Fourth of July Texas Style

This summer has been full of activities. Here is just one that started us off.

In July we experienced our first Independence Day Celebration in Texas. Coming from Arizona we've never had much experience with our own fireworks as they were illegal there. Here in Texas though they are not. We learned to set off your own fireworks people have to goto a pre chosen "safe zone". I'm not so sure the term "safe" is really safe, at least not in respect to people that is. We started our evening nicely with one of Kirk's co-workers and his family watching the Six Flags Fireworks show in a parking lot nearby. Sorry I'm no expert at fireworks pics.

The kids enjoyed glow necklaces and bracelets the family brought. Here is Jonah with the colors and Nicholas to the right in front.

Here is Isaiah below:

It wasn't the Phoenix Fireworks show but nice nevertheless. We visited and then left on our own to light up some of our fireworks we purchased earlier.

When we bought these things from a big wood booth at the side of the freeway I was amazed at how much variety and quantity they offered. The names of these things were like "love on fire" and "doom"....Hmm. I overheard one seller telling a questioning buyer instructions for the "love on fire" package, just lite it up and stand back. Yep. One can spend alot at a place like that. I just hoped those in China who made all these fireworks had no hard feelings towards us Americans.

So anyway back to the "safe zone"...we had a hard time finding it but once we did there was no mistaking it. This "safe zone" was smack dab right next to the freeway. Fireworks bursting in air, bombs exploding, buzzuka like noise, smoke haze, and this all was to the MAX. Any grand finale we've ever seen compared nothing to all the fireworks we experienced that night.

Thomas clung to my side, Jonah I pulled close to keep him from harms way, or so I hoped. I certainly didn't feel safe let alone how could I protect the little ones. I was mesmorized by the fire shooting out of a wand like stick someone held every few seconds like something from a Harry Potter movie. Nick didn't like the smoke bombs, they just kind of stunk.

Fireworks trash littered the entire grass fields and the huge metal trash bins there filled to the gills with boxes and remains of spent fireworks. It was amazing and incredibly LOUD. Did I say it was loud? It felt like we were in a war zone without the true fear of death but loud and never knowing if something would be coming at ya. People were so close. One guy was lighting a huge firework display package 5 feet from Kirk who decided after it started going off that was way too close. The fireworks in the air seem so close they they'll touch you but none of them ever did. Ashes would come down like snow flakes.

Whew intense! Kirk loved it. Isaiah thought it was no big deal. In all my life I've never seen anything like it. A "safe zone" in Texas on the Fourth of July is a WOW experience that is not for the faint of heart. And Mom I don't recommend it, you'd have a heart attack or nervous breakdown or something. Stick to the traditional Fireworks display. Yeah I do love ya.

By the way I don't know if a photo of a "safe zone" could depict the full intensity of it all. Maybe a video camera but I doubt it. Maybe we can try next year. Glinda