Sunset over the Keweenaw Bay on the 4th of July

Before we even get to the subject of fireworks (human or ant) let’s enjoy a peaceful moment.  Look at that sunset in the photo above.  Isn’t it beautiful?  Calming?  Lovely?

We drove over to Baraga about 9:30 p.m. last night.  I had a yogurt strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone which dripped ice cream all over the hands while trying to take the following photo.  It’s a wonder there’s not smears of frozen strawberry yogurt all over the image.

Family after family, campfire after campfire, as folks line up along the bay to watch the fireworks

Hundreds of people milled everywhere, waiting for the fireworks.  Along the Keweenaw Bay in every imaginable spot.  By the park.  Over behind the marina.  On Sand Point.  Half the community turned out to watch the firework display.

It didn’t start until 11 p.m.  We were yawning in the car, but our cameras were ready.  A family from Chassell (a town to the north of us) with relatives from Tennessee surrounded our car.  We were entertained.  Dozens and dozens of private pre-show fireworks boomed off everywhere.  We live on a Native American reservation, so fireworks are readily available.  Big ones.  At one point we sat surrounded by smoke and fireworks, waiting for the main attraction. 

Are you ready for the lovely firework photos?  Yes?

Well you’re not going to see any here.

You may see something that vaguely resembles a “light show in the sky” but it would be a stretch to call them “fireworks”.  My camera simply wouldn’t register anything other than a blur.  So let’s call the following images “art” instead. 

Here are some “art” shots.

Musical notes on the horizon (quarter notes?)

Modern art dots in the black sky

My personal favorite

Can anyone else see Tinker Bell? or have I lost it?

Oh, OK.  You’re wondering if there is anything half-way resembling “real” fireworks.  Not really.  But here’s a shot that almost captures the essence of the light show that entertained hundreds of us during the 4th of July celebration in Baraga last night:

Fireworks!

And now it’s time to share about the Ant Fireworks.

This morning we were splitting up a truckload of firewood, as usual.  We are really roaring through that huge pile of wood with, maybe, only four truckloads left to split and haul and stack.  We decided to split some cedar kindling today.  Easy, right?  Cedar cuts like a  knife through butter.  It’s a breeze to split.

We split maybe a half dozen.  Then hauled another log onto the splitter…and…broke it open…and hundreds of ants burst out of that log.  Red ants.  Fire ants. Biting ants. 

You should be glad you don’t have any pictures of what happened next.  The ants started crawling up our jeans, in our shirts, under our sleeves.  We (well, mostly me) started jumping and swatting and trying to kill the fiercely biting red ants which were attempting to bite and sting and attach to our skin.

Between the noise of our yelps as the ants bit and the streaming ants scattering all over it looked like massive fireworks!  And yes, I had to take my jeans off in the driveway, hoping to high heaven that no one would choose this particular moment to come visit.  Off came the jeans!  Off came the shoes!  Off came the socks! 

And finally the Ant Fireworks stopped. 

I’m hoping never to personally experience ant fireworks of that nature again.  As for firework “art”…or maybe real firework photos!…we’ll try again next 4th of July.

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend.