The 4th of July....

Our nation's Independence Day. The day we celebrate the United States gaining independence from Britain. What a fun day in summer! We have a very unique way of doing things here in Pueblo West. On the surface it appears just like any other town in the United States, but it's truly something else.

This year saw the return of the "wet" parade after a 2-year hiatus due to people being dangerous and dumb. It returned with threats of very stiff fines for breaking the rules. Everyone complied.

We moved here in 2006 and therefore have only witnessed the dry parades. It's just a little parade with the fire department, local tractor enthusiasts, local business owners, the little kids cheer and dance academy, the high school cheerleaders, and the like. Nothing fancy by any means. But it's just a little community thing. The return of the wet parade means that the parade was bigger....and full of water.

This event is unique enough that people come from all over the state, and some even from out of state, just to take part. Yesterday we met people who came from Oregon for this parade! I had even brought home one of the water troughs from the ponies just for the parade, at my next door neighbor's request. He needed a good water source for his super soaker. Other people showed up with kiddie pools in the backs of their vehicles. One little girl came with a spray bottle for hair...very cute.

The Lions Club holds a pancake breakfast before the parade each year. We've made a tradition of going. It was just Luke and I because daddy wasn't feeling real great. I couldn't believe what I saw! We had to take the parade route to the breakfast and it was already completely packed! My neighbors, Joe and Dave, had saved me a parking place, so very good. But I decided we'd skip breakfast this year because of how many people were there. Instead, we went home to grab a bite and check on daddy. He'd taken some allergy medicine, but wasn't up to doing the parade this year.

Finally, we headed to our spot with friends and started thinking on how to protect the camera. Those with camera equipment were off-limits of getting wet at this point, so I was safe for a little while. It was fun watching the community engage in mini-water fights before the parade began.

The first half of the parade is dry. It is for the beauty queens, little kids, old folks, animals...you get the idea. It was mild, just people cheering and waving for the day. Then a little break....just enough distance to not soak the last few dry portion participants.

That gave me enough time to toss the camera into the 4Runner and close the hatch. You see, the wet portion is led by the fire department and they take no mercy on who gets drenched.

Luke was sitting on the tailgate with Joe, who happens to be a volunteer firefighter and known to just about everyone here. I dashed over to him to cover his ears from the sirens. Silly me, so much for even attempting to stay dry! Joe let loose on the first firetruck with his super soaker and we had the hose turned on us. I was grateful the water wasn't absolutely freezing and could only sit there holding Luke's ears while rolling with laughter. My wonderful boy, who isn't fazed by much and loves water, just sat there getting drenched with a "huh, this is different" look.

Just a moment ago I mentioned the entire community taking part in mini-water fights. With this portion of the parade the entire community was taking part in the biggest water fight I have ever seen! Nobody was safe, everyone was involved, and it was just a blast! Even Fort Carson sent a few vehicles and soldiers down. One vehicle was in the dry portion, the other three were wet. So were the soldiers. What great sports! I did manage to safely get a few pictures of the action, but it wasn't easy. Snap a shot, turn around and protect the camera from the water being dumped on me. Snap a shot, turn around and protect the camera. Snap a shot, turn around and protect the camera while the toddler is trying to grab it away. It took a little talent!

The parade over we all took a few moments to attempt a bit of drying off. I say attempt because there was still plenty of water around. Joe's wife, Suzy, did a fantastic job of remaining dry through the morning's activities. Dave took no pity on her and dumped a water-cooler bottle over her head. Twice. Poor Suze! But her grandkids thought it was great!

Lesson learned for next year: WEAR A BATHING SUIT!

Luke and I headed home, enjoyed time with daddy, who was feeling better, played more in the pool outside, grilled up burgers, pitched the tent in the backyard (sans rain sheet...that would come later), set off a few of our fireworks (which, ironically, we bought from our Jehovah's Witness neighbor, whose kids participated with us), then ventured off to the community display. It was in a new place, much closer to the house, much easier to view, and much more enjoyable.

I love my son. He is enthusiastically unfazed by everything. He slept through the community display. He didn't even twitch for the grand finale! He has yet to see a full display. It cracks me up. But he did wake up when I put his pajamas on and watched the remainder of our little fireworks. Then it was time to camp in our yard. We got to bed late, watched a ton of fireworks through the windows, crashed pretty hard, and woke to a shining morning. It was a wonderful holiday!