Like I told my son as we searched in vain for “Black Cat” firecrackers: “the Chinese have always made the best fireworks–for as long as I can remember.”
Even in the pre-Nixon-Goes-To-China days we got fireworks from China.
I’m waiting for the day when Chinese labor costs drive manufacturing to Vietnam (as has happened with a number of other industries). But it may be that it’s happened already . . . and we just see tradition being kept alive by labeling still being done in Chinese. Hmmm….
The firworks in the neighborhood last night were very impressive – it soudned and looked like we were under an artillery barage. (Well, it soundedand looked like what I imagine an artillery barage was like about 300 years ago.) Apparently one can buy very sophisticated stuff “for the hone” that sets off many rockets in sequence. There were many of those around the hod last night. I stepped out onto the front porch to watch some of them until the smoke chased me back inside.
Then the fire trucks showed up. That was the best part! Apparently some of the folks up the street had actually managed to set one of the neighboring houses on fire! Good work! We’re lucky we got a bunch of rain in the preceding weeks before the fourth. If the Founders had managed to Declare Independence on June 4 instead of July 4, ther whole neighborhood would have burnt down, not to mention the rest of central Florida.
(Back in early Jun we were having so many fire down here that the news channels and the fire & forstry departments were having trouble keeping up with how many were actually burning, much less in stopping the,. Dozens and dozens of them.)
Ambiance 
mockturtle said,
July 4, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Indeed! But my dog just hates it!!!!
chickelit said,
July 5, 2011 at 12:58 am
Like I told my son as we searched in vain for “Black Cat” firecrackers: “the Chinese have always made the best fireworks–for as long as I can remember.”
Even in the pre-Nixon-Goes-To-China days we got fireworks from China.
amba12 said,
July 5, 2011 at 1:12 am
Well, they invented them in the first place, right?
wj said,
July 5, 2011 at 12:09 pm
I’m waiting for the day when Chinese labor costs drive manufacturing to Vietnam (as has happened with a number of other industries). But it may be that it’s happened already . . . and we just see tradition being kept alive by labeling still being done in Chinese. Hmmm….
Icepick said,
July 5, 2011 at 12:27 pm
The firworks in the neighborhood last night were very impressive – it soudned and looked like we were under an artillery barage. (Well, it soundedand looked like what I imagine an artillery barage was like about 300 years ago.) Apparently one can buy very sophisticated stuff “for the hone” that sets off many rockets in sequence. There were many of those around the hod last night. I stepped out onto the front porch to watch some of them until the smoke chased me back inside.
Then the fire trucks showed up. That was the best part! Apparently some of the folks up the street had actually managed to set one of the neighboring houses on fire! Good work! We’re lucky we got a bunch of rain in the preceding weeks before the fourth. If the Founders had managed to Declare Independence on June 4 instead of July 4, ther whole neighborhood would have burnt down, not to mention the rest of central Florida.
(Back in early Jun we were having so many fire down here that the news channels and the fire & forstry departments were having trouble keeping up with how many were actually burning, much less in stopping the,. Dozens and dozens of them.)
Icepick said,
July 5, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Sorry forthe typos. Something weird is going on with IE and some of the words are being blocked by the various icon for Twitter adn Facebook and such.
chickelit said,
July 5, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Well, they invented them in the first place, right?
Of course. But since when does first-to-invent translate to still-in continuous-production?
IMHO, many of the more fun (and dangerous) fireworks from my youth have been banned.