Saturday was our annual BBQ and fireworks celebration. It was raining a bit while we were cooking, but not enough to cancel our grilling. I regret not getting a photo of me squatting under an umbrella eating a steak kebab!

That’s a photo of an intricate wooden model of a galleon Kristin assembled while I was gallivanting around the world…

And there it is burning on the fire. If you’re shocked by this, know that it’s perfectly fine to find enjoyment in making something without necessarily keeping it.

The rain cleared up before it got dark, which meant there was no obstacle to lighting fireworks. Not that it would have stopped me 🙂

That’s my ‘By the Power of Grayskull‘ moment, of course referring to the best film of 2026 my lifetime, Masters Of The Universe. I held this firework a bit too high and rained a few sparks directly down onto myself, which was exciting.

We had much fewer sparklers this year, but the ones we had seemed longer, louder and more voluminous. Most of our fireworks were the kind that shoots into the air and makes pretty explosions, which are difficult to photograph. They were loud and thrilling and I enjoyed every one.

The neighborhood echoed with loud booms since apparently Rochester is full of rogues who turn a blind eye to the illegality of certain backyard fireworks. When we drove to the hotel afterwards thick clouds of smoke filled the suburb. I had read that firework sales were high this year – probably because of the 250th anniversary – and the noise and smoke seemed to support this.

Happy July 4th 🙂