Friday Fireworks

It's tradition in this little coastal town to set off fireworks for Independence Day, although they aren't always scheduled on the actual holiday. Apparently, this is a much bigger local event that I thought. I have seen the fireworks here before, but that was at my great-uncle's house which had the perfect view from the glass-fronted covered deck next to the living room. All the viewing pleasure without having to go out in the cold. And with the TV on and family laughing and joking, we could easily ignore any traffic going by the house.

This time, we were outside on the deck (wrapped up in warm clothing and a blanket) in a house that faces the only access road to the fireworks' ground zero. We had a great view from the house and didn't need to drive anywhere--and good thing too. Apparently, people want to be as close to the fireworks as possible because cars were driving by the house all day. I can only imagine what kind of creative parking people were doing to fit their car in so they could watch the show. I assume that there was much parking on grass and at angles only a protractor could replicate (that is my poor effort at a math joke). To give you an idea of how many people there were, the line of cars after the fireworks stretched all the way to the other side of of the harbor past where we could see (a couple of miles at least). There were still cars going by after 11pm, more than a hour after the show ended. So yeah, it's a popular show in this area.

We also got to enjoy another American summer tradition: smores. Nothing like a good smore washed down with a glass of milk for a little pre-show treat. For those who don't know what a smore is (I do get some international readers apparently), it's made by sandwiching a roasted marshmallow--it needs to be gooey for full effect--and a piece of chocolate between two graham crackers. It's really sweet, but still really good.

There is always a risk that the fog will come in and cause the fireworks show to be canceled. Luckily, that didn't happen last night. The sky remained clear and I could see still see stars when we went back inside. I looked outside this morning and there is a healthy cover of fog over the water. Good thing the fireworks weren't scheduled for today. And I think my sunbathing may be over. The heat wave has broken.