STORY - Flag Day and Independence Day

Wonderful story Kathy! This year, we were treated to a wonderful show,
right in our back yard. I love the small town where I now live - we are
miles away from any big fireworks show. The neighbors, our landlords, had
their six kids and 30 grandkids over this weekend. The landlords own 30 or
40 acres of land all around here - including a big meadow, a huge barn where
they have set up a raquetball court. All the land sits along a slope, and
our house is next door and above theirs. A large creek runs along the land,
past our house and theirs and along the meadow. They had a huge party in
the meadow, which is about 200 feet away from our house, and down the hill a
bit. The neighbors on the other side of the landlords bought fireworks
aplenty from the local Indian Reservation. So did Ward and Carol. They do
every year and then have competing shows. We can see the whole thing from
our deck, with Mt. Si as a backdrop (with all those kids, do you think the
adults can wait til it's dark to start??) It was amazing. See, being from
Oregon, we aren't used to the kind of fireworks they can buy off the street
here, not to mention the ones they can get at Indian Reservations. Wow. We
went down to visit the big ole party before they started the fireworks, and
they had a huge campfire and about 50 people all sitting in the meadow next
to the creek.

I was so happy to have been able to stay home for the 4th of July - when we
lived in Portland we spent almost every 4th fighting traffic and people to
find a place in one of the four or five huge firework shows. Here we have
our house, with it's indoor bathroom, no traffic, neighbors to chat with,
food, quiet (except for the fireworks of course, complete with homemade
fireworks that I am sure are really dangerous) and a wonderful show.
--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net
"Kathy Nicklas-Varraso" wrote in message
.com...
The city in which I live has no official celebration for Independence Day,
they celebrate on Flag Day instead. I really like it that way, there's
boatloads to do in Boston on the 4th, and Flag Day is a really nice,
family
oriented celebration instead.

First of all, there's the parade. Every child who shows up at the parade
starting point gets to march and gets a flag. They love it - most have
never been in a parade before. You see kids marching with scout troops,
sports leagues, different elementary schools or to represent their
neighborhood. Everyone cheers for the kids.

The parade always starts with a large proportion of our police force in
formation, sirens and lights a-blaring. A couple of lucky kids get to
ride
along with the cops, which looks like it would be the high point of their
lives. Then come the Gold Star and the Blue Star mothers: mothers of
people
who died in the US armed services (gold) or are currently serving (blue).
The thousands of people watching along the parade route give the moms a
standing ovation.

Then come the groups of kids, in no formation at all, interspersed with a
couple of local bands, maybe two floats, Beulah the Buick, and a guy on
stilts. The whole parade lasts maybe a half hour (to the spectator) or an
hour (to the marchers). The end of the parade route is chaos, as all the
kids break rank and run to their families. This isn't the Macy's
Thanksgiving
parade, that's for sure.

Then everyone walks over to the ball field, where there are free hot dogs
and
cold drinks for all. There is also expensive bottled water or ice cream,
but
DD and P/T D know that I'm certainly not buying that stuff, especially
since
we always pack a cooler with goodies. Everyone gets something to eat,
then
the "boring" part of the night starts: A couple of speeches from local
polititicians, telling us all how great they are. A flag the size of a
football field is unfurled, and then an honor guard folds it up, after a
group round of the Pledge of Allegiance and "God Bless America." (No
separation of church and state here, no Siree.)

A reminder is made for the Bill Degan 10K run. Bill Degan was a federal
marshal who was killed at Ruby Ridge. To the rest of the country, those
federal marshals deserved what they got. Here, it was different: Bill
was
just a popular high school athlete and local guy whose family needs
support.
Most people are amazed that the town supports the federal marshal in this,
but to us it's a local family and he was just doing his job.

After the flag part is over, all the families trudge uphill to a big, flat
hammock. (Top of a hill that was flattened by glaciers) There's a grassy
field up there, and it juts out over the bay. We all put down blankets,
spray the kids with bug spray, and listen to them complain that it stings
their eyes.

Actual Exchange that takes place nine thousand times that night:

Mom: [hissing noise] Here. I'm spraying you with bug spray because the
mosquitoes will eat you alive. Don't put your fingers in your mouth or
near
your eyes.

Kid, a half second later: Boo-hoo, it hurts, Mom! Help Me!

Mom: Didn't I just tell you not to rub it in your eyes two seconds ago?

Kid: I forgot.

As dusk falls, around 9 p.m., the fireworks start. The DPW and the hired
fireworks firm have set up a barge in the bay for safety. All the
streetlights in the area are turned off, and in the twilight, you see
thousands of people lying on beach blankets, watching the skies explode in
color. It looks like it's so close you could touch it.

Everyone ooohs and ahhhs over the beautiful display. The cannons go off,
and
little kids cover their ears not to hear the noise. At first you think it
is
silent except for the show, but then you hear the little rustlings of
people
turning to get a better look, brothers and sisters elbowing each other for
fun, and old people creaking in their lawnchairs, which were brought down
from the garage and hosed off for the occasion.

It's all over by ten. Parents trudge down the hill, weighted down by
coolers, beach blankets and a sleepy child draped over the shoulder.
Bigger
kids make plans to put their glow in the dark necklaces in the freezer to
"save them." The air smells of gunpowder and bug repellent, and is warm
and
heavy. Every child, even the sleeping ones, has a little cloth flag
grasped
in her hand, carefully dated on the stick to comemorate the day the kids
got
to march in a parade.
-----------------------------------------------

It's now July fourth. Tonight, quite possibly America's most famous
fireworks display and concert will take place over the Esplanade in
Boston.
I haven't gone in years, although I did enjoy it when I did attend.

If you don't know why I no longer attend the Esplanade event with the
Boston
Pops, read my story again. Every year, I remind myself how blessed I am
to
live in this community, as I carefully write the date on DD's little flag.

To all you Americans today, happy Independence Day. To everyone else in
the
world, have a nice, calm Friday and have a cold one, on me.

Kathy N-V

Here we have
our house, with it's indoor bathroom, no traffic, neighbors to chat with,
food, quiet (except for the fireworks of course, complete with homemade
fireworks that I am sure are really dangerous) and a wonderful show.
--

Sounds like a perfect 4th of July to me. When we lived in California we were
able to sit on our patio to watch the towns big display of fireworks. It was
great. When my mom was alive I used to go to her hi-rise apt on the 10th floor
to watch the display they have here downtown. I hate fighting crowds so I
pretty much prefer to stay home on the 4th.

Jo Jo

In article ,
says...

Here we have
our house, with it's indoor bathroom, no traffic, neighbors to chat with,
food, quiet (except for the fireworks of course, complete with homemade
fireworks that I am sure are really dangerous) and a wonderful show.
--

Sounds like a perfect 4th of July to me. When we lived in California we were
able to sit on our patio to watch the towns big display of fireworks. It was
great. When my mom was alive I used to go to her hi-rise apt on the 10th
floor to watch the display they have here downtown.

This year, we discovered (by accident) that the outdoor Symphony Concert
fireworks display is visible from the Rice University campus. No crowd to speak
of, a decent view, and we got out well ahead of the end-of-festival traffic
surge. This has been Duly Noted for next year!

Celine

--
Handmade jewelry at http://www.rubylane.com/shops/starcat
"Only the powers of evil claim that doing good is boring."
-- Diane Duane, _Nightfall at Algemron_

Barbara, my in-laws -- in St. Louis -- were having all their floors refinished
the week of the Fourth, so they went down to a hotel near the big fireworks
displays and stayed there for a while! Great solution to the problems of
parking, crowding, and floor-finishing fumes. :-)

Here in St. Louis almost every little suburb has its
own fireworks display. I just have to walk up to the
park. About 1/2 mile. Buy a snocone. Throw a
blanket out on the grass. Kick back and listen to
whatever band is playing that year until dark, then
watch the show. Afterwards we walk home down
the middle of the street, as the cars aren't allowed on
one side of the street almost all the way back to
the house. It's like something out of the 1800's.
So small-town. Right in the St. Louis suburbs.
So much fun. Kirkwood has 25,000 people.
There are about 20,000 in the park for the
fireworks. It's great.
Barbara
Dream Master
www.dreamweaverstudio.com


~~
Sooz
-------
ESBC
Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html
One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making
exciting discoveries. ~ A. A. Milne