Small Town America !!

I miss Small Town America so very much. I spent my childhood in Half Moon Bay, CA where the population was 5,000 and you could walk to the ShortStop (7-11) to buy a slurpee and my friend would buy cigarettes for her mom with a note !!! Not kiddin !!! Then I moved to Oakhurst, CA for high school, population 5,000, where we never locked our doors and my next door neighbor was my hero and saved me from two rattlesnakes !! Not kiddin' again !!! Then college in San Luis Obispo, CA, population 30,000 and that was a big city to me !! Fresno for a few years and now Las Vegas, population "who the frick knows" !!! Just say, I am not in Kansas anymore Toto !!!

Anywho0000. . . so when you have the opportunity to do what I consider "Small Town America" activities, we Tri as a Family to make sure the kids can be exposed to it !! Like this. . . 4th of July parade in Boulder City - population 30,000 . . .

Kids Getting Ready for Parade !!!

Start of Parade - - It was Wet !!

Yes, that is me, sitting in a blow up swimming pool mounted on a flat bed trailer filling water guns for the kids to shoot the people in the stands !!! It was wet, fun, full of belly laughs, and a really good time all around !!!

So that brings us to today . . . Cardboard Boat Races !!

Abby spent the last 3 afternoon building and constructing her "boat" and painting it, and decorating it, and basically making a big ass mess on my kitchen table !!! Small Town America - - just remember that . . .

ABBY TALKING TO LOCAL PRESS !!!

NERVOUS BEFORE THE START !!

KICK ABBY KICK !!! But my boat is sinking mom . . . just kick !!!

HEY - WHERE'S YOUR BOAT YOUNG MAN !!

"you talkin' to me !!!"

WINNER - - 10 YEAR OLD DIVISION !!!

So her boat fell apart after 10 seconds in the water. . . . so her boat really wasn't a boat, it was a flat piece of cardboard painted . . . . so there was only 2 competitors in her age group - the other was Mandi, her very good friend from swim . . . so we were up there for 2 hours through the judging and races . . . . THIS IS SMALL TOWN AMERICA !!!

I am glad I can at least give my kids this !! I know it sounds strange, but it is important to me !!

Thank you Boulder City, for letting my kids attend your schools, for letting my kids swim on your team, for welcoming our family with open arms, and most importantly, for trying to keep that feeling of Small Town America in these crazy time !!!

LIFE IS GOOD !!!