Small town, USA…

I love our little town. 

In spite of my deep longing to be an Austinite, to be a part of the the downtown, city life, I have to acknowledge  my love for our sleepy little village on the outskirts of the suburbs. 

I especially love it on weekends like this one. 

When we visited a nearby, family run firework stand/used car lot/family farm.  It’s run by a good ole boy, his little lady, and their teenaged boys who know everything about every single firework they sell.  A knowledge that completely impressed my teenage wannabe boys.  

I pass by this little stand/car lot regularly.  Sometimes several times a day.  That kind of regularly.  I love looking at this sculpture that sits near the road, although, I’ve never known what it is, exactly. 

It looks to be old, and maybe like it’s missing some spokes, but, it’s always piqued my interest.  During the school year, we pass by this place daily taking the kids to and from practices, and as we passed by all those evenings the sculpture never stood out. 

However, this week, I guess I passed by it for the first time, in the evening, in the months of late June, early July.  And this week, I finally realized what the thing actually was…

It’s a metal and fiber-optic sculpture of a firework, exploding in the sky.  I talked to the owner when I asked if I could take pictures, and she commented, “You should’ve seen it when we first got it…it was gorgeous.  The wind’s done a number on it.  It’s seen better days, but we’re proud of it.” 

Picnic tables lined the property and locals sat and chatted with each other and with the owners.  Kids popped firecrackers on a slab of cement…

the smell of sulfur filled the air, the sky was illuminated with flashes of color…

mosquitos and moths buzzed overhead…

and the air was heavy with heat and humidity. 

That night was the very definition of summer…

The very definition of America…

I love our little town. 

Happy Independence Day!