Fort Worth Fourth

Of all the reactions I expected Toby to have to fireworks, falling asleep was not one! But as soon as all those flashes and bangs started, he wrapped himself around me like a little koala baby, decided he was safe, and off he dozed. Oh well, might as well relax and enjoy the show!

We were in Fort Worth for the Fourth of July festival, and it had been a fun evening. Somebody had obviously recruited some generous sponsors, because the whole thing was free - entry, music, fireworks, the lot. They were even handing out free slices of watermelon.

For the past couple of summers, if you have nothing to do on a Thursday evening, you've been able to rent a tube and float on the river listening to live music. Looks like a pretty nice way to spend some time - at least as long as you don't have a toddler. Still, we got to enjoy the band from terra firma, and see what it was all about. These new aquatic activities are part of the Trinity River Vision, which is either going to revitalise the Fort Worth waterfront and provide amazing flood control, or wreck neighbourhoods and be a complete waste of money, depending who you talk to. At any rate, it's an ambitious project to partially re-route the Trinity, build a few new bridges, and add some waterfront amenities. I'm guessing that a big free festival was more a public relations exercise than anything else, but I've got to say, they did a good job.

The truckload of sand was an inspired idea; add a few buckets and spades and the kids are happy all night long! Toby being Toby, it was instantly in his hair, up his arms, down his legs... and then he decided the dirt looked more interesting anyway.

And the jetskis were a big hit. We spent quite a while watching the riders spin around, send a wave over the guys in tubes, and even do flips. One, two, and sometimes even three in a row! Toby was bouncing in Graham's arms with excitement.

As the sky grew darker, we staked out a spot on the grass which gave us a good view of the fireworks while allowing a quick getaway afterwards. We'd brought ear defenders just in case Toby found it too loud, but as I said, they weren't needed for long. Graham and I enjoyed ourselves, anyway, and even Toby woke up to clap when everyone applauded at the end!

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