Fourth of July on the Eighth of May!

So I'm sitting here at the computer about 9:30 this evening, balancing my checking account, when the air outside is suddenly split by two tremendous explosions! It took me a few moments to realize that they weren't from bombs or an industrial accident, but probably fireworks--and then, after a couple of more, smaller bursts, it dawned on me: tomorrow is Graduation Day at the SUNY College at Brockport just half a mile down the street! I dashed out into the backyard and stood there in the darkness, with one of the longest and best fireworks displays I've ever seen igniting the sky right above the trees fringing our property! The finale was unforgettable!

I LOVE fireworks, the more and bigger the better! I've loved them ever since my childhood, when Mom and Dad packed us four kids into our pajamas and then into the car, every Independence Day evening, and drove out to East River Road on Grand Island, NY, where we (and everyone else on the Island) would sit on the bank, munching popcorn that we brought in big paper shopping bags, and watched a tremendous fireworks display shot over the Niagara River. I've relived those wonderful times every Fourth of July, when the Town of Sweden puts on an excellent show above an open field a couple of miles from here.

But in recent years, the College has put on an even bigger, better show every Homecoming Weekend in the fall. Now, maybe they've added Graduation Day to the tradition. How blessed can a kid-at-heart be than to see big-time fireworks three times a year, with two of the shows right over top of his own backyard?! God Bless America!