Reverend Ref +

THE FIREWORKS LOOK SO CLOSE

Yesterday was July 4. We were up early to drive over to Ennis for the big parade. This was our first time there (since we had only just arrived over this very weekend last year). Ennis is a town of somewhere around 1000 (give or take -- I haven't looked up official numbers). And let me tell you, this was a BIG deal. There must have been 3000 people in town for the parade and rodeo. Traffic was backed up for miles. It was pretty impressive.

The parade, though, not so much. There were several people/teams on horses, the obligatory color guard, a bagpipe troup, and floats and old time cars for miles. No drill teams. No bands. Only one group of clowns. Thrown candy was a rarity. Not even a pooper-scooper at the end of the line. I mean, I could only take so much of the same thing over and over and over and over again. I took a nap.

Luckily we managed to beat the crowds out of town. Mrs. Ref had a talk with one of the deputies on traffic duty and told him that we were going to VC -- the opposite way that everybody else and their dog was going. He let us right through.

We then spent the day in VC (my folks are visiting). Checking out all the shops, making reservations at the opera house for tonight (we're seeing "The Canterville Ghost"), and generally being tourists. I chatted with several of the locals, and it took them awhile to recognize me without my clericals and hat. Typecast forever, I tell 'ya.

Then we went up to the house of a VC parishioner for a bbq and to watch fireworks. They sit up on Boot Hill, just below the cemetary, so we are fairly high above the city. The fireworks were let off from the cemetary (not IN the cemetary, but from the parking area). These things went off almost directly overhead. In fact, some of the sparkling trailer things actually came down and hit the ground as they descended. They were really, really close. And really, really big.

I'm telling you -- you haven't lived until the porch shakes from the vibration of the explosion and the image of the display is burned into your retina. What a night!

I hope you all enjoyed your 4th as much as I.