BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR

There are no official firework displays in our general area this Fourth of July. Out town has scheduled them during Whaling Days. That will occur in three to four weeks. But not having an official fireworks display does not mean there are no fireworks. Tonight in our area we began to see what Francis Scott Keys saw when he penned the words to the Start Spangled Banner. We live at the end of an inlet. Our neighbors are out in force shooting fireworks as big as any community display. Because of the reverberation off the water and the huge number of explosions going on it not only looks like a war if smells and sounds like a war. There are very large pockets of smoke all over the area.

There are three or four groups who have taken over our little park and are shooting very large displays out over the bay. These appear to be the largest in the area but we may only feel that way because they are the closest to us. So much is going off that the air is white with the smell of sulfur. I’m not exactly sure of the length of our inlet but I would guess it to be about 20 miles. It looks like the length and width of the beach are being destroyed. There is another round of re-enforcements a hundred feet or so up the hill behind the troops on the beach. More are located on top of the hill. You can see the explosions over the hill on all sides. The Navel base is located to the south over a hill and it looks like they are under extremely serious attack. There are so many explosions on that side that I will be surprised if any ships are left floating. We can see the explosions at Pt. Orchard across the bay from the navel base. They appear to be nearly smashed to smithereens. I expect nothing but ashes tomorrow. I hope some area paper will be published tomorrow and I can read about the horrid destruction of the entire area. I really don’t care that much for Pt. Orchard.

The bombing began around 9:00. A few of us walked across the street to the restaurants dock to watch and try to determine where all the shooting was coming from and about how many troops there are. I suspect there are hundreds. You can see the bombs bursting in air in every direction. The attacks at the park were the closest to us. I feel safe here. It is 11:00 and the explosions seem to be dying down. I do not know if I will feel really safe until the fighting completely stops, but I suspect there will be minor skirmishes throughout the night. If they are at a great distance, I may be able to sleep.

It was warm here today, but the night is cool. I could see fires around the beach where troops were warming themselves drinking hot chocolate and eating Smore’s. Between the bombing, the troops are quiet. I suppose it takes time to reload the cannons and muskets. There are machine guns and AK47’s these days, but they do not sound like there are being used. I guess this is a more civil war, or a more independent war.

British are coming, the British are coming. Two to be exact. Prince William and Princess Kate will be in California later this week. I expect they will see parts of the war, especially if they visit Disneyland. They are bombed every night at 10:00. I recommend the Fantasmic show before the rockets red glare begins. It is beautiful and unique how they show movies on water spray. I believe this is a distraction to make you feel good before they start shooting. There is also the parade with all the Disney princesses. That will make Kate feel right at home. Maybe they can have tea together,

Well, like Paul Revere said, or was that Longfellow writing about Paul's deed of being a messenger to the boys in Lexington and Concord during his midnight ride — The British are coming. I hope they have a nice time. I loved their wedding. And are you just dying to know what Kate is wearing and who the designers are? Me either.