fireworks

"Some people don't take Omaha's ban on fireworks too seriously." Robert Nelson, Omaha World-Herald, July 6, 2009

Understatement.

Words don't really describe how much of an understatement that quote is. You really have to be here, experience it, to believe it. Think of the Star Spangled Banner- "and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air..." The poppoppop of crackers. The high pitched whistle of bottlerockets. The blue-gray haze of smoke hanging. The rumble of explosives.

That's Omaha on the 4th. (and did I mention, fireworks are officially illegal?)

We made our meager contribution to the mayhem. The girls in our family are partial to fountains. We like to pick our pyrotechnics by the pretty names, like the Friendship Pagoda, the Dancing Butterfly and the Golden Flower. The boys? They tend more towards the grand finale- like the Dragon of Death, the Festival of Fire, and The Home Run.

We waved sparklers, and chased flying and then floating parachute men. We ooohed and aahed. And then we pulled the dog out from under the bed and doused another 4th of July celebration.