This is topic So how was your Fourth? in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
 
I want to hear about other people's fireworks stories and fun barbeques and whatnot.

Me, the only notable thing I did was call my mom, who proceeded to hold the phone up to the tv so that I could hear the shuttle launch because they turned my cable off again.

So, what did you guys do? Parades? Sparklers? Went to work because you don't live in the States?

-pH
 

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Posted by Earendil18 (Member # 3180) on :
 
I worked, then went home. At night we had a lightning storm where I live, and I managed to capture a lot of it. I'll cut out all the uninteresting blackness and get the good stuff into a small video in the next day or two.
 

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Posted by Palliard (Member # 8109) on :
 
I went down to Prospect Park with my Uncle to watch the fireworks over at the fairgrounds. It's... a bit dangerous to do your own fireworks around here this time of year. I certainly don't want to be the guy that burnt down my whole neighborhood because I just had to set off a Mexican hat in my yard. Fortunately my neighbors feel the same way.

Was a pretty good show... lots of big booms and I love that smell! The kids brought some Roman Candles to the park and were having a blast. I wish I still had that kind of energy.

Now it's way past my bedtime but I'm too wired to sleep. Going to be another groggy July 5th spent answering the phone going "Buh?"
 

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Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
 
We live in a small town in north-central Iowa. The parade goes right past our home. We've got fireworks, too.

So, here's my day: I was up around 9 a.m., watched "The Crossing" on the HIstory Channel about Washington crossing the Delaware (Jeff Daniels as Washington). I went "into town" to get my niece (Jessica, age 20) and go grocery shopping. We went to Target, Wal-Mart and Hy-Vee, then to my house.

My younger daughter (Cayla, age 10) got to ride in the parade on a flatbed semi-trailer with the rest of the local softball league kids. Even though we didn't have a kid in our yard, people still threw candy at us, so we saved it for her. The state senator whom I know stopped and chatted with me for a minute - an improvement over last year, when he passed me right by. (I teased him and said he was stuck-up last year ... of course, this year he's trying to get re-elected.)

My daughters, niece and I walked over to the park where all the activity was. My niece bought raffle tickets, and she and I and Cayla played 3 or 4 games of bingo (50 cents per card per game). I said hi to the reporter covering the event (I work at the paper), and gave him the bottled water I had picked up for him earlier. Then my older daughter (Amanda, age 12) and I went home.

I went back into town around 5:30 p.m. to get my mom. Amanda went with me. About 1 1/2 miles from home, car started making a new noise. I had to wait til the stop sign, then checked underneath. The piece of exhaust pipe that my mechanic had welded into place on June 29 had fallen loose. I had to work it completely loose, or it would be running on the road the whole way. It's now in the back of the car, and when we got home, I told my husband I had a present for him.

We had grilled charcoal steaks and corn on the cob for supper. When it started getting dark, we went outside, except Cayla, who was making a cake for dessert. (The cake took an extraordinarily long time, and when I checked the instructions I found out why - she had the oven at 375 degrees when it was supposed to be 400.) But, it was tasty when it was finally done.

The fireworks were great. It's really cool to have the fireworks so close. I was going to post pictures online, but can't find my card reader. Anyway, I took my mom and niece back into town, dropped Mom at her apartment and took my niece to Wal-Mart. Her mom, my sister, was getting off work at midnight.

So, it's been a full day, pretty good overall. (really, really long, though) It's 1:10 a.m. for me, and I can't go to bed until the laundry is done. And I've got another long day ahead of me tomorrow - two appointments (personal) and a lunch meeting (work).
 

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Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
 
I am at my Grandma's house right now. We got here just in time for dinner today. Afterwards we set off probably a thousand dollars worth of fireworks. It was insane. Very cool though, and everyone seemed happy and entertained.

The night since not as good, talking to your boyfriend shouldn't put you in a worse mood.
 

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Posted by Celaeno (Member # 8562) on :
 
To avoid the traffic and the parking problems and the crowd, we walked to the end of the street to watch the three big fireworks shows around the island simultaneously. We even had the radio tuned to the right station so we could hear the music from the main show.
 

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Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
 
I biked to the park and watched the firworks. Then I laughed at all the morons who drove 15 blocks to find parking. Losers. :Grin:
 

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Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
 
I do live in the United States, and I am a patriotic yadda yadda ya, and I did work on the 4th. I did a 7-3 shift, then a quick lunch break, then a 4-6 patient visit, then I went to a backyard barbecue at a neighbor's. But the flies were settling thickly on the food, which was kind of killing my appetite (not to mention the late lunch). The mosquitoes more than made up for it, though, with their voracious appetites. I must be a pint low on blood!

Then we went home and my kid and I sucked on Fla-Vor-Ice for the rest of the evening.
 

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Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
I went to a picnic with Matt and his family, then we saw Superman Returns. The power went out during the movie and we had to wait for it to come back on. Unfortunately, it was not during the part of the movie where the power goes out in Metropolis - that would have ruled. For a moment I felt like I was on Star Tours at Disneyland.

That evening, Matt and I went to the mall downtown to watch the fireworks exploding behind the Washington Monument, dance with the Hare Krishnas, and have a nice conversation with an evangelical from Seattle who refilled my water bottle. The fireworks were beautiful. I love this city.
 

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
I got to watch Chicago's firework displays from the air as I was taking off. It was an incredible way to see it, with the fireworks bursting over the grid of the city. I also watched a couple of other communities displays, although for them I was high enough up that all I could see were pinpoints of colored light flaring and fading.
 

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Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
 
A republican judge I know shook my hand while his photographer took pictures, of course that now means I'll be on their website. Ack.

The mayor rode in the parade on a harley, the dems brought donkey's with them, our state rep rode on a tractor. Really I swear this town isn't hicksville.
 

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Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
 
breyerchic: there were tractors in our little parade, too. Also, kids on 4-wheelers and one who looked about 5 years old on a mini-motorbike ... with "Bud Light" on the gas tank. That kid was traveling with his dad - on a tractor. The dad was holding a younger kid on his lap. I took a picture, and I'm going to caption it "The family that parades together, stays together."
 

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Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
 

quote:

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I biked to the park and watched the firworks. Then I laughed at all the morons who drove 15 blocks to find parking. Losers. :Grin:

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It's the only way to go see fireworks in the city - by bike. I did the same thing.
 

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Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
 
Only one tractor, which is unusual for us. Also about ten 4-wheelers with 8th grade friends of the perviously mentioned judge's son.
 

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Posted by Steev (Member # 6805) on :
 
We got rained out and it was canceled.
 

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Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Steev:
We got rained out and it was canceled.

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