4th of July

Discussion in 'The Lounge Bar' started by von Poop, Jul 4, 2006.

  1. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    I don't understand the question. What about the animals? I guess they deal with it. My dogs love fireworks, except for the Sheltie, but he is a eunich. I used to have a female English Shepherd that would chase them...until she caught a bottle rocket in her mouth. After that, she would still chase them, just not catch them. She would stand over them and bite the smoke after it blew up.

    We live out in the county, in a developed area of several hundred houses. To get to town, we have to drive about 10 miles. The nearest store is two miles away. The only law enforcement in the area is the sheriff and his deputies and an occasional state trooper and neither one comes around very often. If we were to call them, it would probably take 15 minutes for a deputy to get here.

    Regardless, fireworks are legal to own, sell and use here. There is a huge store over on the main highway that opens only 3 or 4 times a year (for a couple of weeks each time) and all it sells is fireworks. Nearby are two more smaller establishments that do the same thing. Now, we have an informal understanding that if the building catches on fire, they are pretty much on their own, because we (the fire department) ain't getting anywhere near it. We're volunteer, after all, and we didn't volunteer for that.:lol:

    Some counties and cities here in the state have tried to ban fireworks and they have succeeded in stopping the sale within the city limits, but that is about it. Around certain holidays, people drive just across the city limit or to the next county and get all they can afford. The police in the local large city that has banned them don't even try to stop people from using them during certain holidays such such as the Fourth or New Years.
     
  2. canuck

    canuck Closed Account

    I don't understand the question. What about the animals? I guess they deal with it. My dogs love fireworks, except for the Sheltie, but he is a eunich.

    We live out in the county, in a developed area of several hundred houses. To get to town, we have to drive about 10 miles. The nearest store is two miles away. The only law enforcement in the area is the sheriff and his deputies and an occasional state trooper and neither one comes around very often. If we were to call them, it would probably take 15 minutes for a deputy to get here.

    Regardless, fireworks are legal to own, sell and use here. There is a huge store over on the main highway that opens only 3 or 4 times a year (for a couple of weeks each time) and all it sells is fireworks. Nearby are two more smaller establishments that do the same thing. Now, we have an informal understanding that if the building catches on fire, they are pretty much on their own, because we (the fire department) ain't getting anywhere near it. We're volunteer, after all, and we didn't volunteer for that.:lol:

    Some counties and cities here in the state have tried to ban fireworks and they have succeeded in stopping the sale within the city limits, but that is about it. Around certain holidays, people drive just across the city limit or to the next county and get all they can afford. The police in the local large city that has banned them don't even try to stop people from using them during certain holidays such such as the Fourth or New Years.

    Pretty much the same here Jeff. You need a permit to sell them but anyone can purchase and use them. Firecrackers were banned years ago but the fireworks are going off everywhere on Canada Day.

    I've been in the U.S. twice for July 4th. In both Chicago and Cleveland, the displays were quite impressive.
     
  3. KevinC

    KevinC Slightly wierd

    I work as an animal behaviourist and spend a lot of time with owners and their dogs after a night of fireworks. A lot of dogs get to a point where they try to escape to get away from the stress of the noise. We do a lot of educating owners to keep their pets locked up, but a lot of people don't.
     
  4. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Thanks Owen, a couple more pictures.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Wow! I made ZA envious of 'the colonials' with just my little M1 and you have an AT-6? !

    Thanks to all the members who wished America well on the 4th.

    Dave
     
    Owen likes this.
  5. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    Kevin,

    One thing you need to realize is how far apart the houses are here and the frequency in which we have thunderstorms.

    Walk five houses down and you have easily gone 150 yards. There are several rows of patio homes along a couple of the fairways on the golf course and they are close together. But like you saw in David's photo above, we are bit more spaced out here, although we are a bit closer together where I live than where David is.

    I would guess that most animals are pretty much acclimated to the loud noises, given the how often thunder rumbles here. My dogs would prefer to come in the house during a storm, but I suspect it is mostly to get out the rain. They have dog houses, but those don't always seem to be good enough for them...or at least that is what it seems that they try to make us think.
     
  6. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Wow! I made ZA envious of 'the colonials' with just my little M1 and you have an AT-6? !

    Thanks to all the members who wished America well on the 4th.

    Dave

    Stop twisting the knife, I'm on my second bottle already! :lol:
     
  7. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    Speaking of thunderstorms...a bad one rolled through this afternoon.
    Lightning struck a nearby building where I work and I watched the local big-city FD fight the resultant fire.

    Anyone care to discuss goat-roping?

    After watching that sad episode, I feel that I am now an expert. It took the FD a full 17 (seventeen) minutes to get water on the fire after the first engine arrived. It went downhill pretty fast when the hydrant man charged the line in the hosebed.

    I feel pretty good about our little rural volunteer FD now.
     
  8. David Layne

    David Layne Well-Known Member

    Well the thunderstorms are getting close to our part of Alabama. The radar to the north is a mass of red and I imagine in an hour or so we will be getting some sorely needed rain.
     
  9. A-58

    A-58 Not so senior Member

    I would guess that most animals are pretty much acclimated to the loud noises, given the how often thunder rumbles here. My dogs would prefer to come in the house during a storm, but I suspect it is mostly to get out the rain. They have dog houses, but those don't always seem to be good enough for them...or at least that is what it seems that they try to make us think.

    That and the gunshots. Lots of gunfire on the 4th and New Year's Eve here too.

    Jeff, maybe they are not ready for the goat roping thing just yet.
     
  10. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Gunfire? Ah, yes.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    Yes, goat-roping is an acquired skill.
     
  12. Scout Sniper

    Scout Sniper Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    Today as we enjoy all the freedoms that we as Americans have, please take a second to thank those who sacrificed their lives to provide us with those freedoms.

    Wishing Everyone a Happy and Safe 4th of July 2012! ! !
     
  13. 17thDYRCH

    17thDYRCH Senior Member

    And, not to steal your thunder....a Happy belated July 1st, Canada Day, to those that live north of the 49th parallel.
     
  14. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  15. A-58

    A-58 Not so senior Member

    And, not to steal your thunder....a Happy belated July 1st, Canada Day, to those that live north of the 49th parallel.
    Hey, start your own thread....this one is for us Yankee Doodle Dandys. Now I'm off to the BBQ, pool and beer party!
     
  16. La-de-da-Gunner Graham

    La-de-da-Gunner Graham Senior Member

    Happy 4th of July to all my American cousins.

    Keith
     
  17. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Happy Independence Day to all our septic - sorry - American members and visitors! ;)
     
  18. TTH

    TTH Senior Member

    The best British Fourth of July tribute I ever heard of:

    On 4 July, 1944, 86th (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regt was operating next to the US V Corps in Normandy. To honor the day for their neighbors, the Herts yeomen fired a full regimental shoot on enemy positions. I am returning the favor by drinking an Old Speckled Hen and eating London Broil as part of my Fourth celebrations.
     
  19. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    ooops!

    BBC News - San Diego's 30-second 4 July fireworks

    As part of its celebration of US Independence Day, the Californian city of San Diego planned a 20-minute firework display launched from barges in the city's bay.
    However, an unspecified glitch set off all the fireworks for the show at the same time, meaning thousands of spectators saw only an intense 30-second explosion.
    Firework organisers apologised "for the brevity of the show and the technical difficulties"
     
  20. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    A little early perhaps



    Fourth-Of-July Catapult

    Among the numerous exciting amusements in which boys may participate during the Fourth-of-July celebration is to make a cannon that will shoot life-sized dummies dressed in old clothes. Building the cannon, as described in the following, makes it safe to fire and not dangerous to others, provided care is taken to place it at an angle of 45 deg. and not to fire when anyone is within its range. The powder charge is in the safest form possible, as it is fired with a blow from a hammer instead of lighting a fuse. If the cannon is made according to directions, there cannot possibly be any explosion.



    Read more:http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/popular-mechanics/The-Boy-Mechanic-700-Things-for-Boys-to-Do/Fourth-Of-July-Catapult.html#.UW_1IaIp9NO#ixzz2QozNEvo0
     

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