Fireman Climb

On the 4th of July, I always get up about 5:30 a.m. and go set out chairs on main street for the parade. You might think I am crazy for doing this, but my family always comes for the 4th, and with the large number of people that we have, there isn't any other way to get a good spot. I also try to get a spot under a tree so that my dad will always have some shade protection for the sun. So I ended up getting to the seats about 30 minutes before the parade started. While I and some of my family were there, a fireman came down the street asking if anyone was really brave. I pointed to my nephew and said that he was. The fireman then asked if he was willing to climb the huge ladder they had raised over main street. It was part of the new engine that they have gotten in the last year. It climbs up 4 stories high I believe. The fireman mentioned that it cost $3 dollars and was for a fundraiser. I was all for it, and so was my nephew Tadj. So we went over, waited a little bit in line, and then got to climb the ladder. If I remember right, they said it was a 120 feet high. It sure seems high when you are up there! The scariest part for me was the actual climbing. Once I got up there and "roosted" I was fine. They had us in harnesses and on a rope for safety.
Some of the pictures were taken by a friend of mine named Rachel Doggett. Her sister was in line to climb and was behind me. Rachel is a photographer and had a high powered camera. I didn't even know she was taking pictures until I walked back to my seat and she called me over. It was a lot of fun.