Hot Dogs & Trouble 3

Judging by the faces around here, and the gradually increasing crowd, we are on the countdown to something big. I believe it’s going to be a semi-organized fireworks display out on the beach, which makes me think it may be much more than I saw last night. Some people by late afternoon had already set up their specific and accessorized spots just off the beach and around the grounds.

Once more, the day started quiet and slow, with a look about the place suggesting that most people were sleeping in. By 10:00 the sun blazed, space on the beach shrinking with carloads of people arriving for the day. By 11:00 the parking lot was a busy mess, available spaces far and few. Waiting there for a friend, I listened to a woman telling her mother to park in the 408 spot, that the people had just left. She was right. That had just left, on their way out to lunch, back in an hour or two to discover their assigned parking place hijacked.

Dark clouds shepherding a wall of rain with thundering chorus came rolling in about 3:00, and sent people running for cover. Those few who chose to stay in the water or on the beach were soon herded back to safety by the beach patrol. For over an hour the rain pounded, thunder clapped, while some tossed firecracker packs from balconies to entertain themselves. I growled at that stunt, but told myself to be quiet.

At six o'clock I sat watching streams of people pouring in, gathering along the sea wall and wondered if we were going to need crowd control.

Late now, and mostly quiet outside, the fireworks over, the people gone. Without knowing the date, it could be mistaken for a sleepy Tuesday night in late August. But I am still sort of stunned in the afterglow and smoke clouds of what was a SPECTACULAR two hours of fireworks up and down miles of beach. Truly a dazzling show of amateur displays, almost like competing teams at different locations on the beach battling for the loudest oohs and aahs from the crowd. I felt almost guilty that we watched from the ‘royal box,’ which happily just happens to be my patio. I tried getting photos of the most elaborate explosions, but my camera couldn’t do justice to the flowering bursts, the cascading arcs of hot color.

The entire extravaganza was played out in good behavior by all, and despite the beach patrol’s several appearances everyone was friendly, orderly and sober. It was a rip roaring cap to Independence Day, and it would be less than the truth to say I don’t look forward to the next fireworks display in July 2011.

About the photos…

The top one is a fuzzy just-right look at the afternoon storm that sent people scurrying at 3:00. The bottom photo was taken from my desk looking out the glass panes, over my small patio and out to the beach.

Hot Dogs & Trouble 2

Late afternoon on July 3rd and the riot police are still not needed here at our beachfront vacation paradise. Maybe the horror stories of Independence Day celebrations were exaggerated. It’s even surprising that the number of people either around here, or out on the beach has been unimpressive. I’ve seen larger crowds on non-holiday weekends. Where I have seen big crowds is at the library, in Publix supermarket and on the local streets, behind the wheel of cars. The library crowd is explained by the fact that they will not be open tomorrow, as they usually are on Sunday, and the supermarket crush is not uncommon on Saturday afternoons in this beach town, because it’s turnover day for condo rentals. New people just arrived, stocking up for the week. The traffic is obviously holiday traffic, and the first time I’ve ever had to drive here in bumper to bumper lines of cars. May not be especially connected to the holiday, but eight out of ten people driving past me were on the phone, half of them lane-hopping, nervous of losing a minute.

At 6:00 there was barely a dozen people in the pool, with maybe eight or nine sitting or hanging around talking. Not what I imagined. I’ve seen some trash casually dropped, a few more cigarette butts tossed on the grass, or walkway, but it looks to this eye like the trash cans are catching most of it. Here again, not what I expected.

Last night, between 9:30 and 11:30 there were a whole lot of fireworks crackling, booming and lighting up the beach in bursts of color, sparkling, fizzling showers of red, white and blue. I expect more of that tonight despite the warnings of both the beach patrol and members of the Volusia County Turtle Watch that setting off fireworks on the beach is strictly illegal. On the 4th of July? That's like telling people diving is not allowed in the pool.

The situation around here today leads me to believe that the stories I heard were blown up because people love to talk about how bad things are going to get, and don’t mind adding a little more to the picture.

But who knows? Maybe the crowds and the rowdy behavior will ignite a full explosion tomorrow. For the time being, it all has the look of no big deal.

Hot Dogs & Trouble

It could turn out to be a nightmare. Or maybe not. Either way, I have a leery eye on the celebratory weekend at hand. The 4th of July. For many years the date had for me little note, little concern, just another day on the calendar. It’s not a special day where I lived. But I’m no longer in Oz and the outlook is different. Not a great time for me, since I’m in something like a period of adjustment, already unsteady with all the recent changes in my world. I don’t need a hectic holiday weekend. The big 4th of July bang here at the beach is not an experience I’ve ever had. Something tells me it will go far beyond what I imagine.

Various sources for the scenes I imagine. I hear stories from people who have lived here a few years. Bad tales from management, gossip among co-owners and warnings from friends who’ve seen it too many times. ‘No, people don’t really do that, do they?’ After those cautions here’s what I imagine…

Numbers of people in the category of hordes; more screaming children than I personally can bear; total strangers without connection arriving at the beach figuring they can make a day of it anyplace with a pool and beach access. Camps of people knotted around the pool, wedged between the chairs, tables, coolers, floats and other toys; too much litter to step over or through; unknown people seeing an empty chair and sitting with all their bags and friends on my patio; fireworks late at night, early morning; red, white and blue bunting and flags flying from balconies; the dread of having to hunt down someone who slipped into my parking place while I went ten minutes to the store. Where’s Security when you need it?

Let’s see how accurate these nightmare thoughts turn out to be.