In Germany at New Years I always set them off, its legal. I had a couple of wild incidents with big crackers and bottle rockets. Funny as heck but a lot of folks on the board wouldn't see the humor in it so I wont bother getting into it.
Originally Posted by Cujet
I do like a good fireworks show when up close, but it's got to be a clear and dark night. I absolutely enjoy the brilliant colors.
I've seen fireworks shows in the fog. Spend all day hanging around Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco one July 4, and by the time show started (from a barge in San Francisco Bay) the fog had come in. Basically I got to see the fog turn different colors.
However, some of the best fireworks I've ever seen were after baseball games. Add that they allowed people to watch from the field. Once I parked my car near where fireworks were shot, and I found some spent cardboard tubes on my car. There were these tubes and wadding all over.
I guess the weirdest thing was when I saw a static fireworks display in what was the seating area. Fortunately people were cleared from it, because the intended effect (shooting it at an angle) didn't happen and it was shot right into the ground.
There was also the legendary time that the firing sequence was incorrectly set. Not sure exactly what it was supposed to be, but a scheduled 17 minute show was over in 45 seconds. They blamed it on a corrupted computer file that was supposed to contain the firing sequence.
I was in the ordnance business for many years and my main work partner liked to build his own cherry bomb and M-80 equivalents-or sometimes a bit more. He liked to park them around after dark in safe spots with the older type cigarettes that didn't burn out. So, these darn things would go off minutes after he had set them. If he wasn't long dead, he'd be doing that tonight.
Used to be a bit of a pyro as a kid, but not any more.
Big, pro shows get boring after a few minutes, and I can't fathom the notion of effectively burning money by buying "safe and sane" fireworks, no matter the occasion or how pretty it might be.
My cousin and I shot every firework off we could get our hands on, until he almost lost a finger. Neither of us have shot a firework off in the last 40 years and have no desire.
Firecrackers and bottle rockets are very anemic nowadays. When I was a kid/young adult M80's were still real and dangerous. I've had a few close calls but stopped a couple decades ago. Too much money for the weak sauce they sell now.
Originally Posted by sloinker
Firecrackers and bottle rockets are very anemic nowadays. When I was a kid/young adult M80's were still real and dangerous. I've had a few close calls but stopped a couple decades ago. Too much money for the weak sauce they sell now.
Very true. There have not been any real Cherry Bombs or M80s in the last 40 years.
Now the aerial shells are still pretty good, i think they are limited to 50g.
They're legal out here in rural BC. The local general store / gas station sells various selections. We pool our money, raise a few hundred and pick up a few kits. Usually we do New Years since it's safer with snow on the ground.
I like to watch them. I've never purchased any "good" fireworks and lit them off myself. I DON'T like hearing them in my neighborhood after 9:00. I have 2 dogs, a sleeping baby and a wife with a back problem who is trying to get rest. People, HAVE SOME CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS. Rant over.