pyroguysr's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That Was The Week That Was Wow... What a week! 4 shows in 7 days... Sunday was the second fireworks show of the season. I was supposed to do an "old man's" show up in Whiting - a dinky one that two old guys could handle - but things always change. I ended up in Crystal Lake for a barge show. It was hot and hellacious to set up, but we all had a grand time because we had more than enough young bucks to do the heavy stuff On that water show, I wore shorts... I usually wear jeans because my skin is so fair. Because I don�t often wear shorts, I forget to put sunscreen on my legs. Yes, they got a little fried, but I know which vitamins and minerals to ingest so that I can take care of it from within as well as using my aloe plants to take care of it from the outside. *laughs* I�m now sporting a killer �farmers tan� and I'm only peeling to a mild extent I have to admit, I miss Raleigh and the Carolina's. I like the South and the mountains a bit more than the beaches. I�ve never understood the strategy of basting ones self in oil like a turkey and then sitting out on the sand in the sun to broil my skin under a July sun. In my almost 53 years on this planet, I�ve known over two dozen people that have endured the excruciatingly terminal pain of skin cancer. I don�t intend to be a part of that statistic by getting a �healthy� tan My other gripe about barge shows/water shows are the few jerks that don�t know their limits on liquor and then seem to think that driving a high-speed power boat while intoxicated is somehow different from driving a car. While most of the people were respectful and polite (other than the �Got a match?� and �Mind if I smoke?� comments as they cruised by), it�s always a small percentage that make it rough on the rest. And they are usually people that have more money and attitude than sense and think they are above the law. *chuckles* We had one guy in an expensive boat come barrelling through all the "parked" boaters who were watching one of the shows. He was moving along at a good 15 knots and it didn't look like he was going to slow down before he rammed the fireworks barge! Thankfully the authorities stopped him and you could see the officer being very animated from the backlighting of the shells. Either the doofus was drunk or a kid that didn't think beyond what "he" wanted. Either way, I'm hoping he got a nice ticket! The two ground shows we did were in hoity-toity communities. The police and fire department comments about those they serve in these "exclusive" neighborhoods were rather amusing. One fireman said of some of the fire district applicants that came from these families: �these video-game kids have no real practical skills. They can pass a test on the computer with no problem, but put a hammer in their hand and they�re like a monkey trying to fuck a football!� Well, I totalled it up. Almost 2000 miles traveled back and forth, worked like an insane fool in hot, humid 90�+ temperatures and averaging maybe 5 hours of sleep each night. We had two beautiful barge shows on the water and two fantastic land-based shows Thousands of beautiful shells were fired and many, many wonderful people went home happy and entertained � especially those that write the checks It wasn�t without some risk though. I�ve come away with minor injuries. One of the shows had a site riddled with holes and sunken soil from groundhogs, which translated into a twisted ankle, a throbbing knee and a sore hip for the past three days. Other than that, it was little more than sunburn and mild heat-stroke for me � despite the gallons of Gator-Aid I seemed to consume. This year, again, we worked with the Symphony and provided the �cannons� for Tchaikovsky�s 1812 Overture using what we call �titanium salutes� (which are the ones that go �BOOM� in the air at the end of the show) � only WE do it on the ground with the salute shells via electronics. The effect adds significantly to the performance, but can be rather dangerous to produce. *laughs* While prepping the device is not my favorite task to perform, I�ve been told by the boss that I�m �the only one he trusts to do it right.� That could mean that I�m cautious (read: scared so shitless that I�m very slow and careful) or possibly that I�m "expendable." When I mentioned those alternatives, he laughed and said, �Take it any way you like, as long as it gets done For right now, I�m going to believe it�s because I�m damn good at my job. *heads off to slowly work his way out of delayed shock syndrome* But I really wish I hadn�t stepped into all those gopher holes! My ankles are still throbbing from the twists as well as lifting almost a thousand pounds of equipment twice each show! Saturday (7/7/07) night�s display was the capper for the week; especially since it�s the �boss�s� birthday. The sponsors took us out for drinks and dinner on Friday night, which they don�t have to do. I�m always surprised and glad to say that everyone treats the fireworks crew in a friendly manner. The folks at this show are especially nice and have requested our crew specifically in the contract each year for the past 10.
The following videos are one I found on YouTube. The videos are NOT of my crew or from the company I shoot for, but they are very similar to what we did this past week.
4:39 p.m. - 2007-07-10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
||||||