Happy (rainy/sunny) 4th.

This morning started out sunny and hot, and we thought it would stay that way. (Ha! says the god of Texas weather.)

After our July 4th tradition of watching the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at New York's Coney Island, we decided to go out for lunch. (Anything but hot dogs.) Honestly, though-- that contest is both exciting and gross. Exciting because the NY crowds really get into it, and gross because the contestants really get into it. Why anyone would want to eat that many hot dogs is beyond reason in the first place, but the way they eat them is just disgusting.

I say the same thing every year: they should make a rule that the contestants have to eat the hot dogs the way they're served-- in the middle of the bun. Most of them take out the hot dogs and eat that part first, and while they're chewing (swallowing?) the meat, they're holding the bun in a glass of water or lemonade. Then whatever is left of that bun gets shoved into their mouths. Really now, I believe that most of that sopping wet bun is either left at the bottom of the lemonade or gets dribbled down the front of their shirts.

But every year, at 11:00 Texas time, my husband and I are sitting in front of the television and watching to see if anyone can out-eat that little guy from Japan. Three cheers (three hot dogs!) for Joey Chestnut, for winning two years in a row.

Back to our own lunch... we decided to drive downtown to Star Pizza, for another Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. We hadn't gone very far when we saw that the sky in the direction of downtown was as dark as charcoal. We turned around and headed for the little Greek restaurant near Kemah. Instead of deep-dish Chicago pizza, we had Greek food for lunch. The sky opened up with pouring-down rain half-way through the spanikopita.

That was hours ago now, and the rains have quit and the sun is out and everything except the wet-sponge lawn is thoroughly dry. I guess tonight's fireworks will go on on planned. We're still deciding whether to make our way through the traffic to see them by the Galveston Bay bridge, or stay home and watch both the NYC and the downtown Houston fireworks on television.

Fireworks are only fireworks if you can hear them exploding above your head as the colors drip into the sky.