The 4th of July has always been one of my most favorite holidays of the year. More so I think when I was younger and the family did more things together. In later years however, age and loss of family members has changed the level of festivities that the family partakes in. Now, weather permitting, the day mostly consists of relaxing under the shade tree, grilling something for dinner, and watching the local fireworks display.
Over the years, the witnessing of the fireworks has evolved into a fairly new tradition that probably would seem strange to some. Around 9 ~ 9:30 or so, you can noticeably see a small increase in traffic on my road as people begin to head to the small village of Lyndonville for the annual 4th of July fireworks display.
This is something that my immediate family however does NOT do. Instead, just before the show starts at 10:00, my Father and Brother and myself, walk down the road a ways where it’s open farmland on each side of the road, and we stand there and watch the shows from there. Yes, I said shows – plural – because from that vantage point, not only can we see most of the main show in Lyndonville, but also all of the closer private shows that are going on all around us.
I’ve never been a big fan of crowds anyway, probably because of my years dealing with people while working for Disney, but there’s also something else besides getting away from the hustle and bustle of people that I actually like. For lack of a better way to explain it, it’s like a feeling of awareness of living in a larger world.
As you turn and look around, and you see the flashes in the sky all around you, and hear the booms and bangs both near and far you realize that it’s not just the man-made show that’s going on but Mother Nature usually puts on a show all of her own. This year, like most other years, along with the sights and sounds of the fireworks displays, Mother Nature brought out millions, probably trillions, of firefly’s or lightning bugs that lit up the open fields and also way up in the trees. She also brought out the other night creatures as well and you could hear tree frogs singing in the trees, owls, and last night in particular – a fox calling out in the distance…
After about 30 or 40 minutes though, the man-made shows are over until next year, and we head back to the house – but we’re fully aware that Mother Natures show will go on through out the night, like every other night.
Happy 4th of July!