It’s the Forth of July!!!
We drove from the middle of Texas all the way to Willis Point, Texas. This was oil refinery day. We studied oil this year in 3rd grade science, but I don’t think it really stuck because I didn’t show the kids the best pictures, and no video. But here it is, in Texas! for hours along the 20!
Bunny Boo was most fascinated with the wells, those huge horse heads bobbing up and down. There were towering steel lattice well structures, as well, but she had no interest in those! It was so interesting to see the entire process from the freeway: the wells, sometimes spouting flames as the fumes burned off, the storage tanks, the messy trucks and trains carrying the oil next to us as we drove, the refineries with their flaming stacks and varied tall tubes for making different kinds of gas, the clean trucks and trains carrying the different kinds of fas off to whoever uses it. It felt like we were part of Cars And Trucks And Things That Go! Except we didn’t see a pickle car or Dingo Dog. Or Goldbug, for that matter.
Gas is cheaper here!
We pulled into The Bluebird campground in time to catch the parade, and dearest Brittany, Kye Matthew’s birth mamma escorted us into town. How refreshing and healing to give her a hug after these years and see her smiling face! What a beautiful girl, inside and out.
The parade was in Canton, this teeny town established in 1850 with continued strong Confederate roots. There is a central town hall, cute, old buildings, and so many old fashioned cars, you think you’ve actually stepped back into the 40’s.
And what a great parade!
Then The Lion had to go to the bathroom…that took forever.
But there was pizza after, and although we missed the official fireworks show, there were fireworks to be had at a road-side stand with burly pair of stand owners, one young and one not-so-young, who were pretty thrilled to sell us fireworks. Especially exciting was the discovery that we were from California where such shenanigans are illegal. They set us up with all we wanted, and then Max put on the most amazing, and fun, fireworks show I’ve ever seen. What made it most fun was the fact that a bunch of little kids were his assistants, even baby Wyatt who was so fearless in the face of all that firepower, and everyone scattered when Max shouted, “BACK!” I was pretty sure one of them would lose an arm, or at least an eyeball but all remained intact. Bunny Boo was even coaxed into holding a sparkler!
Brittany’s family was so hospitable to us. We felt right at home! It seemed like people kept joining up with us out of nowhere, everyone so nice and so joyful, and a the kids so free-spirited and unintimidated by my own free spirits! I love this place! I wish we had a week to spend here! It’s definitely on my list of places to come back to very soon.
Tomorrow we will head out to Louisiana and further adventures.
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