The color fades from the sky, lightening to pale blue, which then grays as it gradually mixes with black. The first star appears overhead, and the tree frogs turn up the volume.
Now they seem to drown out the noise of big rigs on the freeway just over the hill. And here on the side of the road, even the cars that drive right past have a hard time making themselves heard over the frog cacaphony.
We sit in the back of the pickup, the kids and I, and wait for full darkness, with its promise of sound and light and the smell of smoke. This is the time of day when I most appreciate Georgia summers.
The recent departure of the sun has brought relief from the July heat. Comfortable warmth, along with a pleasant breeze, remains. And the kids swing bare legs over the tailgate as they take turns asking,
“When will the fireworks start?”
I think this is our fifth year “attending” these fireworks. I put that in quotes because we’ve never really gone to the “show.” Years ago, long before we moved to the country, a kinda-fancy resort hotel plopped itself down in the middle of farmland.
Even as it’s slowly been hemmed in by suburban neighborhoods and strip malls, the hotel is still an island in a sea of ball caps, chewing tobacco, and gunrack-sporting pickup trucks. We hardly notice it until Independence Day, when the staff puts on a very good fireworks display.
And less than a mile away, the view is perfect. Sure, we could dive into the mini traffic jam and see better at the resort. But I don’t think we’d get a better seat. We pull over with a few hundred other small-town and country folks on both sides of the long, straight frontage road.
Soccer moms with minivans from sparkling new subdivisions park next to battered trucks with old farmers in overalls. And vehicles and lawnchairs stretch as far as the encroaching darkness allows us to see.
“When will the fireworks start?”
Boom. Boom. BOOM.
Finally.
I could write a lot of things about Independence Day. Freedom. Tradition. Pain and promise and sacrifice.
Incredibly important concepts, all. But as I sit under stars and power lines with my kids, surrounded by other parents doing the same, I’m most impacted by other ideas:
Family. Contentment. Home.
Sure, it’s after 9:30 and the kids are punchy and irritable. And in the back of my mind I’m nagged by worry about how grumpy they’ll be at church tomorrow.
But then an elbow dents the soft flesh of my belly. And a little hand seizes my arm, hugging it like a pillow or a beloved stuffed animal. Wow and Shh! and Did you see that one? punctuate the silence.
And I’m glad. The only thing that matters is this moment.
FLASH. BOOM. Sparks crackle and sizzle as they float to earth.
Ahhhhhh!
Shouts of appreciation are followed by near-silence. Just the voices of tree frogs and the hum of conversation fill the air. The scent of smoke wafts by.
In my plastic Adirondack chair with the cracked seat that keeps pinching my thighs, I cradle my girls on my lap. Together in the bed of our redneck pickup, we watch and listen and feel.
I’m grateful for my country.
But I’m blessed by my small community and family.
After the finale, with headlights and rumbles and purrs of engines, we clamber into our vehicles. The road fills as we flip U-turns and wave to our neighbors. Soon the frontage road is empty and nearly-silent again.
The tree frogs continue their chorus.
16 responses so far ↓
1 Jo@Mylestones // Jul 6, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Steph-I love this!! I know your bread and butter is the funny stuff….but you rock the sweet and sentimental too! I can just hear those tree frogs….
2 @ngie // Jul 6, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Wow, Steph. That was amazing. Brought back really great memories. Thanks for sharing this with us.
@ngie’s last blog post..Bible Give Away
3 Amy Warden // Jul 6, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I think I might have preferred your version to sitting in the hospital parking lot with thousands of other people who are watching the fireworks being shot off from the mall across the road from us. Suburbia just doesn’t have the same ambience.
Amy Warden’s last blog post..Happy 4th!
4 Lianne // Jul 6, 2009 at 5:56 pm
This was beautiful! And I thought it was going to be something icky about frogs… : )
Lianne’s last blog post..A Bathroom Rant
5 Beth // Jul 6, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Yup. Could hear it, smell it, feel it…
Loved it!
6 Candy // Jul 6, 2009 at 8:19 pm
So many memories of “look at that one, Mom!” when the kids were little. We used to anchor the boat and watch them from the river as the waves lapped against the side. Sweet memories!
Candy’s last blog post..Solitude
7 Charlie // Jul 6, 2009 at 8:59 pm
OK, now I regret not having gone with you. But I all honesty, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed being there as much as I enjoyed reading your perspective of it. Thanks for writing it.
8 Nick the Geek // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Sounds like a great time. I’ll be psoting on our 4th celebration soon enough but I gotta get through the vacation stuff first.
Let me say that we use to have the best place for 4th in the town I graduated in. They had a week of celebration at the park less than a mile from where we lived so we went once for the event, since there was a lot of fun stuff at the park, then just sat on the porch swing and watched the fireworks the rest of the week.
When we lived in MO the best firework display was the Celebrate America display by James River Assembly of God. It started with 10k people and the last year we were there nearly 100k attended. I was never in that number because, well those kinds of crowds bother me, but we watched on TV.
9 Candy // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Aww, Charlie, that was like a bloggy foot rub. Sweet.
Candy’s last blog post..Solitude
10 faemom // Jul 6, 2009 at 11:27 pm
That was amazing. I think that was on of your best posts. Wow.
faemom’s last blog post..Does any one have rum?: A 4 year old’s pirate party
11 Wendy // Jul 7, 2009 at 12:44 am
Yes, it was a really nice post. Sounds like the perfect 4th there. And glad to see you posting again. No more vacations for you.
Wendy’s last blog post..Life is Funny y’all
12 Annie K // Jul 7, 2009 at 8:07 am
There is nothing like small town 4th of July. You made me miss that Steph…
Annie K’s last blog post..Reflections On The 4th Of July
13 katdish // Jul 7, 2009 at 9:38 am
That, my friend…was an amazing piece of writing.
More, please!
katdish’s last blog post..Pardon Me while I Rant incessantly…
14 joyce // Jul 7, 2009 at 2:43 pm
This was great.
joyce’s last blog post..It’s A Grand Old Flag
15 Rebecca // Jul 7, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Absolutely loved this! My children were running all over while we watched fireworks with relatives, and the commotion was too much for tree frogs in their neighborhood. Sounds like a homey Independence Day for you.
16 thefarmerfiles // Jul 9, 2009 at 4:38 am
Because somethings are just worth taking the time to enjoy! Happy Fourth! Love the Fourth! It is our 11 yr anniversary this year!
thefarmerfiles’s last blog post..The Vitafamiliae Visit
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