PHOTO: file
July 4 is an explosive day, even in normally quiet towns. Back when there were more stringent New England state laws on the purchase and use of fireworks (and firearms!), my family and friends would go far afield to get them – mostly the South – putting them in cardboard boxes in the back of the station wagon, as our parents smoked Salems up front….
In our coastal town we were fortunate in having rocky beaches and headlands where they could be set off, terrifying birds and dogs. The fireworks were particularly beautiful when reflected on the sea. The sulfurous scent from the show mingled with that of seaweed, hot dogs and maybe, if there was also a clam bake, of shellfish and lobster and beer.