Independence Day 2019

John Adams wrote, of Independence Day:

[Independence Day] will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from the End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Forth of July fireworks seem like they would be right up his alley. 

Seeing as how fireworks are such an important tradition, we planned, as a family, to go and see some. It wasn't going to be something fancy, just a relatively small show in an obscure little country town.

I worked all morning, but got home late afternoon in time to go swimming. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, in spite of myself. What do I mean by that? Well, let me elaborate. About half-way through our swim, I managed to trip over an invisible rock (boulder, really) in the river and skinned both my knees practically to the bone, and then as I scrambled out of the water, I tripped again, landing--on my freshly wounded knees, no less--in a patch of stinging nettles. I reached for something, anything, to pull myself up with...and grabbed another patch of stinging nettles. Ah me.

After the disastrous swimming excursion, we had dinner and packed up to go see the fireworks. Mind you, the fireworks weren't supposed to start until dusk, which in our part of the world is roughly 10:00 pm at the moment. We got to the general viewing area not long after seven thirty and set up camp, right across from a Dollar General. This was fortunate, because we'd forgotten to bring any water bottles, so I sallied forth across the road, followed by my vast hoards of siblings and purchased soda and arizona tea and lemonade.

We waited for an eternity. Reggo, Krisbe, and Kennedy got out a board game. Hobbi and I got out our books. We waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Before the "real" show started, there was the occasional firework sent up, probably for experimentation, I suppose?  We were all watching the skyline, eagerly awaiting these, when suddenly, just as it was getting suitably dark, the skyline lit right up, and a gigantic fireball rose heavenward, burning red-gold against the horizon.

We all sat there for a heart stopping moment, knowing this wasn't right, and wondering if in the next moment we would see fireworks or if we would hear sirens and see the lights of emergency vehicles begin flashing a patriotic red-white-and-blue.

Thank goodness it was the former. It couldn't have been more than fifteen or twenty seconds after the fireball had dissipated that the first of the fireworks were set off. It was a rather surreal experience. It took some time for me too sit back and enjoy the show, but gradually the shock of it wore off.

Like I said earlier, the show wasn't a particularly grand affair, but it was lovely, nonetheless. The evening was cool, there weren't too many mosquitoes out and about, and I was actually able to get some pictures of the fireworks on my phone. Most were pretty terrible, but some of them were legible enough to merit showing them off. (Note: From my vantage point I was seeing the fireworks right above that Dollar General with some frightfully obnoxious and bright lights in the parking lot. I tried to avoid them as much as possible when taking pictures, but the lighting at the bottom edges of the pictures suffer, and that's why.)

These first two look like dandelions, do they not?