How was your July 4th

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

We delayed heading to our OBX timeshare by a day to take in a July 4th celebration in our home county. Two of our towns traditionally have festivities for the 4th, but our own town cancelled it this year, so we went to the other town. They had the biggest crowd in years, a good parade and evening fireworks. It all gave one a good feeling after the things that have been going on in America recently as everything seemed quite normal. Blacks and whites seemed totally at ease, as they have been in the past here, with no animosity and all celebrating the holiday. The town hosting the celebration is almost evenly balanced racially and currently has a black Republican mayor and a white Democrat majority on its town council.

I guess about half the spectators wore face masks, but the percentage was much smaller for those on the floats or otherwise in the parade. Our county sheriff is one of those in our state who have announced that they are not enforcing the governor's executive order on masks

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

Great 4th. We had maybe 60 + people at my and my son's homes. The water slide was entertaining. Music and dancing happened after the women had a few drinks. Fireworks were banned in our area this year but you would not have known this because of all of the fireworks being used every where. My brother in law became obnoxious at 12 beers in so I told him to leave.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

All activities were still cancelled here, with private parties maxed out at 10. The big Jones Beach fireworks were cancelled, as were parades. We have since entered phase 4 where things eased up a little bit more.

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

All activities were still cancelled here, with private parties maxed out at 10. The big Jones Beach fireworks were cancelled, as were parades. We have since entered phase 4 where things eased up a little bit more.

Wow, level 4. We are at level 1.5. Thankfully that extra made up .5 allowed us to get hair cuts, lol. My hair was as long as Easy Rider's on the chopper which didn't really bother me.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

Wow, level 4. We are at level 1.5. Thankfully that extra made up .5 allowed us to get hair cuts, lol. My hair was as long as Easy Rider's on the chopper which didn't really bother me.

We couldn't get haircuts until Phase 3.
Phase 4 brought in waxing and nail salons.

[Icc5 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Icc5]

Our 4th was turned around completly. It's my brother's birthday and we usually have between 25-30 people (mostly relatives) over for a BBQ. My son bbq's several meats,shrimp and my wife makes about 10 different dishes. She also makes the birthday cake and her two brothers also make desserts. This started about 30 years ago when we bought our other house with a huge yard,a pool, and we had lots of kids 3-15 years old.
Since that time I had my youngest brother commit suicide on the fourth 3 years ago ( his wife and kids have left the area for the fourth each year since). Last year my Mom passed away at 96 years old and right after the fourth my oldest brother committed suicide so this would have been a much smaller group. We are in Santa Clara County,California so nothing open but your basics. Relatives from out of state didn't want to fly and we decided to just skip things this year.
My son still came over and bbqed, my wife made a few things and the 3 of us sat outside on a large table so we could distance and ate outside. We all miss the past 30 or so years when the 4th was a fun big celebration for us.
Starting Monday the 13th things will begin to open here. I will be able to get a haircut for the first time since the beginning of March. I'm bald in front and on top but the top back hair is enough so that if I wanted to I could flip it over the rest of my head and it would look like some toupee I've seen. After I finally get a haircut I'll feel as if a new year is starting.
Stay safe.
Bart

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

Our 4th was turned around completly. It's my brother's birthday and we usually have between 25-30 people (mostly relatives) over for a BBQ. My son bbq's several meats,shrimp and my wife makes about 10 different dishes. She also makes the birthday cake and her two brothers also make desserts. This started about 30 years ago when we bought our other house with a huge yard,a pool, and we had lots of kids 3-15 years old.
Since that time I had my youngest brother commit suicide on the fourth 3 years ago ( his wife and kids have left the area for the fourth each year since). Last year my Mom passed away at 96 years old and right after the fourth my oldest brother committed suicide so this would have been a much smaller group. We are in Santa Clara County,California so nothing open but your basics. Relatives from out of state didn't want to fly and we decided to just skip things this year.
My son still came over and bbqed, my wife made a few things and the 3 of us sat outside on a large table so we could distance and ate outside. We all miss the past 30 or so years when the 4th was a fun big celebration for us.
Starting Monday the 13th things will begin to open here. I will be able to get a haircut for the first time since the beginning of March. I'm bald in front and on top but the top back hair is enough so that if I wanted to I could flip it over the rest of my head and it would look like some toupee I've seen. After I finally get a haircut I'll feel as if a new year is starting.
Stay safe.
Bart

I am so sorry for your family's troubles.
I agree, a haircut makes you feel like a brand new person. I was due for one when we shut down, so by the time I finally got in the salon chair, I had gone without a haircut for almost 5 months!

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Started out with pretty sever back pain and it was the last day before our trip to New Hampshire. Warmed the back up a bit, did some packing and had lunch. After lunch went out and weeded the garden a bit then mowed the lawn and did a bit more work in the garden. Had dinner and then back out to the garden for more weeding and a watering. Finished about 9:30. Fortunately we could pack up the Monday for the trip. Not the greatest 4th of July.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

We stayed by ourselves, Normally my wifes mom and brother with family come by us, We have not seen thenm in months. Fireworks wise. It seems like there was way more big mortars that were being shot off from all sides. In fact, they are still shooting some off but I think last night was the grand finally. I used to have a special iron pipe to shoot the big 3 and 6 inch mortars, But hard to get them, and if you find them prices have tripled, The mortars you see being fired are mainly being shot from a cardboard tube. The ones I used to get had to be fired from a metal pipe and what a bang. These were what I used to fire off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY9e9_3bTm0

[Icc5 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Icc5]

Thanks for caring. Was just ready for being able to get a haircut when I was told they shut us down again without ever being opened. Hopefully on next years 4th we can start anew.
Bart

[Icc5 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Icc5]

Haircuts

Thanks for caring. Was just ready for being able to get a haircut when I was told they shut us down again without ever being opened. Hopefully on next years 4th we can start anew.
Bart

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Same thing happened here at the hair salon, only they opened about 5 days after they got the final go ahead. It was so good to get the hair shortened - took a weight off my mind.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

We are back using our OBX timeshare again this year, and enjoying our 4th. Good weather so far, but the tropical storm is expected to pass by Thursday. The fireworks last night were the best we have seen here. Sitting on our resort beach observation deck, we could see the town of Nags Head fireworks being shot from the pier to our north and could look west and see the town of Manteo fireworks. But it was amazing the number of folks this year who brought their own and set them off all up and down the beach for about two hours. While a few people always do that, this year it was a lot of people. A real outpouring of patriotism in a year our country and its history has been under sustained assault. There are more flags being displayed here than we have seen in the past. The one down side has been a couple of restaurants that are among our favorites on the OBX have reduced their menu options due to staff shortages. Due to Covid, we are not seeing the eastern European college students we usually see who come over on "work and travel" programs for summer jobs.