Fireworks

Our fireworks party on Saturday was lots of fun. We ate and drank. The kids ran around and swam. Some friends that we have not seen for a long time came over. It was great to get together with everyone. The actual fireworks display was, as usual, very impressive. Our local fireworks gurus always do something strange, though. About 30 minutes into the show, they set off a rapid succession of pyrotechnics that can only be described as a finale. After a slight pause, the crowd cheers, the lights begin to go on in the park, and spectators start packing up their chairs & coolers. THEN, the fireworks start up again. The park lights go off, people sit back down, and the fanfare continues for another 15 minutes or so, until the real finale begins. Afterwards, the crowd once again bursts into applause, the lights go back on, and the masses get up & leave. The same weird thing transpires every single year, so those who have previously witnessed these fireworks realize what is going to happen. The earlier “faux finale” does manage to fool a large number of people, though, and I, for one, will never comprehend its purpose. It is almost as if those setting off the fireworks think they are all done, but then – whoops – they discover a few more cases of explosives they forgot to light during the show. They couldn’t be that absentminded, could they?

My nephew, Muffin, enjoying his very first sparkler.