Yesterday was my little town’s celebration of self, a/k/a St. George Days…a parade, 5k, flower-arranging competition, Library’s annual book sale/art auction/raffle, the Fire Department’s lobster dinner, all topped off by the annual town fireworks…an opportunity for town residents to relax together and foster the togetherness that carries us through the hard times.
It all started off well for us…found a parking spot not too far down the road from the fire department, purchased a Fire Department t-shirt to show our support and joined the long line for lobsters. Our tray included corn on the cob, two cartons of steamed mussels and two lovely lobsters…soft shell, so they were really easy to crack, and sweet sweet sweet…so sweet that I couldn’t resist…I went back for another lobster (no trimmings) and devoured that one in minutes flat. YUM!!!!
Then we were off to the town dock, where we donned our life jackets (Boo looks particularly fetching in his) and set out on the water to find a good place to watch the fireworks, which were scheduled to begin “at dusk”. Since we still had an hour or so before official sunset, we puttered around, checking out the lobster boats, sail boats and little putt-putt boats that fill our harbor. Boo especially loved the fact that the water was glass smooth…no bouncing or bumping, just wind in our faces and beauty all around us.
As it darkened, we saw people start to fill up the lawns and docks around the harbor, so we figured that fireworks were imminent. We tied up to our mooring and settled in…and mosquitos descended upon us in hordes…who ever imagined that mosquitos would flourish on the water? But the fireworks were about to start (more later), so we endured…for about 15 minutes…even Boo was over it…so, we left the water and retreated to the truck to await the splendor…we waited, and waited, and waited. There were random displays of homegrown fireworks and an occasional boom and blossom of colored fire, but nothing I would call special. And still we waited. Finally, we could take no more, so we carefully backed out and hit the road for home. The moment we got to the main road through town, the fun began…hiss, boom, crackle, color, light…over and over, lighting the sky as we drove home…and as we pulled into the driveway, the sound of the fireworks continued unabated…and as we closed down the house and headed for bed, the sound of the fireworks continued unabated…and as we tucked ourselves into bed, the sound of fireworks continued unabated…and then the finale…BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! It would have been glorious, had we planned on fireworks starting after dark…
It is all in the timing…
That’s why we don’t have fireworks in the summer but on New Year’s Eve.