What Are You Doing for the 4th of July?

I don't have an agenda, I don't have an itinerary. I only know this: I will celebrate the 4th of July with friends and family as I have done my entire life. Granted, my family is invited to an annual pool party (killer balloon fight) which will subject me to water basketball and diving-board antics, but the bottom line is that we all gather to celebrate.

I remember a 4th of July party at my sister's cottage on Wamplers Lake in Michigan. As tradition dictated, her husband led the parade on his lawnmower around the neighborhood. Kids were dressed in patriotic attire and we ended up at a house that was blaring the National Anthem. I think it segued into The Alan Parsons Project, but I digress. The fireworks started at dusk from beyond the beach. Boats gathered from all over the lake to get ready to watch the display. If I remember correctly, my brother-in-law spent close to 2 grand on fireworks that year, the last official year of the display. We prepared the various displays by gluing them to sheets of plywood curing the late afternoon. We then took those sheets one by one out into the water and placed them on saw-horses that kept them just above the water line.

The reason I mentioned that this was the last "official" display is that the budget for the fireworks kept increasing every year. That particular year, however, saw the budget busted. A particular firework display went awry and caught a neighbor's boat cover on fire. Although the boat was saved, it cost almost $500 to replace the cover. Oh well, I guess all good things must eventually come to an end.

What do you do? I wonder what Sarah Palin will do?

I suspect that you and I, Sarah Palin, and the rest of our families will do pretty much the same thing. We'll honor the event of our independence and celebrate in whatever way we can, hoping to avoid budget-busting accidents.

Drop me a comment and let me know about your favorite 4th of July!