Awesome Parade today

[hey,littlecobra]

well the Lord blessed us and held off the rains.... thanks!!!

The small town parade in Heath was really nice today. I arrived around 8, and OF COURSE Jim was already there. We started pulling out decorations and getting to work wrapping sparkle wire around the spinners, and attaching whirlygig thingys to the quickjacks. Steve arrives with a 2 gal. container of coffee, and we all get to work. Soon after the military personnel start arriving. Dress uniforms, fatigues, didn't matter.

I had 'requested' a Marine, but preferrably not half my age. well, he was a lot less than half my age!! oh well! his name is Zach, and he's already been to Iraq and soon leaving again.
Here we are, before the parade begins.


Jim with his Army soldier, Rupert, with Rupert's son, Jaron.


Steve with his Marine, Jeremy.


The Service Personnel, with the US Congressman from the Dallas area, Ralph Hall. He's been a congressman for a very long time!


The group of us:

[hey,littlecobra]

As we come down the main street


Steve's wife caught a nice photo of me with Zach, and his little sister.


Jim with Rupert


Steve with Gabby on deck and Jeremy riding shotgun


I left about 10:15, and as I headed south out of Heath, and about 15-20 minutes from my home, I said ANOTHER little prayer about rain.... just let me get home just let me get home!!!
so.... made it home, buttoned up the garage, and about 11 o'clock the skies opened up! whew! made it!!


One of the most enjoyable and memorable moments during the parade was when various groups of parade watchers would stand up and clap as Zach rode by. Many stood and saluted, others just clapped, but every single person was respectful and positive. After one particularly large group stood and clapped, I looked up at him and said 'wow that was awesome, wasn't it?' he said, 'yes, it really was. This is cool.'
made me proud to be a part of his day. I told him several times I was honored to give him a ride. He was very gracious and thanked me several times, and every time I just said 'thank you!' right back at him.
20 years old. wow.
God Bless America!
Kristen

[FST FOX]

glad ya'll had a good time, we owe alot to our Military, now i realized w/ my double roll bars it would not have worked out for to carry someone, but any time i can help i will

[petek]

Bless you and bless those who rode with you and the others in the parade!

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Kristen;

They did not let you keep your Marine for a few days?????

Glad you'll could do something for the guys in uniform, that was really nice of you'll to do the parade with those guys..............

David

[lineslinger]

Good for you and your efforts in the parade Kristen. A little effort toward recognition of those soldiers goes a long way , you should be proud.

[Seagull81]

Great job with the parade and the troops. They deserve everything we can do to support them. Glad to see someone got to have a parade. It is still raining down here.

Steve

[GlynMeek]

Well done guys...THIS is what it's all about! Rained ALL day down here in Austin.

Glyn

PS I STILL can't believe that Walmart wouldn't let the other guy have the time off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (well, perhaps I can...it IS Walmart!)

[LuvDaBlues]

Jim, Kristen,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for participating!!!! I guess I really need to give kudos to my wife Yancey for thinking of this. I found this to be such an honor. Gabby and Jeramey had a blast. But I'm not sure who had more fun, the "kids" riding, or the soldiers parents walking along side.

And Kristen, please don't forget the disk with the photographs. They're outstanding compared to mine. Even though I look like some goober in my over sized shorts. But Yancey says everyone looks like a goober standing next to uniformed men and women.

The two extra soldiers just showed up. Geeze I wish I knew they were coming. I had Patrick and John D. available.

The Congressman Ralph Hall has been around since dirt, and always ready for a photo op. He's a good guy.

But the fun part was after the parade, I gave Jeramey a little "thrill" ride. Down a country road a couple of miles and back.....in record time. That's when I found "my" Marine a real thrill seeker.

If you own a Cobra, never pass this type of opportunity up. It benefits EVERYONE!!! Drivers, riders and observers.

[jshel1]

Way to go, all !!

[LuvDaBlues]

Another note. All through the parade Gabby kept repeating, "This is why I'm willing to fight for this country. We get to celebrate our freedom."

Gabby is (was) home for two days before she ships back to where she's stationed in the Sudan.

The privilege was ALL MINE!!! Like Gym J Cups said; "God bless 'um"!!!

[hey,littlecobra]

Got the CD, Steve, already done and ready to go!
Yancey did a great job with my camera on the parade.

Got one for Jim, too.

I think Zach had a great time.
So if you look like a goober next to your Marine, do I too?? I hope not!!!!

[will butterwort]

Wonderful,wonderful, and thanks for sharing.We didn,t fair as well--tallapoosa Geargia, drought conditions-very hot, so had to pull over when temp. spiked. So, watched parade-truck with sign--25th inf. div. vietnam came by, I yelled cam ranh bay 1965-66, we hugged middle of street, -Will-alabama

[will butterwort]

is there any way you can send that rain cloud our way?Will-alabama

[hey,littlecobra]

usually what Dallas gets heads to Atlanta or such about 4 days later.
Ya'll not getting any of our precip??
I think it's just HANGING over northeast Texas!

9:30 am and it's raining again!
Tuesday rain, Thursday rain, but Wednesday for the parade was great!!

hope you get some rain soon.

[Jim Jacobs]

The City of Heath should be very proud of themeselves. It's funny how life works, having been in those young men's shoes (a long time ago) all you really want to know is if "anyone" cares. I can tell you the answer today is a resounding "YES". I was so proud to be a part of this parade and to meet all of the young men and women serving our country.

The best part for me was Sgt. Delgado's little boy, he was about five years old and was wearing one one his dad's fatigue shirts' (pinned up to fit him). He was riding in the front seat between his dad's legs waving and throwing candy. Kristen had just given me a small model of a red Cobra, so I gave it him. WOW!! Did he love that. His dad told me that he, his wife and son will never forget this day.

I to would encourage call of our Codra brothers and sisters to "make a difference" in someone life, it will definately make a diffenence in yours.

Thanks Steve for inviting me. And Kristen? Well, you're just you, thanks for everything you are.

[hey,littlecobra]

hey, Jim. I sent you a pm. don't have your email handy.
K

[Thomas Gayer]

Kristen,
thanks for sharing the photos,
thanks for sharing your time with the Leathernecks.
now i know what happened to George Strait's dog!
Red River at it's banks, stopped raining this morning
waiting on Lake Texoma water to get here to see if we move.
Tommy

[hey,littlecobra]

Thomas, here is a report for today:

Drier weather may stave off more flooding, aid in cleanup
By TIM TALLEY
Associated Press Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY — A relatively dry weekend forecast may help stave off flooding in the Red River Valley area and aid residents in northern Oklahoma as they continue to assess and clean up flood damage.

Lake Texoma, which straddles the border between Oklahoma and Texas along the Red River near Durant, stood about an inch below the top of a 640-foot-high concrete spillway, Ross Adkins, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Tulsa District, said Friday.

"It's lapping over the spillway now," Adkins said. The lake, with a normal level of 619 feet, is expected to crest about six inches higher than the spillway on Monday, when up to 3,000 cubic feet of water a second will be diverted into the Red River, Adkins said.

National Weather Service forecasts call for a 20 to 30 percent chance of storms on Saturday and Sunday, forecaster Erin Maxwell said early Saturday.

"The activity over the weekend probably wouldn't impact Lake Texoma levels too dramatically, but there's another low pressure system coming next week," Maxwell said.

"That's just the way the weather pattern has been this year."

The Corps is already pumping an estimated 27,000 cubic feet per second of water into the Red River to help steady the lake's level. Water levels in the river have fallen following heavy rains that swelled it and other streams.

"The downstream conditions are now permitting us to start putting water in," Adkins said. Lake Texoma is fed by a watershed that stretches across southern Oklahoma and into the Texas Panhandle.

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9G_Rtu5Cp...old/splway.jpg

[Thomas Gayer]

Wow! Kristen that's some good info.
We see 100,000 gallons per minute normal flow.
Now we are seeing 500,00 gallons per minute. The river is really haulin a**
With the extra 3000 cu ft per sec we shoud see an additional 45000 gallons per minute flow. I will send photos of water in the street.
what did Shelby say, "too much is just enough"
didn't mean to hijack your thread, u look super with the Marines!