The bay is on fire. (4th)

[Johnny L.A.]

Well... It's a little nutty out there.

As you can tell by my Location, I'm in Birch Bay, WA. The bay is just a short block down the hill from me. Fireworks are going off all around the bay from Point Whitehorn to Birch Point. It's been an hours-long barrage every evening for the last three days.

Now, I'm from L.A. via San Diego and Lancaster. When I was a kid, we only had "safe and sane" fireworks. As a wee lad in San Diego I still managed to burn my ickle pink hand on the sparkler wires, but I played with them anyway. Everyone had a big Box-O-Fireworks, and it was great fun to light them off.

In Lancaster there were fireworks too; but you had to go to Palmdale to get them, since they were banned in Lancaster. But no one seemed to get in trouble.

In L.A. you could not have fireworks. You had to go to professional displays. Of course, people just went to Orange County and bought them there; and hoped that the cops wouldn't show up. (The never did.)

But up here it seems I'm surrounded by Indian reservations. They sell the good stuff. Things that blow up. I have some bottle rockets (including some larger ones) that I bought ten years ago driving through Nevada. I didn't bother to buy any more, since I hadn't made any plans to be with friends. Nah, I figured I'd just saunter on down to the beach and shoot a few of my stash.

Criminy! The whole beach was lined with people! No room to shoot my rockets! There was a guy shooting off mortars, and I asked him to shoot them off for me since I couldn't get a place on the beach. He obliged.

I stood around for a while watching the fireworks. Very impressive. It's wonderful that they're legal (or at least quasi-legal) here! It's quite a show. And it's still going on! I suspect there will be whistles, bangs, cracks and booms until at least midnight.

Next year I should have a party.

[yosemite]

Tell me about it. Culture shock, man. I'm from Glendale/La Crescenta and Sunland-Tujunga, and we just never had fireworks. No way, no how. So out here in Hooterville, (the midwestern town where I am currently exiled), it's really bizarre to see and hear fireworks set off freakin' everywhere. I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

Enjoy your fireworks! It's kind of cool, isn't it? (Though I'm keeping all the cats in—don't want them scared by the noise.)

[Johnny L.A.]

I was up here four or five years ago (Bellingham, actually) and was attending a party. Lots of Punks and Artists. Some Frat Boys from WWU were across the street (sort of), having their own party. Way-uhlll... Seems one of their bottle rockets landed in our party. Hilarity ensued.

Explosives were flying forth and back. Occasionally someone on either side would yell, "Civilian!" and both sides stopped until the lady with the pram was out of the way. Then it would begin again! A rocket hit my shoe, bounced a few inches away, and exploded.

What fun! :)

[Taters]

We had quite the fireworks down here in Puyallup (well South Hill, actually) too. Without even setting it up, our cul-de-sac, the one one the end of our street, and one the next to our development , (across the road actually) were sending up mortars like we were all synchronized. We had quite the show going on. Fortunately, I live in the county, not the city, so I am able to shoot fireworks.

I too grew up with safe and sane variety (the 70's). Do you remember those cone things that shot sparks out? They just seem incredibly cheesy now.

We go for the big stuff (mortars) and pool our resources with our friends. We have quite a mess to clean up at the end, but it's well worth it.

[Johnny L.A.]

Do you remember those cone things that shot sparks out? They just seem incredibly cheesy now.
I think some of them are quite nice. But then, I liked "House A-fire". You put a firework in the chimney of a little cardstock cabin, and it smoked -- then it burned the house down. The concept os so obscene, it just cracks me up. And I like the Snakes.

IMO a good neighbourhood fireworks display would have both the "safe and sane" variety and thinks that shoot/fly/blow up.

[OttoDaFe]

. . . and thinks that shoot/fly/blow up.Well, at least your thinks actually do something—even if I can get mine out of my head, they just sort of lie there and whimper.

[Johnny L.A.]

My brain's exploding! My brain's exploding!

[Jake]

I was raised in the SF Bay Area as a kid in the 50's 1950's :dubious: and remember going over to The City to buy firecrackers in Chinatown. Got to know lots of interesting people.

[Danalan]

I am fortunate enough to have a panoramic view of several reservations, Marysville, Arlington, Everett, and Mukilteo. Every year, friends come over to watch the 'war zone' across the water. For four hours, it's a colorful version of that night-vision footage of Baghdad. Absolutely amazing, and truly a wonder that the whole area doesn't go up in flames.