The Parade

J.R. Martinez is the winner of Dancing With The Stars. He is also a Iraq veteran who was wounded by an IED (improvised explosive device). J.R. was on All My Children in a story about wounded veterans. He was such a good actor they kept him past his original storyline. J.R. and his mother moved to Dalton when he was 17. He went to Dalton High School and played football for the Catamounts. Now J.R. is a motivational speaker and a real American hero. Dalton is very proud to claim his as a citizen. That is why they gave him a parade after he won on Dancing. This is his second parade. The first was to honor him for his service and sacrifice in the Iraq war.

Daddy asked me to ride with him in the parade for J.R. Martinez in Dalton. Momma has been sick and didn't feel like going. I've never been in a parade before so I was kind of excited. We got there early.

This was a neat looking 1951 Chevrolet that was in the parade. It was a beautiful day.

 Daddy made friends with the man with the white Chevrolet and other people who came over to admire his Model T. I was excited to be in the parade. Daddy drove. My job was to wave.

Model T's aren't made like cars are made today. The gas throttle is on the wheel. There are three pedals on the floor. The middle pedal is for reverse. 

We had to creep along slowly in the parade. Everything was going okay until people started pointing and shouting something to us. The radiator started overheating and leaking. Daddy's friend from the car club walked up to us and told us that something was wrong. We pulled over on the first turn and parked because we weren't sure what was wrong.

Daddy had remembered to buy gas and checked the battery but he forgot to check the radiator before the parade. He also forgot to bring a jug of water with us. His friend pulled over with us and kindly went to get us some water.

Well, half of the parade was fun. We got to see J. R. whiz by on a convertible so it wasn't a total bust. I wish we were able to complete the parade. I would have taken more pictures. Better luck next time, if there is a next time.

AS ALWAYS

PIO