Sparks

Happy late Fourth! If your neighborhood is like mine, there are still fireworks going off here and there! We had a barbecue at my house, and it was a blast. It turns out that you can see several fireworks shows nearby from my yard, and all the streets around were full of fireworks too. We had some of Chris's amazing kabobs, which recipe I may need to steal for this blog.. And even some sword and squirt gun action (not simultaneously).

It reminds me one Fourth of July when I was a kid, and all the quiet suburban streets by Seattle turned into galaxies of short lived stars for miles and miles. The kids all colluded in mischief and accidentally set a roof on fire. It was quickly put out, but no one likes to give my brother bottle rockets still. You could hear everyone's music blending together and smell the barbecues mixed with the pine trees that warmed in the July sun all day.

Near the end of the night a helicopter swept overhead to land at the elementary school to take someone to the hospital. It was surely frightening and sad for someone, but what stood out to a child's mind was being swept up in a wave of a hundred running children down the street, passed the fireworks, the music the smells, gaining in number until we slammed against the fence to watch as it took off again. We wandered more slowly back then in glowing smoke to lay in the back yard and stared at the stars.

I think this will always be one of my favorite holidays, and if yesterday indicates there will be many more great ones to come.

What did you do for the Fourth?