What a Difference a Year Makes!

Last Fourth of July was a world away from this year's.  Like the difference between Venus and the Earth.

Last year was unusual in the fact that it was a very cool and wet day, especially for that calendar date.  We are usually in the mid to upper nineties, and more times than not, we have a burn ban in effect.  Last year we went to a baseball game and it was delayed due to the rain, and eventually cancelled.  We sat there not sure if they were even going to be able to shoot of any  of the fireworks.  It was only 75 degrees at 7:30 in the evening.  What a great day!

Here is what we did last year.

This year we really didn't do much. to celebrate.  I really don't like to admit that.  It is one of my favorite holidays for more than just the parades and fireworks.  It represents freedom and the fact that it is not free.  It is as much about history as it is the future.  One thing we did do the night before was to go watch four F16 Fighting Falcons from the 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard fly over the campus of Herbert W. Armstrong College.  This is the college Tabitha attends.  The flyover was followed by a concert inside Armstrong Auditorium by Grammy-winning fiddler Mark O’Connor’s American String Celebration.  We didn't for the concert, but the flyover, brief as those things are, was a stirring moment.  I really need to get a DSLR camera, there was no way my was going to get a good picture of that, but I did get a picture.

Due to the horrible temperatures we are experiencing right now (100+ for the past week and next week at least), I really didn't feel like doing anything.  So, I took Tabitha and a friend shopping.  I guess that would be another great thing about the 4th, sales.  We were planning on heading out in the morning to see their school's song and dance troupe in the Liberty Fest Parade, but they are getting ready for camp and had meetings at the same time as the parade.  So we hit town as the temperatures soared.  (Why did I buy a black car?  Why have I never had the windows tinted?  I digress.)  We ended up just cooking out some burgers and spending a nice evening at home.  From our rooftop we can see the shows from Frontier City, Edmond, OKC, Guthrie, and all of our neighbors.  It's good to be an American!