So afternoon I'm driving out to my land to do some Astrophotography this weekend and as I get to the outskirts of town I pass the mammoth fireworks superstands that are just freakin packed with cars and people all over the place. Now I'm not a prude. I love fireworks. As a kid I was a fireworks junkie. But there’s a time and a place. Central Texas, in the windswept, dry heat of July is just not prudent in my opinion. I just shake my head as I drive by and think "someone is going to get a real learning experience this weekend".
Later that night I'm working on tweaking my telescope alignment which necessitates I line it up and the let it track for 5 minutes or so the check the results, adjust and repeat. So in-between I'm walking back outside the observatory watching some of the locals in the area launching all their fire works.
You have to understand, it’s dry as a bone out here. This country is where the oaks transition to the mesquites and cactus (~50/50) and in between are vast areas of brittle, dry, chest high prairie grass. Its hot, dry, hasn't rained a drop in at leasted 2 weeks, and there is a steady 10mph wind out of the South. It’s not what I’d chose to do, but ... I admit I was enjoying the show.
There are 2 nearby (~0.5 mile) groups of local who seam like they were competing against each other. One groups would launch an impressing barrage and off in the distance I’d hear their hoopin and hollerin; then the other groups would reply with their own. Wash, rinse, repeat. One group off to the West, across the highway was just not getting enough loft on their mortars. Maybe they bought cheap crap, or just weren’t doing it right. One I saw barely cleared the trees and I could tell it rained hot sparklers onto the ground. I just shook my head and thought “running with scissors” and went back in to grab another beer and check the scope.
I wasn’t gone 5 minutes. Came back outside looked over and there was a huge pall of smoke over to the West all lit from underneath with an orange glow. It looked like something out of Dante’s Inferno. I thought to myself “Oppps”. I watched for a while wonder what the odds were of that crap jumping the highway and get onto my land. A thought I found quite irksome.
The funny thing was all the pickup trucks that were tooling along the highway that came to a screeching halt, turned around and parked on the shoulder to watch the show. That made me think “Hey, I should get my camera out!”
It took about 15-20 minutes for the fire trucks to arrive. Either they didn’t call immediately hoping they could put it out or that’s just how long it takes from the nearest town.
I bet that killed their buzz.
(grrr bbs cropped them.
http://jasonirby.net/bitbucket/fire/fire1.jpg http://jasonirby.net/bitbucket/fire/fire2.jpg)
Regards (and be SAFE out there),
Wab
