Bring on the rocket’s red glare!

It is Fourth of July weekend, and here in the northeast we have sloshing about in the rain and fog.  For the entire month of June.  Yes, with the exception of the Saturday before Father’s Day and a couple other days thrown in, we have experienced the wettest month in 138 YEARS!!!  Over 8 inches of rain has fallen, over five more inches than usual. We have gone about our business in a fog.  Literally. When it hasn’t been raining, a blanket of fog has decended upon my coastal community, slowly driving everyone to the brink of insanity.  But today, things have changed.  The weather gods have been kind and the fog has lifted.  It’s not just a flat grey sky anymore.  We can see breaks in the clouds. I say, “Bring on the blue skies!!”  It’s a good thing, too because I was ready to either slit my throat or commit a crime against humanity.  I like cooler weather.  My limit is 75 degrees with 40 per cent humidity.  Once the temperature starts to creep above that, then I need to find a cool body of water.  Fast.  I truely believe that I lived in the British Isles in another life.  I heard that London had temperatures into the upper 80s today.  I’ll pass.

The tourists started pouring into the state yesterday.  They were here in June, but the weather drove them to the mall.  I saw more license plates from New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, so I guess summer has finally arrived.  Locals get riled up when the tourist come into the state.  Their attitude is ” welcome to our state. Please  spend all your cash, then get the hell outta here”. But I’m glad they are here.  The outta statahs pump a good deal of cash into the economy.  Just go up to Freeport on any weekend throughout the year and watch the disposable income stolling up and down Maine Street, walking in and out of outlet stores.  They will even show up in February, but they’re usually on their way to the mountains to ski.  But they are fun to watch.  Sure, they get a little pompous.  They still think we’re a bucnh of backwards hicks up here with no concept of the outside world.That’s when we get the last chuckle.  It’s easier if you stay one step ahead.  The one thing we don;t like dealing with is the manner in which they drive.  Stay off the roads when they’re out because they bring their bad driving habits with them and it makes for a frustrating mess.  If I could give them any piece of advice, I’d tell them to put down the cellphone when you drive.  Some of those banks on either side of the road are a pain in the butt.  Take your eye off the road if you drop the Blackberry and it’s not a pretty sight.  Just ask any towtruck driver.  Also, I really don’t care about your SUV, so don’t drive like you own the road.  Remember:  kharma is a bitch.  Just have your toll money ready and use the blinkers when you change lanes.  Everyone will be much happier for it.

Otherwise, I’ve got beer in the fridge and burgers on the grill.  I expect to hear firecrackers and am occasional M80.  I will walk down to Hadlock Field tonight and watch the fireworks after the Sea Dogs game.  Tomorrow night is the big display off the Eastern Prom.  I don’t mind the boom.  But I’m there for the light and color.  So if I watch them from aways back, it’s no big deal.

Enjoy your Fourth of July celebration, no matter where you are.