So we finished fireworks, and my sister left for Bellingham and my brother left and my dad's getting ready for bed, since all three of them have to work tomorrow, meaning not exactly a family night tonight. We skipped a movie. It's 11:30, so I don't have much time to describe the whole thing, and even if I did, there's so much tradition behind my family that I would never be able to give it all.
But basically...dinner tonight was a very nontraditional selection: hot dogs that were cooked over a charcoal grill. I mean, that's probably a time-honored tradition of American families everywhere, but it's not something WE do, but it was nice all the same.
I forget the exact order, but it was about this time we did the parachutes. Usually, the small parachutes misfire notoriously often, resulting in high "casualties". This time, all six went off! Well, half failed to fully deploy, but almost all of them were caught anyway. It was the four big parachutes that we had trouble with this year.
After that, we experimented with a few fireworks that, ah...let's just say originated from South Dakota. When we live in Washington. We actually got some cool effects from smoke bombs, by sticking a colored (purple) one in a milk container. We also blew up a few soda cans, among other stuff. Was fun.
Then came corn on the cob. I don't have any because I like mine with melted butter and was already full from three hot dogs (mostly, anyway), so I didn't have any, as per the new norm, but the rest of my family did. Then, we had the family tradition of charcoal-grilling smores.
Now, as per recently (as in, just about Memorial Day), we've broken a tradition: we bought metal forks to put our marshmallows on rather than hunting down sticks to whittle down with a knife and burn on the fire to sanitize. Still, the basics remain, where we always try to avoid the 'honor' of "first to burn". A title usually rewarded to me, though I've gotten better.
Without a movie to watch, and time to kill, we needed to wait until 10 to start the fireworks, so we discussed activities. Video games were briefly discussed, but we don't have four controllers except when my brother brings his. (Plus, at least half the controllers would be dead anyway.) So instead, we opted for card games, and tried out a new Star Trek Uno deck...and found...surprise! New cards, with new rules.
My older sister and I both won the first four rounds (a 2-2-0-0 tie), but then my younger sister pulled a darkhorse victory by winning three games in a row. I did well in most of those. For instance, my brother in the first game had two cards left. Bother were legal plays. By playing the reverse card, he let my sister win. Had he played his normal card, I would have won.
We, uh...play pretty competitively and are fairly nasty. We all are on the hardcore level, but of us, my brother is the most casual. (Which is why I like to be next to him in the rotation!) My younger sister and I are about tied, with my older sister being the nastiest. (Which is why I like to sit diagonal to her!)
Anyway, after the humiliating defeat, it was late enough to get started. Soon after we began (we purchase about $150 per year in fireworks), it began to rain. This did not put a dampener on the night. We stashed the fireworks in a more dry area, most of us layered up, and we rushed through as quickly as we could, though at one point...we heard a squeaking noise.
And at that point, we paused, to locate it. And what we found was...the sound was coming from a baby gopher. (Who was probably scared.) We weren't exactly sure what the best thing to do was, but ultimately, we decided to put an old sled over where the gopher was. This seemed to quiet the poor thing, and probably will serve as a method of protecting it until it finds its way back to the hole it came from. At least, that's the hope.
It was a nice display, faster than normal, but handled well.
So that's the quick rundown of our Fourth of July. It's not a perfect description, lots of little moments here and there lost that you'd just have to be there to understand, but all the same, thought you might appreciate the insight into my life.
But basically...dinner tonight was a very nontraditional selection: hot dogs that were cooked over a charcoal grill. I mean, that's probably a time-honored tradition of American families everywhere, but it's not something WE do, but it was nice all the same.
I forget the exact order, but it was about this time we did the parachutes. Usually, the small parachutes misfire notoriously often, resulting in high "casualties". This time, all six went off! Well, half failed to fully deploy, but almost all of them were caught anyway. It was the four big parachutes that we had trouble with this year.
After that, we experimented with a few fireworks that, ah...let's just say originated from South Dakota. When we live in Washington. We actually got some cool effects from smoke bombs, by sticking a colored (purple) one in a milk container. We also blew up a few soda cans, among other stuff. Was fun.
Then came corn on the cob. I don't have any because I like mine with melted butter and was already full from three hot dogs (mostly, anyway), so I didn't have any, as per the new norm, but the rest of my family did. Then, we had the family tradition of charcoal-grilling smores.
Now, as per recently (as in, just about Memorial Day), we've broken a tradition: we bought metal forks to put our marshmallows on rather than hunting down sticks to whittle down with a knife and burn on the fire to sanitize. Still, the basics remain, where we always try to avoid the 'honor' of "first to burn". A title usually rewarded to me, though I've gotten better.
Without a movie to watch, and time to kill, we needed to wait until 10 to start the fireworks, so we discussed activities. Video games were briefly discussed, but we don't have four controllers except when my brother brings his. (Plus, at least half the controllers would be dead anyway.) So instead, we opted for card games, and tried out a new Star Trek Uno deck...and found...surprise! New cards, with new rules.
My older sister and I both won the first four rounds (a 2-2-0-0 tie), but then my younger sister pulled a darkhorse victory by winning three games in a row. I did well in most of those. For instance, my brother in the first game had two cards left. Bother were legal plays. By playing the reverse card, he let my sister win. Had he played his normal card, I would have won.
We, uh...play pretty competitively and are fairly nasty. We all are on the hardcore level, but of us, my brother is the most casual. (Which is why I like to be next to him in the rotation!) My younger sister and I are about tied, with my older sister being the nastiest. (Which is why I like to sit diagonal to her!)
Anyway, after the humiliating defeat, it was late enough to get started. Soon after we began (we purchase about $150 per year in fireworks), it began to rain. This did not put a dampener on the night. We stashed the fireworks in a more dry area, most of us layered up, and we rushed through as quickly as we could, though at one point...we heard a squeaking noise.
And at that point, we paused, to locate it. And what we found was...the sound was coming from a baby gopher. (Who was probably scared.) We weren't exactly sure what the best thing to do was, but ultimately, we decided to put an old sled over where the gopher was. This seemed to quiet the poor thing, and probably will serve as a method of protecting it until it finds its way back to the hole it came from. At least, that's the hope.
It was a nice display, faster than normal, but handled well.
So that's the quick rundown of our Fourth of July. It's not a perfect description, lots of little moments here and there lost that you'd just have to be there to understand, but all the same, thought you might appreciate the insight into my life.
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