Fourth of July

And the rocket’s red glare, the grills bursting in air.

2 July 2015

I was so hypnotized by the 69 Tints story line (and are we all not?) last week I nearly forgot the holiday this week. Time out for a summer day filled with explosives and outdoor eatin’.

One year a neighbor came over to me while mowing the lawn with a garbage bag. He said he worked sometimes cleaning out houses, and they had found some fireworks, and gave them to me ‘for the kids’. In the bag was a small collection of gunpowder laden cardboard of questionable legality, at least where I live. On the Fourth, after some debate, my wife and I decided that after our daughter (only one year old) went to bed, we would pick one to try and let my 3 year old son watch. I put a coffee can sized box in the alley next to our home, lit it, and went back to the driveway. Two seconds later a 30 foot column of fire was shooting into the air accompanied by ear splitting, shrieking howls. My wife and I looked at each other in alarm. My son watched wide eyed with a look of pure joy as if this was the best thing he had ever, and would ever, see in his life.

So yeah. Totally worth it.

THE BOLD TASTE OF LIBERTY

3 July 2014

I always planned for the comics near holidays to be more impulsive in a way and simple – avoid over thinking. The idea being a) to make for less time involved when obviously near holidays time was in a crunch and b) try ideas that I would not normally use.

In reality, it turns out that b) happens, but I actually spend more time on these. “What would Winston look like with a giant M-80 in his ear.” becomes “Why can’t I find good photo reference of ham-pineapple jello?”.

There is a lesson in there but damned if I’ll learn it.