Cul De Sac of FIRE!!

It just so happens that the neighborhood we moved into goes all out for the Fourth of July. (Actually, they might for the other holidays as well and we just don't know.) We were warned invited in advance, and since the festivities were just down from our house and the fireworks were practically on our front lawn, we figured we should go.

I gathered that some guy named AJ organized the whole thing, but clearly a LOT of people had helped and donated to the cause. There was a soccer game going, and giant twister which you can see here. (But I never did see anyone play that.)

There were hot dogs and drinks and pot luck side dishes. My kids are always excited for have a soda. (Their mom is so boring about drinks.)

Kids were everywhere riding bikes and scootering around. Robyn is still digging her rollerblades, and she isn't too bad on them. Although I still make her wear the gear.

The best part, I thought, was the side walk chalk art. I heard families could claim their own section and draw art. I'm surprised more people didn't participate, but my kids sure did. Robyn made a winking panda and a skateboard above.

Ivory made a flower (which Dad missed photographing). Daisy helped me with this heart.

I also made a 'Cazier Turtle'. We call ourselves that in our family sometimes to let the kids know that we take home with us. My drawing actually inspired Tyler to make a really cute design for a T-shirt. I hope it prints some out for the kids.

June was pretty serious about the chalk art.

She had three pieces:

And it was nice to see that there was another guy who was pretty serious as well. I believe Cory was the first guy there working on his piece nice and early. This was his second one....Wolverine.

But my favorite was his Native American Batman. So cool.

Pearl helped a bit, but she was easily distracted by things like bugs.

Oh, they also had face painting, but I have rules about what kind of paint is acceptable. Robyn was the first one to ask. I surveyed the selection and it was all craft paint. So, we skipped it. I didn't feel like peeling off the peach fuzz on their faces later.

You can tell from this picture that they waited until it was nice and dusky before starting. Daisy's bike does have some issues, but she might get a new one for her birthday. (Don't tell.)

The guys built a fireworks arena. They had two large shields and they would alternate lighting fireworks.There was hardly any delay between bursts.

Most people lined up on one side of the neighborhood away from our house. We naturally sat in our front yard. However, the wind was blowing our direction so all the shrapnel came down on us. It wasn't too bad. Just the occasional debris falling on our heads. The fireworks were literally bursting right above us. I have never been so close.

Pearl unfortunately got a chunk in the face. It was some of the clay insulation from the fireworks, but really it was like a rock falling out of the sky. It scraped her cheek a bit, and she was done with the show. It was past her bedtime, so I took her inside and we watched explosions from her window until she fell asleep. Then, we took two more to bed before the show finished. (Convenient that we were right there.)

The show lasted for almost an hour. It was the craziest thing ever. I have never seen a neighborhood put on something like this. I'm glad we went. Although it would have been hard to ignore even had we been inside.

Tyler tried his hand at taking pictures again. They are less blurry than last year, but still not quite what he wanted. But I enjoy naming them and displaying my favorites. Here are the winners this year.

Lightbulb Blossom

Fiend Without a Face (That's for you Dad)

Dandelion Explosion

Cosmic Sunburst

Confetti

Green Lantern

All in all, a fabulous celebration. We are still cleaning up the yard and finding debris in random places. But I'm not complaining. It isn't everyday you have Stadium of Fire in your Cul de Sac.