Today is the Fourth of July. Hoorah!
Hot dogs. Cherry Pie. Parades. Fireworks.
Ugh.
I hate fireworks.
I know what you’re thinking. I’ve heard it a thousand times before. But I just don’t see the appeal. It’s loud and smelly and crowded and, well? Isn’t that enough of a reason?
Someone recently told me that I would like fireworks if I’d seen really good ones. Like the ones in New York City on the Hudson River? Yup. Seen those. Like the Baltimore Harbor from a 17th floor corner office with cocktails? Been there. The Washington Monument with all the bells and whistles? Uh huh; that too.
So when it started to rain tonight, I got all excited.
WE DON’T HAVE TO GO!
But wait. Andrew pulled up all the weather charts. The moving maps. The radar. “Lucky for us,” he told me, “the rain will be over in plenty of time to get to the lakefront for the fireworks.”
Lucky. That’s just the word I was thinking, too.
9 Comments
July 4, 2008 at 7:43 pm
You took a page out of my book. Am about to leave for a dinner/fireworks. Am hoping that part 2 gets rained on!
July 4, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Oy, I love fireworks…may not see them tonight though…they pull at some nostalgic wire in my brain…but I know you’re not alone in the way you feel. (sorry Wendy…hope it kept raining!)
July 4, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I’m content to miss them this year, but my 8 year old can’t sleep - we don’t know if they’re happening, or cancelled because of the rain.
Does anyone know how to find out without packing up the family and heading out to an overcrowded site?
July 5, 2008 at 12:10 am
REALLY????
I am very surprised. Internet acquaintances have their limits of understanding. For some reason thought you’d just love explosions? I’ve been wrong before however…..
July 5, 2008 at 2:26 am
Too loud…far too loud!
July 5, 2008 at 5:30 am
Agh. I’m SO with you. I used to love them, when we had young kids who loved them, and no dogs. Now we have a dog who is so thunderphobic that she can’t stop pacing and panting if there’s so much as one single rocket in the distance. She goes completely bug-eyes, won’t eat or drink and won’t go outside to do her business for hours after they’re done. They’ve got so LOUD, too! Why do they have to sound as if we’re being shelled? Gah!
Even when I’m away from home (like at Disney this year) I don’t enjoy them, since I have neck problems which mean if I look up for more than a few seconds, I get a spasm which often leads to a migraine.
July 5, 2008 at 6:22 pm
We go every year, the kids love it. But, you have to get to the park/lake by at least 6:30 PM to get a decent spot & then we have to entertain ourselves until it gets dark. The show lasts 20 min. and it takes about 30 minutes to get “out of the park” with all the exit traffic. Not, sure if is worth it!
July 5, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I do know what you mean. I generally am put off by all the bother before and after. My husband loves them, so I do trek out every year. Once it was worth it. We pulled up and stopped in the middle of the George Washington Parkway five minutes before the show (don’t worry, the entire road was a parking lot), right next to Lady Bird park. We were directly across the river from the tidal basin. The Lincoln Memorial was on our left, the Washington Monument in front of us and Jefferson to our right. We climbed up on the roof of the car to watch them. It was the perfect angle to see them, really close to use but not so close we had to look up. And then when it was over, we got into the car and drove off before the traffic got too, too bad. Nothing will ever be as good as that, so now I’m let down every year.
July 7, 2008 at 6:00 pm
so happy we didn’t have to see fireworks. they pretty much look the same year after year.
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