Independence Day, 2009

I am noticing a cynical trend among like-minded individuals, but the award (so far) goes to Tam for the most gratuitous use of snark in an independence day blog posting. The coverage at Sipsey Street Irregulars is in a similar spirit but quite a bit darker, as usual.

As for us, we went and visited my childrens' great-grandparents who came out from Houston for the 4th. If they hadn't been here, we'd have gone up to watch the fireworks in downtown Austin from the roof of EM's office building, close enough to hear the orchestra play. We went out to the little spot on the map just past the dot on the map that serves as the nearest "town" to where my Dad lives, and from there we headed out in a caravan to Johnston City to see the parade, followed by the porn fireworks show at the fairgrounds.

Highlights of the evening:

The winner goes to: Fireworks launching sideways. I guess somebody knocked over one of the mortar tubes or something, because one of the couple-hundred-foot-big explody type of fireworks went whiz-BOOM in the parking lot, followed by a couple of smaller pyrotechnics in the same sequence. I've done something similar on a slightly smaller scale (smaller, but much closer) and let me tell you, there were probably some choice bad words said in the arena by the guys launching the fireworks just then.

Second place goes to: Jerk taking pictures during Taps. Taps is as close to a sacrament as it gets for me. You can bet there were good reasons for the big, salty tears rolling down into my beard as I clutched my boonie hat over my heart during the playing of Taps as part of the passing of the colors. And of course sumdood took my picture. Thanks.