Tuesday, June 10, 2008

• The Triple Crown and Flaming Tennis Balls

  A horse hasn't won the triple crown in thirty years. This year Big Brown won the first two legs of it, the Kentuky Derby and the Preakness. He was as close as there was to a sure thing to win the Belmont Stakes and the triple crown. Big Brown's trainer even boastingly garuanteed that his horse would win. Well, he sure didn't win. In fact he finished last. He is the only horse ever with a chance to win the triple crown and finish last. He lost to a horse that in a previous race he had beaten by more than twenty lengths. So what was wrong with Big Brown? Thats the weird thing no one can figure out a reason why he finished last. Big Brown has undergone several tests and nothing seems wrong with him. I have a theory. God wanted to prove one of his proverbs correct. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Thats just my theory.

  JD's brother told him about something that the guys back in Ohio did. It sounded pretty crazy and exciting. They soaked tennis balls in gasoline,(I know a terrible waste of gasoling) lit them and threw them back and forth to each other. JD considered his brother a trustworthy source so we decieded to give it a try. After our youth Bible study JD and Brandon came over to my house. Brandon, being the chicken that he is deceided not to participate and videoed parts of our adventue on his phone. JD poured some gasoline on a tennis ball and into a little countainer while I looked inside for a lighter. After a long search I found the lighter right were it should have been and went outside to have some scary fun. We rolled the tennis ball around a little more in the gas and finally decieded that it was ready. I took the lighter and lit the tennis ball. Whooosh. It flamed up and singed my eyebrows. Nah, just kidding but it did start on fire. It burned with about a six inch flame. I will admit I am a little bit of a chicken when it comes to picking up flaming tennis balls so JD was the first to pick it up. He tossed it my way but I of course did not catch it and it bounced on the gravel leaving little fires with each bounce that quickly extinguished. I couldn't quite force myself to pick up the fire and eventually the first tennis ball went out. During the second tennis ball I accually did pick up the burning tennis ball and heaved it JD's way. At some point one of my shoe laces caught on fire. This caused some frightened screams and ended with me kicking my shoe high into the air with resulted with the fire being extinguished. Other exciting moments included JD's hand catching on fire and also when we finally successfully tossed it back and forth a couple times. Anyway it may not have been the safest thing to do but it was thorouly exciting and no one got hurt, although my hand does still smell a tad bit like gasoline. If you want another perspective I'm sure JD a.k.a kiltedblogger will post something about it on his site.

  good night now

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