To make up for it, I took the girls to a carnival in Bethany. Advertised was free parking and bounce houses and you could buy tickets for the carnival rides. I show up to park, and someone greets me with a handful of money and lets me know they're asking for donations for the school, so free parking is really "donate to our community to park here." We got to the bounce houses, no one is there, and so Cora starts to climb the steps to the slide. Someone approaches me and says, "It's three dollars for three slides." I hand it over. We move onto another one, $3/child." Six dollars exchange hands. One minute later, two big boys come in and my girls get scared. They both came out. If I ran a bounce house, I would offer a refund. And I would probably have to live in my bounce house because I would be poor.
My cheapness meter is way boiling over, and Cora wants to go the the carnival rides. The carousel it is, but I have to buy a ticket to go on with Magnolia because she isn't tall enough. NO! I. just. can't. do. it. (on principle and because I only had enough cash for two riders). So we're standing on the outside as Cora gets her horse, and Magnolia is pointing at all of the animals, and I'm thinking about all of the damage I'm doing because her sister gets to ride and she doesn't. And then the man running the carousel, who was also the one who told me I needed a ticket to stand next to Magnolia says, "Do you want to ride?" I asked if it would be okay. He said, "Yes." Goo picked the horse next to Cora's. The spirit of the Fourth was alive and well in Bethany, OK today.
We left, and I tabulated that this free event cost me about $1.62/minute. But on the way home, we went passed Lake Overholser, which I have never done, and I enjoyed it. I liked the variety of houses along the lakefront. It was kind of kitschy. It reminded me of the drive into Nauvoo, IL when approaching it from the south. For a moment, I thought, I could live in Bethany, and then as I made my way back home on 23rd street, I knew that I could not. Is that what all what-used-to-be-really-cool-suburbs end up looking like? I'll keep my stretch of 23rd street, thank you.
We got home and had the ceremonial burger, then looked around like, "What do we do to pass the time before fireworks." We'd already planned to watch fireworks with some friends who are in prime firework watching territory, but we looked at the clock and planned a little more. We got to their house about an hour and a half before we were going to so we could wander around Bricktown and get Cora that slush she wanted so much last night. Our friends were able to join us. We went to the "splash pad," it has a real name (it's a fountain with a plaque and everything), but I can't think of it. Then we got in with the crowds around Sonic. I always regret getting a slush. They're so sweet. I got a strawberry limeade instead of cherry, and it was just like a strawberry slush. I would like a junior size, please.
We watched the fireworks, Cora was scared, except for the ones that were purple or didn't go very high. Magnolia was stunned by them again, but stunned makes her extra cuddly. There was a small grass fire that was quickly put out. We could see fireworks shows going off all over the metro area. The moon came up so round and low and glowing yellow. In trying to come up with a way to summarize the evening with its colorful explosions, sugar rushes, important displays of nature, and perfect company, I can only come up with two phrases:
Like a child at home. And it was good.
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