The Fourth of July

When I was a kid we use to go to my aunt and uncle’s house in Fairfax County, VA every year for a cookout and to shoot off fireworks. (I lived in Alexandria where fireworks were illegal, but Fairfax County still allows them.) My brother and I were always very excited at the prospect of fireworks. As dusk approached we would take the little black pellets that came with most firework assortments and light them on fire to produce long, black ash snakes. As it got a little darker, we would the light the sparklers. This was a great group participation activity, running around throwing sparklers in the air and getting a new sparkler lit off a dying one. Finally, the main event took off with our older cousins doing the honors — the fountains and cones with all the light and noise and the smell of cordite. Those days are long past. Since we’ve been married, we’ve seen the fireworks display on the Washington Monument grounds a few years here and there (spectacular), but we mostly host a cookout at our house with our friends. This year is no different. We will be having our usual fare — gazpacho, devilled eggs, cole slaw, baked beans, hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausages. And fireworks.