The Fourth of July Memories: Food, Family and Fireworks!

There are some moments in life that we can never forget. Memories that follow us through our lifetime, pop up at random and are etched onto our very souls altering the fabric of our reality forever by becoming a part of us.

For me, one of those moments was on the Fourth of July, 1993. I was seven years old and spent the day with my family at our Grandfather's cottage on a lake in Massachusetts. My Aunt, Uncle and two cousins were there, making the trek up from Philadelphia. That particular day had the kind of weather that leaves a certain smell impression on you. When you get older and step out of the house for the first time of the day, it will hit you and bring you immediately back to those times. Balmy, like a thunderstorm had just passed through the area. My family spent most of the day in the lake, splashing in the cool water, playing with inner tubes. I wasn't very familiar with my two cousins for they were much younger and we didn't see them often but it didn't take very long to become best friends, with the bonding capabilities of water breaking through the barrier.

By the end of the day we had screamed and splashed and ran our little hearts out, completely ready for the grownups to fix us plates of burgers and tuna mac salad. By the time dusk had come everyone was ready for fireworks and my Dad had no intention of toning it down for the neighbors. My Father is like all Dad's; the Greatest Dad in the Universe capable of doing anything. This year he had welded together an aluminum tube specifically for fireworks, not only for safety but also to be able to point the projectile any which way he pleased. There were trees above our dock surrounding and cradling us and his contraption was perfect for sending fireworks through the trees and directly towards the center of the lake.

That's when I realized my Dad was simply incredible. I wasn't totally aware of the implications of fireworks and thought that everyone had them like this. That they could simply have their own fireworks display at their home instead of herding through the crowds to see them on the town green. I have never in my life seen a better firework display despite the fact that I have hardly any recollection of the actual fireworks. But the brisk air, being wrapped up in a warm cozy blanket, listening to the lapping waves, the feel of wood under my feet, family around me, makes it one of the moments I will never forget, no matter how hard I try.

Not that I want to.