The NFC B-Day Chat Thread

[sharron]

Happy Fourth!!! I’m in my heavy jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, and a flannel over-shirt! 54 degrees on the 4th of July - this is nuts!! Expected high is 72 degrees. Guess I shouldn’t complain....I’ve gotten up in the morning on some 4th of Julys and it was already in the upper 80s. And rain this afternoon should reduce the fire risk. Our neighbor right across the street has been working all week getting ready to throw Cowley and surrounding communities his annual blowout 4th. My favorite part is when he gathers all the kids there and they all sing “God Bless America”. He calls every veteran up on the stage to express the country’s gratitude. He was just recently appointed to head the Game and Fish department in Wyoming.

Dave’s yard looks like a city park, there are so many people there! They come from all over. He provides the food, everyone else brings sides if they want, but it’s not required. Never a charge, either. Each kid there gets a backpack filled with stuff. Then the whole party moves just across the canal and he puts on a professional show to rival any I’ve ever seen. I used to collect antique teacups and had them on display racks on the walls. When his fireworks show was done in the field right across the street from our house, we could feel the explosions right through our bodies. He just moved the show just across the canal a few years ago, but you can see it from as far away as Powell! It’s huge! The “booms” have been known to knock cups right off, so I started moving them all the way back in the afternoon. The last few years his fireworks show is synchronized to patriotic music and by tuning radios to 106.1 we get the full show even though we’re sitting in my own backyard, with an unobstructed view. Not only does he do this every year, at his own expense, he’s just THE nicest man you could ever know. We all just love him and his wife Jennie and have for over 20 years. Our kids will be here about 2 just so they can get a parking place before Cowley is inundated. Then we’ll put the lawn chairs out on the sidewalk and watch the show. Katie does pretty well if she has in her ear buds with headphones over the them. Kendra still hasn’t decided if she likes the fireworks. So I’m hoping if it’s gonna rain today, it rains this afternoon then clears out.

You see where this truck is parked? I stood in my kitchen just now and took this photo to show you how close Dave’s place is. Right where the truck is is the corner lot where he used to shoot off the fireworks for the town - around $20,000 worth. Now the show has become so big he shoots them just past the canal, right where those light green Russian Olives are, visible over the truck’s trailer. What a view! And what a guy! So our 4th will be crowded and noisy and absolutely amazing, and we don’t even have to leave the house! That sidewalk is where we stick our lawn chairs.

View attachment 1834481

that sounds like a wonderful man and woman, no wonder you love them

 

[bruceha2000]

Good morning everyone!

What the heck are you doing up a 1:43 AM??? And is that "haven't gone to bed yet" or "got up WAAAAAAY too early"??

It’s the first time meeting her family.

Hopefully you'll find them to be wonderful people!

Heck I will eat ice cream with no fancy trappings on it.

And even without pie underneath!!

@Blooie, enjoy your 4th celebration! Nothing happening here but "Outdoors With The Morgans" is going to live stream their celebration at 10 PM Saturday on YouTube. I saw their 2017 video and wow, what a display. Right at their house, invite the entire neighborhood. Probably nowhere near the number for Dave's fireworks but I'd bet easily a hundred people.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Happy 4th everyone! Going to a swap on Saturday. Hopefully I will come back with less roosters etc.

 

[Blooie]

And so it begins....

 

[bruceha2000]

And so it begins....

All those people are parked RIGHT in front of your viewing spot!! I think you should have Shrek shove them out of the way.

 

[Blooie]

Nah, they’re good. They’ve been parking there for the barbecue and dance. When it starts to get dark most of them move over closer to the canal. It’s like this every year. We’ll have our spot.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Does it ever get annoying having all those people right outside your house or fireworks so close? I would think it would get loud with all the people and all the drinking unless maybe people don’t drink much or get very rowdy there? Around here they do ha I just think I’d be kind of nervous about having so many strange people/strangers so close to my house but idk, maybe I’m weird LOL one thing I will say though is it would kind of be AWESOME to be within walking distance, or better yet not even have to walk, to a party and all the fun and festivities like that haha kinda wish we had something close like that but also kind of like my privacy lol but maybe your town is also small so maybe these people are not strangers?? I bet the kids love it. It does seem fun. And how generous of him to put it on!!! What does Fiona think of all this? Has she ever been around fireworks or this many strangers before? Gator didn’t really seem to mind fireworks or thunder or anything but we never really have many fireworks around anyway. But he did bark at people walking by on the street, mostly if they had another dog with them, and the neighbors in their yard, so I feel like he would bark at that many people and all the sounds/noise haha

 

[Blooie]

Oh, it gets loud, but not rowdy-loud. And we don’t mind a bit, unless the show has started and some clown can’t seem to find a place to park. The headlights annoy me because they interfere. There is no alcohol - Dave and Jennie made it a hard and fast rule that if folks want to drink, they can do so on their own property, not theirs. And without exception attendees respect that. Fiona doesn’t mind the people, the traffic, the wagon giving rides, or the fireworks. Not a peep out of her.

Remember the photo I posted earlier of the pickup and trailer? See the field right there? That’s where he used to shoot the fireworks off, same sized show. It’s not only right across the street from us, but just across the street to the east of it is where the kids used to live. One of the reasons he moved the entire show to the other side of the canal is because he learned about Katie and Kendra’s Autism and sensitivities to the noise. I know it doesn’t sound loud in the video, but you can literally feel it in your whole body.

I took a few videos tonight - one mid-show and this one (the Finale), plus the highly unusual traffic. We never see so many cars in Cowley.

 

[drumstick diva]

Hope everyone had a good, safe Fourth of July. My son flew in today for a few days, and my birthday. So good to have him here. Haven't seen him since Xmas,
I try to get in as many hugs as possible(that he will tolerate) before he goes back home.

 

[Blooie]

Hope everyone had a good, safe Fourth of July. My son flew in today for a few days, and my birthday. So good to have him here. Haven't seen him since Xmas,
I try to get in as many hugs as possible(that he will tolerate) before he goes back home.

Oh, what a wonderful treat for your birthday! Yes, by all means - grab those hugs and tuck them in your pocket for that one day when you find yourself needing one!