Happy 4th of July to all

[ctom]

Here in Rochester we are celebrating today. The 4th has been our holiday to host a shindig thru the afternoon into early evening and then we all wander over to the lake/park a couple blocks away to watch the people and the fireworks.

I have a 17 pound beef brisket smoke-cooked, chilled, and ready for the knife in the fridge. with the heat we are seeing there'll be lots of cold salads to go along with the beef that gets heated in a crock pot, served with several options of BBQ sauce.

Except for the kids and grandkids that live in Spain, we'll have all of them here today and a whole bunch of extended family. Got the safety glasses cleaned and the punk sticks laid out so the younger kids can learn to safely play with the usual goodies while under the thumb of the master....meaning me. Oh yes, the inner child comes out to play today. When the local display has ended, I light things up pretty good back at the house. Got some pretty things this year.

So from this family to yours, have a great 4th Of July! Be safe in all of your endeavors today, whether on the road or on the water. Watch the weather and the heat. But most of all, take to heart the meaning of the day's festivities and please take a few seconds to thank those who are serving in our Armed Forces, or have served, and those who have paid the highest possible price for the freedoms we hold today.

79 degrees right now. The coolest I have seen it for six days. They're predicting triple figures for today. 

[Denny Welch]

You're a class act, Tom

[Jason]

You're a class act, Tom

X2

Happy 4th of July to all!

Jason

[mrex]

Have fun be safe. 

[pjmcla]

I too, really enjoy a good fireworks show.  But this year fireworks are ill advised around here.   The grass is all brown and everything is really dry.  Not a good condition for backyard fireworks at all.  Once again; over 100 degrees here as well.
 
Everyone have a happy; COOL; and Safe 4th.

[ctom]

All in all it was a great day and evening. It was HOT and HUMId from the get go but by 9 last night the breeze ramped up and it got downright tolerable to sit and wait for the fireworks at the park. The city contracted a new pyro to display this year and whoever they are they can be proud of their show. Mother Nature added her own highlights by providing clear skies and a near full moom to backlight the display. Between the fireworks and the luminaries floating past the moon we had quite a run of wonder for the grandkids. They enjoyed their own "show" too and at night's end there were no burns or even near misses.

The food was great and we didn't have a whole lots of clean-up when the dinner-line stopped so I guess we'd call that part a success too.

Gotta share this though. I was never able to serve in the service due to some physical issues resulting from a rough childhood. I did, however, enlist in the Army when I was still in highschool under the delayed-entry program. It was during the enlistment physical that my the issues were discovered. Regardless, I am very pro-military and have very strong feelings about serving this country in one way or another. The heat became a topic for discussion between two or three people as we sat in the shade and ate. A couple people said that we should have moved into some larger place with air conditioning or that we should have just cancelled our get-together. These carps sort of lit my fuse.

I walked away from the original complaint department, chalking the banter up to the heat, but when the topic came up later at the park while we waited for the display I couldn't help myself.  I flatly stated that those who died or are serving or have served defending this country and are the reason we could do what we were doing yesterday did not have an option to say why not move the war to an air conditioned arena or to choose to not fight today because its a little warm. I asked both of them, knowing full well they had not, if they had served in the service. I told them to show some respect for those who had.

Other than the little discussion about respect, the day and evening was flawless and a wonderful time. Now if I can hang onto my health to do this again next year. It seems with age every following year this day just gets better and better. I don't need a holiday to say God Bless America but it is nice to have one day set aside for some serious reflection and I certainly don't need a holiday to say God Bless all of those who serve this country.

[Jason]

Tom,

Thanks for sticking up for those who serve.  I remember being in the Gulf and it being so hot you couldn't even put your hand on anything metal or it would burn you.  It would have been nice to move it to someplace cooler, or better yet, home.  I've learned you have to take it with a grain of salt.  All of us have our strengths and weaknesses.  The biggest thing is you really don't know what anything is like unless you've walked a mile in someone shoes.  Unfortunately, not everyone understands this.

I'm glad there are people like you who support and defend those who served. 

Because of the efforts of our troops, hopefully those who don't get it will never have to walk that mile.

Jason

[ctom]

I've lost a lot of friends to land mines and bullets on foriegn soil.

What really rips my knickers is when some of these non-servers go play softball in tourneys when the temps are swinging on the low end of 100 degrees and don't whine a bit, but can't be found outside for a social gathering without siveling and making the whole event a pissing match.

Thanks for serving Jason. You shine!