We were sure hoping for better weather, but hey, 50 degrees isn't all that cold.  Wrong!  When you're sitting close to the Ohio River and the wind is blowing, it's colder than a well-digger's derriere!  (That was my mother's favorite way to describe how cold it was outside, except she didn't say "derriere".)

But we're die-hard Thunder Over Louisville fans, so we packed lots of sandwiches, soft drinks, healthy and non-so-healthy snacks, and (thank the Thunder Gods!) several blankets, hats, and gloves, and headed for downtown Louisville to enjoy The Kentucky Derby Festival's opening ceremony.

Some people think Thunder Over Louisville is all about a first-class air show followed by spectacular fireworks.  It is that.  In fact, our city can boast that Thunder is the largest annual fireworks show in North America.  But it's much more.  It's a picnic.  It's a fully day of playing games and just enjoying the company of good friends.  It's walking around looking for what we call "Thunder Blunders" - the weird and the wacky.  An example of this year's Thunder Blunder was a group of teenie-boppers who didn't get the memo about the cold weather and wore last year's outfits:  spaghetti strap shirts shrink-wrapped around their bodies, shorts and spiked heels (I wish I could show you the pictures!) hobbling around on cobblestone streets.  But, hey - when you're sixteen it's all about the clothes, the hair, and the shoes!  I almost felt sorry for them.  Almost...

Toward evening the wind really whipped up and it started to rain.  We broke out the hats and gloves, piled on the blankets and shivered till our teeth rattled under a large piece of plastic.  As I'm turning blue my friend, Linda, said, "Look at it this way:  any weenie can come here on a good day!"

She was right.  We hung in there for the Thunder Wonders.  It stopped raining just in time for a pyrotechnic display that was so thrilling we forgot all about how cold it was.  Eight 400-foot barges assembled on both sides of the 2nd Street Bridge to form the stage for a 30-minute power-packed performance that included Thunder's signature "waterfall" of fireworks that cascade down from the bridge.

Was it worth it?  Oh, yeah...

Hangin' Out, Playin' Games

Goofin' Off:  We're "Smoking" Pretzels:  Don't Ask Me Why...

Some male bonding time.

 Did I mention it was CCCCCCOLD out there??!!

It's raining - and it's freezing - but we're still smiling !

The end of our 12-hour adventure - we have hat hair !

 Jacki and Jerry Shafer are "mega agents" with The Shafer Team and Keller Williams Realty Louisville East.  Visit their website:  www.TheShaferTeam.com.  Jacki and Jerry specialize in residential sales in eastern Jefferson County (Louisville) as well as Oldham, Henry, Shelby and Trimble Counties in Kentucky.