There are times that I've been so glad to have kids around as a cover for getting to do something I really wanted to do. Does this ever happen to you?
Like when my guys were young and Barnum and Bailey's Circus arrived in town. I took the guys to a spot not too far from our house in Houston to get up close for a unique experience--the arrival of Barnum and Bailey's Train. The circus animals came by rail and were offloaded right there in front of us. Big cats were rolled in their cages; horses, camels, and elephants would walk with their trainers over the Edloe Street overpass on their way to (what was) The Summit. I was a little girl all over again.
Last Saturday, the Fire Fest at our neighborhood fire station gave me another opportunity to be a kid again. Of course, I had to invite a little person and pretend it was all about him. But truth be told, I walked around slack-jawed most of the time. First, there were the memorials.
 |
Statue in front of Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Station #11.
Daniel said "Hug" when he saw it. |
 |
| At the base of the firefighter's statue |
 |
| Another memorial stands at this fire station. |
 |
A portion of one of the steel beams from Ground Zero,
this honors the fire and rescue personnel
who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. |
Then all the equipment . . .
 |
Every kind of rescue equipment was on display and hands-on.
This antique fire truck was parked
with Heavy Rescue, Pumpers, Ladder Trucks,
Rescue Boats, Pick-ups, Ambulances.
|
And then one of the Life Flight helicopters circled and landed.
 |
Life Flight lands after circling the site.
Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. It's a video snapshot. |
 |
| Fire Fighters enjoy watching Life Flight land. |
While I waited for my three dates to arrive, I kept roaming about.
 |
| Not one, but two ambulances there. |
 |
Atop this fully extended ladder (attached to a Ladder Truck--yes)
flies a giant American flag. |
And then, the crew arrived.
 |
With all the compartments open,
Daniel wants to play with the 'wagon'
he found inside. |
 |
| Fireman's Hat |
 |
| Cool graphics |
 |
| Time to try a fire hose. |
 |
| An astronaut! |
 |
| Who's having more fun? |
There was a long line to see Life Flight up close. While we waited, they received a call and had to leave. It was awesome.
 |
| Lift-off |
 |
| Amazing to watch! |
 |
| Up and Away |
 |
| Bye Bye Cot-ter |
 |
| Lots of 'clocks' on this truck |
 |
| Driving a big fire truck was WoW! |
 |
| What do you mean, my turn is over? |
 |
| Our friend and firefighter Robert talks to the 3 Maia Binghams |
 |
| It was a hot day, but D is ready for a ride. |
 |
"Dang, dang!"
How does it work? |
Meanwhile in the Fire Station, there's plenty to see. Plus shade!
 |
| Recruits pass out fire hats. |
 |
| Remote controlled fire truck is fun for kids, no matter what the age. |
We had such a long wait for our turn to get a balloon animal. The two folks were making some great balloon sculptures to order.
 |
| A spider, or a heart? |
 |
| What a happy scene. |
By the time it was our turn, everyone but GiGi was in the car cooling off. I'm thinking, "what does Daniel know from balloon animals? He's never had one, and is thrilled just to have a balloon." So I asked for a long green balloon and called it a day.
This green balloon was a caterpillar, then a vacuum cleaner complete with sound effects. Best of all, it was the propeller for a helicopter which D held out while spinning round and round.
After lunch and a nap, it was much cooler outside. Our young firefighter decided to inspect the front yard.
 |
| Everything is safe at GiGi & HeyYea's house. |
Just think!
The day before this, we saw ducks that
fly and splash. And then, here we were--watching helicopters fly and splashing with a fire hose. All the things that splash and fly are so much fun.
+equipment01.jpg)
