Things I Love About Summer #3: Fireworks
I am enthralled by fireworks. One of my earliest memories of the Fourth of July was seeing the fireworks with my mom and sister. I didn't know what they were, until I saw them. I was hooked.
I also used to enjoy lighting fireworks. Unfortunately, that ended when I became a firecracker-injury statistic (due to my own stupidity, I am afraid.) Now I just enjoy watching other people light them.
This entry is about the public firework displays. I have found, in my adult life, that each one follows a certain format....
7:30: You arrive at the place where they are going to be held. A few others are already there, in lawnchairs and laying on blankets. You, of course, did not bring a lawnchair, thinking that you could watch from leaning on the hood of your car. The smell of Off wafts through the air.
7:35: You decide you are hungry, so you go by the nearby carnival ("Overpriced Rides-o-Rama!!! Now pricegouging unsuspecting parents for sixty years straight!") to find food.
7:36: You decide to drive through Sonic instead.
8:00: You return to the site, balance your personal belongings, your Route 44 drink, and your food in your hands, and head to the hood of your car.
8:00:30: Oh crabby patties...everyone is facing the other way. Sigh.
8:01: You try to find a patch of grass where you can sit and not get too many grass-stains on your pants.
8:02: You finally settle on a patch of concrete. You eat your food and gaze jealously at the guy in the lawnchair with a movable hood in case of rain and two (TWO!) drinkholders.
8:30: You finish your food and wonder when the show is going to start.
8:35: Someone mentions 9:55. Sigh...
8:50: You listen in to conversations going on around you. Some hot-rodder tries to go 50 on the 30 mph street and gets lectured by the rent-a-cop.
9:10: A couple of kids start playing in a water puddle cardoned off by yellow hazard tape. You wonder where their parents are.
9:30: Someone starts lighting their own fireworks in the neighborhood behind you. You wonder where the cops are.
9:35: The park lights are turned off. Some teenagers scream.
9:40: Some teenagers start practicing going: "ooh....ahhh..."
9:45: People around you start wondering out loud when they are going to start. More Off gets passed around.
9:55:00: Finally! The first weak bursts start coming out of the night sky. You are instantly enthralled.
9:56: You notice that a sound system is playing music to synchronize with the display. "God Bless America" and "Stars and Stripes Forever" are represented.
10:00: Some random Aerosmith song plays and you wonder what in the world that has to do with Independence Day.
10:05: Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" starts to play, and you know the finale is coming.
10:08: The night air bursts with light and sound, totally overpowering the sound system. You wish you had thought to bring your camera.
10:09: The display ends, and the street lights come back on faintly. Person to your left: "Wow, is that it?" Person to your right: "That was the best display ever!"
10:20: On your way home, you get stuck in traffic. While you are waiting, you try to think of a cool blog entry about fireworks.
Happy Independence Day, everybody. Don't forget the men and women throughout our nation's history who fought and gave their lives so we have a reason to light our fireworks.
I also used to enjoy lighting fireworks. Unfortunately, that ended when I became a firecracker-injury statistic (due to my own stupidity, I am afraid.) Now I just enjoy watching other people light them.
This entry is about the public firework displays. I have found, in my adult life, that each one follows a certain format....
7:30: You arrive at the place where they are going to be held. A few others are already there, in lawnchairs and laying on blankets. You, of course, did not bring a lawnchair, thinking that you could watch from leaning on the hood of your car. The smell of Off wafts through the air.
7:35: You decide you are hungry, so you go by the nearby carnival ("Overpriced Rides-o-Rama!!! Now pricegouging unsuspecting parents for sixty years straight!") to find food.
7:36: You decide to drive through Sonic instead.
8:00: You return to the site, balance your personal belongings, your Route 44 drink, and your food in your hands, and head to the hood of your car.
8:00:30: Oh crabby patties...everyone is facing the other way. Sigh.
8:01: You try to find a patch of grass where you can sit and not get too many grass-stains on your pants.
8:02: You finally settle on a patch of concrete. You eat your food and gaze jealously at the guy in the lawnchair with a movable hood in case of rain and two (TWO!) drinkholders.
8:30: You finish your food and wonder when the show is going to start.
8:35: Someone mentions 9:55. Sigh...
8:50: You listen in to conversations going on around you. Some hot-rodder tries to go 50 on the 30 mph street and gets lectured by the rent-a-cop.
9:10: A couple of kids start playing in a water puddle cardoned off by yellow hazard tape. You wonder where their parents are.
9:30: Someone starts lighting their own fireworks in the neighborhood behind you. You wonder where the cops are.
9:35: The park lights are turned off. Some teenagers scream.
9:40: Some teenagers start practicing going: "ooh....ahhh..."
9:45: People around you start wondering out loud when they are going to start. More Off gets passed around.
9:55:00: Finally! The first weak bursts start coming out of the night sky. You are instantly enthralled.
9:56: You notice that a sound system is playing music to synchronize with the display. "God Bless America" and "Stars and Stripes Forever" are represented.
10:00: Some random Aerosmith song plays and you wonder what in the world that has to do with Independence Day.
10:05: Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" starts to play, and you know the finale is coming.
10:08: The night air bursts with light and sound, totally overpowering the sound system. You wish you had thought to bring your camera.
10:09: The display ends, and the street lights come back on faintly. Person to your left: "Wow, is that it?" Person to your right: "That was the best display ever!"
10:20: On your way home, you get stuck in traffic. While you are waiting, you try to think of a cool blog entry about fireworks.
Happy Independence Day, everybody. Don't forget the men and women throughout our nation's history who fought and gave their lives so we have a reason to light our fireworks.
Very well-said! Do you remember the fireworks at Myraid Gardens? Now that was the exception to the rule, wasn't it? :)
ReplyDeleteI've missed hearing from you lately. Have you run out of things you love about summer? (The mind-numbing heat will do that to you!)
ReplyDelete