This is the first time we’ve ever lived in a city on July 4th that allows fireworks, so we did our patriotic duty and went down to the grocery store (yes, you can buy fireworks at the grocery store here) and bought a bunch.  Not all fireworks are legal, but you can get more than just sparklers.  Nothing that shoots into the air or explodes is legal, so there are no firecrackers or bottle rockets, which are my all-time favorites, but we had fun nonetheless.

We got a bunch of those little black pellets called “snakes” or “worms” that fizzle and grow really long ashes as they burn.  They were the least fun.

We also got some snappers which are little paper wads stuffed with a little explosives and some tiny pebbles.  When you throw them on the ground they spark and make a small popping noise.  Isaac was allowed to use these and we had fun with these a little during the day.

 

The biggest thing Isaac was allowed to work with himself was the sparklers.  We got a bunch of these and had lots of fun waving them around just as the sun went down.  The video above is Isaac waving around some of these sparklers.

Pretty much everything else we got was just a variation on the sparkler only bigger and louder.  Since nothing that shoots or explodes is legal this was all we could hope for.

We saved the biggest thing for last.  It basically looked like a quart milk carton with a fuse on top and when lit it shot sparks and fire balls six or seven feet in the air.  The second video is this of this monster in action.

 

 

I’ve started scanning in a bunch of old family photos.  They all need to be given titles, descriptions, dates, etc.  If you can help with this and have a Flickr account, please let me know and I will give you rights to make changes to the set.  If you do not have a Flickr account but you can identify some of the photos, please let me know and either I’ll help you get an account, or we’ll work something else out.

Otherwise, the set is available to the public, so at the very least, you can browse through the photos.

I have many, many more photos to scan in, so check back often if you are interested.  I’ll post something here whenever I upload more than a few.

Right now, I’m working on photos from my dad’s family.  Later there will also be a set from my mom’s family.

Link: Flickr Set