Friday, April 15, 2011

SCARED. TO. DEATH.

The Fourth of July in the Washington DC area was a big deal.  I don't have specific memories about how we celebrated the Fourth as a family. There may have been a picnic with friends or ward members.  But the one thing that we always did was go see the fireworks that were set off at the Washington Monument.

Usually, we drove to somewhere along the Virginia side of the Potomac River where we could get a decent view of the fireworks.  When I was about five or six, however, my father decided that he would make the extra effort to go into Washington and see how close we could get to where the fireworks were being set off.  We knew that there were ground displays as well as over head  fireworks.  Getting up close and personal would give us a chance to see the ground displays.

Up close and personal was what we got, alright.  We were able to get a spot directly across the street from where the ground displays were.  It was also where the over head fireworks were being set off. We were in for an unforgettable experience. 

We had a great view of the ground displays.  When the over head fireworks started to go off, we got more than we bargained for.  The noise was deafening and hot ashes fell from above directly on us.  I was terrified and screamed the entire time.  There was no way to get out of there until it was all over.

After that experience, watching the fireworks from across the river was OK with everyone.  I love fireworks, but still prefer them from a distance.

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