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RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 8:48 pm
by Cribtop
Not July fourth, but fireworks are involved.
Mrs. Cribtop and I got married in Austin. We spent the night in the Four Seasons before leaving for our honeymoon. It was a perfect night and just after sundown a massive fireworks display was launched from a boat in the Colorado River just outside our hotel (Town Lake, now known as Lady Bird Lake).
We knew it wasn't for us, but it was fun to pretend it was. I asked at the front desk the day after and a Saudi Prince staying there had ordered them. What are the odds. [;)]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 8:52 pm
by Grfin Zeppelin
ORIGINAL: Cribtop
Not July fourth, but fireworks are involved.
Mrs. Cribtop and I got married in Austin. We spent the night in the Four Seasons before leaving for our honeymoon. It was a perfect night and just after sundown a massive fireworks display was launched from a boat in the Colorado River just outside our hotel (Town Lake, now known as Lady Bird Lake).
We knew it wasn't for us, but it was fun to pretend it was. I asked at the front desk the day after and a Saudi Prince staying there had ordered them. What are the odds. [;)]
Thats a very VERY nice story. Now I have tears in my eyes.
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:19 pm
by ilovestrategy
AW1Steve, that is one of the funniest incidents I have read about in a long, long time. [:D]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:35 pm
by Titanwarrior89
I can't remember any....but I love this one. [:D]
ORIGINAL: AW1Steve
4th of July 1977. I was unhappy because I was stuck doing the barracks firewatch and couldn't go see the fireworks with my girlfriend. Imagine my surprise when I got to see fire works INSIDE the barracks! Unfortunatley most of them were aimed at me! 1st the residences started with a bottlerocket fight, that escalated to roman candles! A couple of hours later I had to explain to the chief of the watch and the base CO why I didn't stop it![X(] The CO didn't like ; 1st my comment "are you out of ^^&&^%^ mind?!". Then he became very unhappy when I explained that I was busy taking cover UNDER a desk, and didn't really watch what happed!. Fortunately I was a brand new just out of boot camp E-1 so they settled for extra military training instead of Captains mast. I was sentenced to MORE watches. Eventually I got it right. [:D]
My wife and I will be much less exciting this year , by having our Traditional Maine 4th of July meal...Salmon pie with egg sauce, new peas and new potato's. Indian pudding and home made ice cream. (And of course beer!). [:D]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:37 pm
by GaryChildress
Coolest thing I've ever done was in college going to the celebration down at the Mall in D.C. Can't beat a 4th surrounded by all the memorials and historical sites. [:)]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 4:11 pm
by Titanwarrior89
You are right about that....I never felt more american than seeing the memorials and the national mall.
ORIGINAL: Gary Childress
Coolest thing I've ever done was in college going to the celebration down at the Mall in D.C. Can't beat a 4th surrounded by all the memorials and historical sites. [:)]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 4:39 pm
by AW1Steve
ORIGINAL: Gary Childress
Coolest thing I've ever done was in college going to the celebration down at the Mall in D.C. Can't beat a 4th surrounded by all the memorials and historical sites. [:)]
Living in Alexandria VA for 12 of the last 20 years , I got spoiled. All we had to do was go out onto our balcony , set our stero for "simucast" (thru PBS , so we'd hear the music from the USMC band on the Capitol) and pour a cool drink and sit comfortably back. It was funny to have a split second delay between explosions that we heard on stero (or TV) and hearing it on our own.
No traffic, no searches by various "security forces" , no crowded METRO , and no fighting for a plot of grass with a good view. Of course whenever we rented a high rise appartment I kept this one day a year in mind! [:D]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 4:51 pm
by GaryChildress
ORIGINAL: AW1Steve
ORIGINAL: Gary Childress
Coolest thing I've ever done was in college going to the celebration down at the Mall in D.C. Can't beat a 4th surrounded by all the memorials and historical sites. [:)]
Living in Alexandria VA for 12 of the last 20 years , I got spoiled. All we had to do was go out onto our balcony , set our stero for "simucast" (thru PBS , so we'd hear the music from the USMC band on the Capitol) and pour a cool drink and sit comfortably back. It was funny to have a split second delay between explosions that we heard on stero (or TV) and hearing it on our own.
No traffic, no searches by various "security forces" , no crowded METRO , and no fighting for a plot of grass with a good view. Of course whenever we rented a high rise appartment I kept this one day a year in mind! [:D]
I lived in McLean and had a friend who lived in Alexandria. Usually when we went somewhere in DC we would park our cars somewherer across the river and ride out bikes in. Biking around the Mall was always fun even on non-holidays. But it was especially great during a major festivity. I don't really mind crowds so long as I can get to where I want to go. In fact crowds on the Mall during the 4th sort of make it all come together for me.
When I was a kid we would occasionally spend the 4th at my Grandmother's house in Hillsborough VA. Put the bug torches up and sit out on the lawn and light our own. She lived right along the Virginia/W. Virginia border, right at the foot of a large row of hills. Of course there was plenty of family around and we'd grill hotdogs or chicken. And my grandmother had a huge flagpole in her front lawn. It was the kind of fun time where just watching the grass grow left a good feeling, reminiscent of a Thomas Kinkaide painting or something. Ah...good times. [:)]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 5:19 pm
by AW1Steve
A local "secret" is that if you don't live there, and don't want to deal with searches, fire fences and TSA inspired security, go to the Iwo Jima memorial. Best view around! [:D]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:30 am
by sanch
Had a big bonfire at a party long ago (back in the 70's) - and some embers got into the bags of fireworks. What a show!!
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:10 pm
by PaxMondo
Tour of the "Connie" way back when. They had a little "get together" in the hangar deck for some of us ex-pats and then put on a little air show later that day. I think I was in Pusan, but it might have been Singers or Pataya. I really can't remember anymore ... [&:][&:][&:]
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:14 pm
by Sardaukar
Drinking with USMC detail from Embassy of USA here in Malta...
I will never ever touch Southern Comfort etc. again...
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:31 pm
by KenchiSulla
In '96, 31st of december I was in the house, minding my own business when all of a sudden a very, very large BANG filled the room and made the windows tremble.. I remember my father saying something like "Who the **** did that, bunch of idiots".. I couldn't agree more
They day after I found out that my mates had constructed a firecracker bomb and decided to blow it up next to our house... Apparantly it had a short fuse and one guy had hearing problems for days after... We were 16 and idiots....
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:52 pm
by ilovestrategy
That reminds me of one Christmas when I was in high school. Some friends came over and as we sat in the front porch we had the ingenious idea of each of us holding and lighting a fistful of bottle rockets in our hands and throwing them up in the air. Well, to make a long story short we ended up having to dive under the porch to avoid getting hit by flying bottle works. We were about 16 or so and total idiots.
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:08 pm
by pharmy
I'm not American or Irish, and I am definitely not Mr. Walter Calhoun. But he definitely had a memorable St. Patrick's day in 45 over Kobe and did not get to celebrate as he had hoped
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:32 pm
by US87891
My unit participated in trooping the Colors at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, July 4, 1976. I will always remember the smiles and greetings after so many years of <>. Had a wonderful time, never seen a better fireworks display since.
RE: What's the coolest thing....
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:45 pm
by AW1Steve
ORIGINAL: icepharmy
I'm not American or Irish, and I am definitely not Mr. Walter Calhoun. But he definitely had a memorable St. Patrick's day in 45 over Kobe and did not get to celebrate as he had hoped
Bummer........[:(]