Cabang!! CaPow!!! Missouri is a fireworks legal state!!! They open up the stands about a week prior to the Fourth of July. And sell like crazy, and tonight and tomorrow night are the big event. Its about 10:30 and the blasting started at dark, so its been going on for an hour and a half.
It will keep on mostly till midnight, when folks will start to give it up and go back inside. They blast the fireworks down at the waters edge on the sea walls or rock rip rap. Some go out on the floating docks and shoot them off, however, I never thought that was overly smart, because if you get one that goes crazy or comes right at you, there is no where to run. Jump in the lake maybe!
Also we all have boats in the docks, and every one is made from fiberglass that is a resin. It burns like crazy. Also every boat has a plastic gas tank that holds 30 to a 100 gallons of fuel or more. You want to shoot off big rockets next to that now don't you!
But in my younger years, I did my fair share of rockets and stuff on the Fourth of July. So I mostly just hope for the best. When my sons are down here they always get some mortar shells and shoot them from out sea wall too. But I am enjoying other folks blasts tonight.
There are year round fireworks stands here too, but only people from out of state are supposed to be buying after the first week in July. And with our Kansas licenses, that means we could buy all year. But its not legal to shoot them in Missouri or Kansas after the holiday. Well its never legal to shoot them in Kansas.
The video that I posted last night seemed fairly clear, but was not HD. It was recorded in VGA Jpeg at 640 x 480. I do think that it looks much better because the original is 12.1 Mega pixel. I will need to experiment with HD next, but the camera uses a Panasonic proprietary mode called AVCHD. It is also used by Sony as I understand it.
The CD that came with the camera has a program on it to play these files back. The benefit of this format is that it is stored in a much smaller file than full motion Jpeg. I will need to get the computer ready to play these back, and then see if You Tube will accept the upload.
I read that there is no conversion program on the Panasonic disk, so since I wanted to make a quick and dirty upload and I had about 5 seconds to get ready to shoot the scene with the boat, I just quickly set the camera to full automatic and 4x3 Jpeg full motion. You Tube accepted it first time without question.
If you know more about this subject you might drop me a comment or a personal email.
I never did uncover the pontoon, as the lake was full of Holiday revelers. They zoom all over the lake at high speeds, and I mostly think they have had a couple too many. Our budget for Lake Patrol must be really down this year as I have not seen a single boat with a Lake Patrol sticker go by this weekend.
I did go up town on a ride with the little Red Kymco 200 motorscooter. It will go about 60 mph wide open, and the main Northshore lake road is speed limited to 45 so I can keep up reasonably well. The T shirt town was inundated with the Holiday Harley Banger crowd. They mostly will not even recognize that you exist on the little scooter. They will wave at the bigger Suzuki......sometimes....... if their buddies aren't around to see um do it. LOL. Gota be rough and tough ya know!
I went back in and got some steaks and baker potatoes tonight from Wal Mart, so we ate really well for the Saturday night. We seem to do more grilling down here at the lake than anywhere else. Even in the campground for that matter. I guess the LP gas grill is right outside the sliding door on the patio and lights with the push of a button. Its gotta be the lazy thing, ya know, too much work to get the grill out of the basement compartment and set it all up. And then clean it up to put it away.....I'm breaking a sweat just writing this.
The folks about 10 doors up the cove are all out on their dock having a drunken party as I type this, and have a live singer with a guitar. He wails some and sounds like he has had a few too. They join in and really sing off key when he gets going good. I wonder how long they will go into the night.............
Retired Rod
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I always have myself a little snicker at those Harley drivers. In general, pound for pound, I think the Japanese build a better bike. Or, at least in the past they have. It's that silly attitude thing so prevalent in so many things here in North America. Whenever I see a bunch of bikes together I look to see if there is a mixture of makes, models, & styles. If so, I know the group is made up of a more mature 'non attitude' group of people. Now, having said all that, would I like a Harley Davidson bike.......darn right I would:)) But, without the attitude thank you very much!!
ReplyDeleteI once had a T-shirt that said, I have a Harley, not just a tee-shirt, pretty much somesup the attitude, thing, I was introduced to Harley Davidson on The police department, that's who made the bike I rode, I ended up buying my own a few years later, I always laughed at the guys that had every imaginable Harley piece of clothing or accessory, I just wore my police leather coat when it got cold.Must say though I had a lot of fun on my FLHT and took it out to PA a couple times each year a nice 900 mile ride. I'm trying to figure out the movie thing also, so copy me in on any info you think would help. be safe out there. Sam & Donna.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th and enjoy the fireworks displays tonight. Those Harley guys do seem to have a bit of an attitude alright so I can just imagine what it's like pulling up beside them while riding your little red scooter!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope the drunken wailers and pickers didn't keep you awake too much. Off key! Oh! My!
ReplyDeleteBut think about how they felt this morning.
Happy Trails, Penny, TX