Friday Five - Fireworks Edition

On the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five, Sally has this to say:

I have to admit that I am chuckling to myself a little; how strange it seems for me a Brit to be posting the Friday Five on 4th July! I realise that most of our revgals will be celebrating in some way today, but I hope that you can make a little room for Friday Five! From my short stay in Texas my memories of the celebrations are of fireworks and picnics, one year we went in to central Houston to watch the fireworks and hear the Symphony Orchestra play, we were welcomed and included, and that meant a lot!

So lets have a bit of fun:

1. Barbeque's or picnics ( or are they essentially the same thing?) Barbeque to me always means staying put- our house or someone else's. Picnics are for the park or in a family twist- a blanket on the living room floor eating pizza. The only exception is when we were kids. My parents would take us to the community pool and send us off to swim. While we were in the pool they would heat up the little hibachi grill they had brought along. Then it was hot dogs or burgers after our swim.

2. The park/ the lake/ the beach or staying at home simply being? The Bug Man and Soda Chicky feel that if it's a summer holiday then we need to have ribs. Ribs means babysitting them for four to six hours while they slow roast in the oven before grilling them outside. A spice rub, basting with pineapple juice and a great sauce at the end. Yummy, messy, good eating!

3. Fireworks- love 'em or hate 'em? Love the fireworks. Hate the crowds, the sweaty heat and the bugs. There are enough local fireworks that we frequently sit in the yard and watch from afar.

4. Parades- have you ever taken part- share a memory... In my first parish in little town Missouri, our church took part in the local Memorial Day parade. We decorated a hay wagon with a large red bow and huge gift tag. On the float were our Sunday School kids in the Christmas program outfits. The gift of Jesus and his love were our entry in the parade.

5. Time for a musical interlude- if you could sum up holidays in a piece of music what would it be? No specifics but it is always fun to hear a brass band- often a military one- playing great marches for the holidays.

When I was a kid we weren't allowed to set off fireworks at home. Papa Joe saw a friend get seriously hurt when he was a kid, so he made sure his own kids were kept at a distance from such things. As an adult I visited friends in Southern California who had to stay home over the fourth in case their homes were hit by stray sparks. With wood shingles, there was a great risk of fire. I love the fireworks show, but here is hoping you and yours have a Fourth that's safe as well as fun!