  Family rules.  I have to be home then, or else I'm grounded.  I'm on curfew.  Everyone is on our street; no teens out later than midnight on weekends, ten thirty on school nights.

This is when I wish we could go to Six Flags over Texas and stay on the water rides.  Or at least go to Hurricane Harbor and get doused, so doused, you don't dry off for hours!!

We were going to go to SFOT, but last week my daddy fell and broke his ankle.  He's now hobblin' around on a pair of crutches and has a walking brace on his foot, up to just below his knee.  He fell while on the roof; he was trying to rescue a neighbor's cat.  The cat survived; daddy was the one who ended up getting hurt.

Mom also chewed him a new rear hole; she was really fit to be tied!

It wasn't funny then, when it happened, but now I think it's hilarious every time I think about it.

We went to the Fourth of July fireworks here in McKinney; they were okay, but they lasted only ten minutes.  What a rip off!  I was not happy!  I could have gone to Dallas or Fort Worth or Granbury; their fireworks displays were probably off the charts, in comparison to McKinney's!  Our fireworks display sucked!!!!

We went to our city's parade; it was only an hour long, if that.  A few floats, one or two marching bands, and that was it.  BORING!! 

The only good thing was at the beginning, when four F-16's screamed overhead when the Star Spangled Banner was sung (or in this case, the Star Strangled Banner; the lady who sang it was horrible!  Even David Militello at ten could have sung it better than this lady did!).  That was cool!

(The F-16's flying over, not the lady "singing".)

Well, I am going to go now; time to eat supper.  We're having left over pork chops, scalloped potatoes, and collard greens.   I will write in here again soon; until then, this is Rat-Nose saying so long for now! 

~Rat-Nose.

For a link to the fireworks display on Saturday, please watch these videos:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Pczzi8Tvk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZyBm3aoIrQ