Who's Got Better Fireworks?

Of course one cannot properly celebrate the 4th of July without attending a fireworks show. This year it was my privilege to view two separate show and was left wondering which had the better fireworks. We had dinner up at the Lake House on Sunday the 3rd of July and many of the Lake inhabitants put on shows of their own. This year, on about 3 separate docks on the west end of the Lake a virtual professional show was exhibited. We heard later that the elderly father of a family that owns one of the docks died earlier in the year and he loved fireworks on the 4th of July. So the family decided to spend a bunch of their inheritance on fireworks to honor him on the first 4th after his passing. Here is just some of the show from the Lake.

The following day, on July 4th proper, we set up chairs on our unfinished deck at the house in Edmonds to watch the formal Edmonds fireworks show. Jeanne and her family watched the show every year when she was young, so it was exciting to anticipate the upcoming show. We weren't sure where to look, but when the first firework exploded just about directly over our deck, it was clear we would enjoy the show. Here are some pictures from that show. Please vote in the comments which show you think was best!

The view from the deck is pretty remarkable. If you look real close in the distance, you can see that Kingston started their show earlier. We also could see fireworks from Whidby Island and Mukilteo. Then the Edmonds show began.

I hope you all had WONDERFUL 4th of July celebrations!

I Love Small Town Parades

One of the best things about Elizabethtown, PA was that there were about 4 parades a year. Same participants basically in each parade, slightly different theme, but something special that brings a town together, creates a venue where everyone meets and truly senses they are part of a community. Well ... for some reason it never occurred to me that Edmonds, WA might have parades. I don't know, too posh, too snobby, too disconnected, too progressive????? Boy, was I wrong. Edmonds had a great 4th of July parade and it felt just as intimate, just as community oriented and just as patriotic as PA. I might grow to like Edmonds!

Anybody want a flag? There were plenty to go around even though the crowd was large.

How many times did our kids pick up candy from the street during parades in Elizabethtown. It was almost deja vu. Although the candy people in Edmonds were much less agressive than in E-Town, they practically put it in your hands. I recall getting hit pretty hard on a couple of occasions in E-Town by flying hard candy.

There were clowns ...

and horses ...

and even Santa made it to the parade, looking remarkably like the Santa in "Miracle On 34th Street."

There were the "regulars" ...

and the "surprises" ...

but mostly it was just a bunch of people enjoying the weather, the feeling of patriotism and the distinct sense of community.