My 4th of July

I have always loved the 4th of July- I love everything about it! I love pancake breakfasts, small-town parades with the dairy queens on floats and the little kids pulling red wagons along selling overpriced soda and Otter pops. I love fireworks of all shapes and sizes, provided of course, that I am at a safe distance away. I love marching bands, barbecues and getting choked up singing "God Bless the USA".

All these things are what I love and expect for the 4th of July. I do not, however, expect massive thunderstorms, hail, flooded streets and ruined gardens. Yet this year, these pictures are what happened in my Mom & Dad's neighborhood on the 4th. Not exactly what you'd expect in the middle of summer...