So much fun it felt like it was illegal

On the 4th we went and tried a new experience. Shawn had invited us to Evanston for the 4th. We did not have any plans so, we agreed. That morning we went to North Ogden for the parade. Of course the kids got so much candy that they began shaking and then vibrating. They both looked like they were fuzzy from the candy induced hum. I was disappointed. Melanie ALWAYS gets free t-shirts, so I made her stand by me. I love the free t-shirts. Alas, the only people, Jiffy Lube that had shirts only had one 2 or 3 shirts left and they didn't even look at her as she screamed at them. FINE! I guess I won't advertise for you for FREE! JERKS!!!
Then we piled in the Durango and lazily wandered towards Evanston as the kids slipped into diabetic comas. Evanston has secretly been supplying Utahns with all of their vices for well over 200 years. Once you sight the city in your windshield you are greeted by billboards touting Fireworks, Tobacco, booze and porn. You can buy it all there, just don't get caught bringing it back across the border, cause what happens in Evanston, the Utah Highway Patrol wants to stay in Evanston.
As dawn slowly inched out the sun the town was already getting busy with their festivities. I could hear fireworks popping and fizzling in every direction around me. In my mind I cursed them "Save them for when it's dark!" But when it did become dark enough to see the fireworks I realized there were PLENTY to go around. Shawn's house sits up on the bluff overlooking Evanston. We pulled our chairs into an empty lot across the street and I sat there with my mouth agape. I found it was all I could do. I was rendered speechless. I was surrounded by a panoramic 360 degree non-stop fireworks display of Thor like proportions. Every where I looked there were fireworks shooting into the sky, reds, greens, blues, pinks, white and orange bursts lit burst into exuberant displays of twinkling, showering pyrotechnic marvel. At one point the fire department drove by. It seemed illegal to have so much fun and so my knee jerk reaction was to run in the house and pretend like we weren't home. The fire department just waved and purred on up the road. Evanston is to the 4th what Mardi Gras is to New Orleans. That town puts on a party so grand it probably threatens to wipe itself off the map every year. I chuckled to myself as I thought of the thousands of people stuffed in a stadium, shelling out hundreds of dollars and sweating in the agonizing heat to see a few short minutes of fireworks at the Stadium of Fire, then waddling back to their cars with stiff legs and sweaty cracks, just to sit in their cars for three hours just to get out of the parking lot. If they were lucky the could finally flop down on their beds at 2 in the morning. I was enjoying a lengthy full omnipresent firework show, no traffic and within walking distance of a bed. After seeing all of that I was reduced to one word "WOW!"

Unfortunately right before dawn a dust storm blew in and assaulted my allergies. I had to admire the show through watering and burning eyes while my nose dripped like a leaky faucet. The only problem I have now is that any future fireworks displays will now seem lame, half-hearted and just plain crappy, unless they are in Evanston. Driving home the next morning I had to pick my way through piles of shredded firework carcasses. It looked something like Normandy the day after D-day. Most of the town had stayed late into the night attempting to set the sky on fire, so that morning seemed especially bleak and desolate adding to the feeling of the day after invasion aura cast over the city. The other great thing about Evanston... gas that is at least 20 cents cheaper. That fact alone almost made the trip to Evanston free.