The rocket kinda... unexpectedly flew right into the branches...

I think the tree is mostly OK, though. It did not get set on fire.

XD

For the record, this is not the worst unexpected fireworks incident in my family. That was probably 2 years ago, when my mother set the trash can on fire.

I got hit in the face with a firework a couple years ago :V

Ow.

ALMOST IN THE EYE

don't give drunk people fireworks

Yeahhhhh no...

This is Adrian's fledgling year to learn to light them.

We're making him light them one at a time, and nothing too big. So, like, smoke balls and tanks and littler daytime stuff.

...we did have a wizard duel or three with sparklers earlier today...

You guys must understand that Independence Day pyromania is a time-honored tradition in my family.

Like, this is the holiday that has typically been second only to Christmas.

............for appreciation or for pyromania?

In part because I have 1 cousin born July 3 and another July 5 on my dad's side, so we'd always have a huge party on the 4th at my grandparents' when we were young. In Seward, Nebraska.

Seward goes crazy for the 4th. It is the official Fourth of July city in this state. The whole town is basically one big party.

So, yeah. The Fourth is Kind of A Big Deal.

And yours truly is the baby of my generation on that side.

Meaning I was taught by my dad, my 3 uncles, my big brother, and eight older cousins.

...one of my uncles has been known to shoot M-80s out of a deer rifle off the back porch, so.

So, am I the biggest pyro in the family? YOU'D BETTER FUCKING BELIEVE IT.

As in, for the last decade, more or less, I've been the one primarily in charge of the "show," not just for my family, but also for my friend's family, who lived in Seward for years.

And also for my mom's friend's family, because said friend of my mom's has a birthday on the Fourth.

And now... Now, I am teaching my son. The scion of the grand tradition of fireworks.

In a few years, he'll be blowing tanks to smithereens and setting debris piles on fire and lighting off chains of fireworks.

Just like Mom.

ventose Yeah, it's great! The courthouse square turns into this huge bazaar, like a farmer's market kinda, but with less produce. They have shows at the bandshell all day, big parade...

There's usually a book sale at the library there.

Carinval stuff as well.

(Mom never got into Nebraska 4th stuff, since she grew up in Boston, where fireworks are what the town does over the river/ocean.)

Yeah, there is the little midway thing.

(Dad... my father is a chemist. One of my earliest memories is Mom carting all of us to the ER because he temp-blinded himself with UV light. Dad rather likes fireworks.)

I think I remember the story of him kinda burning his retinas.

Yep. Always use a UV filter on mercury lamps.

This discussion makes me feel like going out and buying fireworks.