"Tanks A Lot" Won 1st Place!

It was another Small Town Holiday for our family this 4th of July!















Every year Poppa enters one of his restored antique tractors in the 4th of July Parade, and every year he creates a cool float for the grand kids to ride on. His goal is to have an agricultural theme, and so far he has been able to do so, but this year he went with a different theme: "Tanks A Lot!"

The parade's theme was "Salute Our Soldiers" and we all found it rather difficult and contrived to connect that topic to agriculture, and well, whatever our views are on war (past and current) we really do owe a huge Thanks to all those military and their families who have sacrificed to protect and preserve our freedoms we take for granted each day!

So, Poppa built a tank and command center, and the three youngest granddaughters dressed in camouflage and were "soldiers" for the afternoon. Lauren, always concerned about her particular and unique fashion statements, almost did not wear the camouflage shirt; she had a red, white and blue outfit already planned in her head. I said, "OK, you can be a USO girl!" (She probably would have wanted to change into some fancy outfit if she really understood that comment!) But once she saw the little helmets I found, and realized that everyone on the float was wearing camouflage, she changed her mind and wore the "uniform."

Apparently many young boys were enthralled by the tank, and, even nicer to hear, there were quite a few vets that stood and cheered or even saluted the float in appreciation.


But, the really exciting news: Poppa won First Place! Yea Poppa!! We have so much fun each year doing this, and Dad (AKA Poppa) loves to create a fun float with some play on words or catchy slogan and image too. Next year my brother may drive a tractor, and apparently Bill may get some tractor driving lessons and drive a third tractor! I'll have to burn some serious digital imagery to capture that one .... methinks he is being converted to a true Midwestern farm boy. OK, so we have a long way to go still, but come one, how much would you pay to see a native CA boy drive an antique tractor down small-town USA?!?