Monday, July 06, 2020

4th of july fireworks and folks


We had no real plans for this fourth of July. That's sort of how life works now. No big events allowed. Yet somehow - despite temps in the 90s yet again - we managed to have a good time anyway.

Saturday morning found us taking our usual weekend bike ride together. We rode through Foster Park and ventured downtown to Promenade Park. One drink at Trubble Riverside (which is still more money than I want to spend) and we made our way back home. Oddly enough it appeared to have rained somewhere in Fort Wayne, but it never did rain on us or at our house. We could have used the shower.

In the afternoon we ventured out to the Feipel farm to visit Carrie and the kids. Drew was singing somewhere and they were getting ready for a family party on Drew's side the next day.

Saturday night is when things got crazy. Most of it was just the two of us in the basement continuing our way through 'Better Call Saul'... but around 10 pm we decided to go outside and take a look at all the fireworks going off.

I don't know if it was because the fourth was on a Saturday, because so many towns cancelled their celebrations, the government stimulus checks, or just virus angst in general... but I HAVE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD SO MANY FIREWORKS GOING OFF IN MY LIFE! Jane commented that it sounded like popcorn popping. All over the city you could see the lights and hear the booms.

Just on our street there were several people setting off quality pyrotechnics - right in the middle of the street. Our neighbors to the left (one house over) have been setting them off regularly for days. This night was no exception. It was the neighbors just to our right that had the best ones though. I took this video of the grand finale going off over our heads (and our house) as we sat in lawn chairs in our driveway. I'm not a big fireworks person, but they were pretty good.


The main thing I noticed, aside from all the fireworks, was the NUMBER OF PEOPLE OUT AND ABOUT. We rarely see anyone in our neighborhood, but there were people sitting outside, and people walking down our street even! That hardly ever happens!

The night was topped off though by the most fantastic full moon. My picture at the top doesn't do its magnificence justice. We eventually walked around the block and probably did more staring at the moon than at all the lights flashing in the sky below it. It was nice.

So, for a non-spectacular plan, we had a pretty good fourth nonetheless.

---
 "When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,

what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?" (Psalm 8:3-4)

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