You guys should come camp in my parent's yard next year. The neighbors have a big party every year and actually purchase "real" fireworks to set off. Had to have cost thousands, but it was nice to just walk over and have a show right over our heads.
We also had crackling cacti - although no issues. Very exciting stuff! Collin just stared at it all - didn't seem bothered by the noise, just wondering what the heck it was.
4:18 PM
According to the news, watermelon is nature's Viagra. I think this is a great time for my annual bike ride with TCBC to retool and go with the saying, "Come to the Watermelon Ride, You'll See Fireworks Later".
My favorite overheard phrase from the ride, fully appropriate for someone in tight-fighting, spandex bike shorts, "In commemoration of this momentous holiday I'd just like to say, yank my doodle, its a dandy."
My second favorite overheard conversation between a guy and girl who were obviously on a beach date as they were walking back to their car, "So...you'll probably think this is really gross, but I have to ask this question. [Very long pause]. So you work with dogs, right?" That's not what I would have guessed the question to be, but if it's the first half of it, it's potentially more disgusting than anything I was imagining.
Here we are before the ride. We did the 15 mile this year. It's Eryn's first year on the tagalong, and given her history of falling off this year, and my history of not exercising quite enough the last two weeks, we went with the shorter ride rather than the 25. I think we'll give that a try next year. It's just not that farther, particularly as there are two rest stops. Eryn has new bike shorts. She wsa very excited about her butt not hurting after all that time in the saddle. [Image]
Grandpa and Grandma, ready to roll. Grandpa looks suspiciously like a bike cop. [Image]
Eryn points to where we should go. Or maybe it's a Babe Ruth sort of thing, and she's pointing to where we'll end up after we ride. Fairly easy, as it's a big circle. [Image]
The game is afoot! Eryn and I are wearing our matching Ironman tshirts. Almost. Her's does some Ironwoman on one side, my doesn't. We have matching shirts from the last several MN Ironman events, although she's just starting to fit into them instead of having to use them as nightgowns. Look at that view. Wouldn't you want to tagalong behind me for 15 miles? [Image]
Scott, registering for the event, and not realizing until after the ride that I'd been standing there clicking photos of him. I'm stealth paparazzi. He asked me at work how you knew if you'd been successfully registered. I pointed out that you didn't, except for him, because I'd sent him an email stating, "Hey, I see you're going on the ride!" That's the benefit of knowing the guy who types in the preregistration forms. He took his whole family on the trip - they looked like they had a great time. [Image]
Eryn being cute at the rest stop. It was crowded this year - lots of people, lots of Burleys. The Gatorade was from concentrate instead of powder for some reason, a vast improvement. [Image]
Grandpa, Eryn and me eating after the ride. I think he wrote all the turns on his hand, which is why he's checking it like that. He's making sure he's really at the end. [Image]
Eryn rubbed the hot dog around her lips like lipstick to be funny. It was disgusting. A good picture of the teeth that fell out, and how they're coming in. There are five others in close proximity that are loose, so if the front one's aren't in, she'll be drinking through a straw soon. [Image]
After the ride, we hit the beach, just down the hill from the pavilion. We went to the beach two days in a row. Yesterday we did Schultz Lake in Eagan. I think this is a funny picture because here's Eryn, all dressed up to swim, and in the back it looks like a scene out of Breaking Away. [Image]
Fish devouring Pooteewheet's foot. These were very annoying (the fish, not Pooteewheet's toes). If you were standing in the lake, they'd dart up and nip at a toe or ankle, and if you kicked one while you were walking, the bony little bastards hurt. Not as much as the football I got hit in the neck with while minding my own business, but a distant second. [Image]
We didn't go out for fireworks in the evening, but stayed in and had a fire in the back yard and lit off the fountains and sparklers we had. I think next year we may try a bigger display - Eryn seems very hesitant about all the noise. She and Pooteewheet camped in the yard overnight which, given it was the 4th of July, wasn't the optimal camping-out night, with the fireworks going off until 2:00 a.m. I slept very comfortably in the bed all by myself. [Image]
Proof that Eryn doesn't like loud. Even the crackling cactus gets her to cover her ears. [Image]
A crackling cactus gone horribly wrong. I watched a show on PBS later in the evening where they were showing the safety measures the company that does the DC show takes to ensure employee safety. They normally hang out in a shipping container for safety during displays, so they took a container and pointed fireworks at it in 2" increments. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 put dents in the side, which was what they expected. Then they fired the 12" at the container, and it punched a hole in it the size of a Ford Focus. They all looked shocked. There was a lot of discussion about sloping sides to ensure all the blast didn't go directly into the container. [Image]
Very pretty, although it is scorching the lawn in all those places it looks like sparks are dancing onto water. [Image]
"Yank My Doodle"
1 Comment -
You guys should come camp in my parent's yard next year. The neighbors have a big party every year and actually purchase "real" fireworks to set off. Had to have cost thousands, but it was nice to just walk over and have a show right over our heads.
We also had crackling cacti - although no issues. Very exciting stuff! Collin just stared at it all - didn't seem bothered by the noise, just wondering what the heck it was.
4:18 PM