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| Edgewater's nascent bonfire |
It’s the third of July. What this means, here in Valhalla, is that The Amazing Bob and I stay indoors most of the day.Warum? Big, BIG Neck-wide Annual Independence Day Celebration. Every home, or so it seems, has a mondo BBQ party. Streets are closed, the bus stops running, there are cops on bikes pedaling around all day, the seawall’s packed with kids setting off small, New Hampshire bought fireworks.
Later this morning there’ll be bike decorating fun (I should go with my trike, eh?) at the Houghs Neck Community Center just up the street from us. After that, the decked out bikes will parade to Edgewater Beach—the “big” beach located three blocks down the shoreline from us.
From noon until three “Family Fun Day” activities will be underway—games, races, sandcastle contests, arts and crafts, face painting, tattoos, a magic show, a moon bouncey thing and a dunk tank. It’s all free. There’ll be food for sale as well as T shirts. Ya know, we’ve lived here for 13 years and I’ve never gotten a Hough’s Neck T. I think it’s about damn time—don’t you?
Then, after darkness falls, the fireworks and bonfire begin.
The Amazing Bob will, likely, spend the day in his study with Louis Armstrong playing loud and proud on the HiFi system. Though the man’s birthday’s not until August 4rth, TAB has declared July 4rth Louis Armstrong Day.Why do we hide out, essentially, on this big party day? The fireworks. Like other war veterans, TAB’s not keen on the intermittent but all day bangs, cracks and blasts. It makes him tense, takes him back to a bad place and time.
Me? I just hate crowds.
Rocco, a veteran of outdoor world—including 13 of these celebrations—is already hunkered down in TAB’s study closet. Our boy’s not a fan of sudden explosive sound either. Can’t blame him.
Coco? She’s on her usual front window perch, trying to catch a breeze. Of us all, she is the most calm. Or, mebbe, our sweet princess is just hot and after a breeze.
