i was in new mexico for six years, so no surprise that i was out of touch a little with the development of fireworks shows and fireworks culture. in new mexico they're strictly forbidden but we could have gone fifty miles to see a show on a lake; we never did. they did have them, sometimes, unnder extremely controlled conditions, but this year half the place burned down including the place they used to shoot them off, so if you mentioned fireworks they'd probably give you a sick laugh.

here, the forests are green, the grass green, an abundance of rain, and they were shooting them off on the lake. people sat on the green hillside and you could tell it's beenn raininng a lot. the first ones were above the treeline but then they got more intense unntil finally the grand finale was right over our heads and in our faces. impressive, very well done i thought.

but the ride home was a little bizarre. several accidents and emergencies blocked one lane for a good part of the way and ambulances came to retrieve someone, who knows what had happened. finally the traffic freed up a little and we drove through town. when we got to the south side there were various fireworks shows in people's yards - and these fireworks competed with the city's. literally fireworks all over the place. the neighborhood show was impressive in that they were going off in maybe seven different locations and they were pretty high-grade fireworks. this was the other big change from eight years ago. at the show 80 or 90% of the kids were wearinng lights of some kind, flashing or not, but in the neighborhoods most of the houses were putting on some kind of show or another.

i'd taken my son and two of his friends, all black. my son had wandered off at the show but fortunately we found him as he was way blacker than most kids and was just wandering somewhat aimlessly. he was hungry so i took him to casey's when it was over, it was like he was a kid. some cop behind me was very impatient, i was going too slowly. i was actually glad to be out of the fireworks mess, just moseying down the road.
back home, the kids will probably stay up late if not all night. out there by the railroad tracks, they are experienncing america right up close. i must say, i can't blame them for being a little aliennated, no jobs, no money, nn hope, no school, no nothin' but they seem to stay cheerful and i think they like a good show as much as anyone.

back inn new mexico, my cousin got paranoid and turned off all electronics. they lifted the fireworks ban in her town annd she didn't know it, got in trouble for going to chew out the neighbors. down there, a fireworks ban is a good thing - why lift it? maybe people really really need a little gunpowder.