Fireflies and Fireworks

Synchronous Fireflies at Elkmont on the Little River Trail:
A few weeks ago we went to the Smokies to see the synchronous fireflies.  Alan's sister Susie went with us for a wet but wonderful few days camping next to the Little River at Elkmont Campground. It was an absolutely fantastic experience.  Seeing the fireflies was like sitting in the middle of a huge Christmas tree with thousands of lights flashing all around you in the forest.  They would flash six or eight times together, then stop for six or eight seconds.  Some even went like chaser lights, going all across the woods.  This only happens for a few weeks during mating season in June, so you have to plan to be there at the right time. For those of you who aren't familiar with the synchronous fireflies, this is an excellent link:
Info and Video on Synchronous Fireflies

Alan and I next to Little River, which wasn't little after all the rain.

Rhoda next to Little River

Alan's sister Susie

Fourth of July, 2013:  Alan and I bought fireworks and did them at home, instead of going to the city fireworks. This year's favorites were "Monkey Driving" and some sparklers that emitted stars and smoke rings.

Duh Award:  Police Blotter from Times-News on July 5.  Kingsport police reported a 911 call last night from a woman who reported hearing "explosions" all over her neighborhood.

Best 4th of July ever:
A few years ago, Alan and I decided on a whim to take our sleeping bags to the top of Grassy Ridge in the Roan Highlands.  It was a beautiful, clear night with a full moon.  From the top of the mountain, we watched the fireworks from all the surrounding little towns in North Carolina and Tennessee.  Then, we slept under the stars and full moon.

Worst 4th of July ever:  Washington, DC, 1976:
Because it was the bicentennial, DC went all out for the 4th of July fireworks, advertising it as the most spectacular show ever.  All during the day, people gathered on the mall, bringing picnics and having a good time.  The people kept coming and coming, until the mall was shoulder to shoulder, as far as the eye could see. (I have tried to find out how many were there, but I can't.)  The park service hadn't planned for such a crowd, so there were lines a block long to the bathrooms.  Eventually, every bush on the mall became a bathroom, with lines six and eight people long to each bush.  Rivulets of urine came out from behind these makeshift bathrooms.

After the fireworks were over, this huge crush of people started for their cars.  Everyone was pressed toward Constitution Avenue, whether that was the way you wanted to go or not.  The crowd was so dense and so vast that people who had children in strollers were engulfed and pressed against each other so much that they couldn't reach down to their children in the strollers.  And there was nothing you could do but just go forward and not panic.  There was a woman next to me with a child in a stroller that she couldn't reach.  She just kept saying in her most authoritative voice to the crying child, "DON'T STAND UP!  DON'T STAND UP!"  Luckily, the child complied.  The amazing thing to me is that no one was seriously hurt or trampled.  We knew that if we all kept calm and moved slowly, even though it was hard to breathe, we could get out of there alive.  And we did.