U.S.'s birthday brings explosive memoriesBy LORETTO STEVENS
An excerpt.
......My older brother Bob wanted to impress his girlfriend, who lived on the far reaches of our neighborhood. One memorable Fourth, he attached a heavy cluster of M-80s and cherry bombs to an extra-long fuse. He deposited them in the sewer manhole just near her house and lit the fuse from nearly a half-block away. The explosion vibrated the entire block. We watched from a safe distance as all house and porch lights went on. She probably knew it was in her honor, but just in case, he called the next day to claim credit. They later enjoyed decades of marital happiness together. I like to think firepower played a role. A convent nearby housed the Blessed Virgin Mary nuns who taught us in grade school. We weren't the only ones who lobbed a few "tributes" in that direction each Fourth of July.
Link (here)
An excerpt.
......My older brother Bob wanted to impress his girlfriend, who lived on the far reaches of our neighborhood. One memorable Fourth, he attached a heavy cluster of M-80s and cherry bombs to an extra-long fuse. He deposited them in the sewer manhole just near her house and lit the fuse from nearly a half-block away. The explosion vibrated the entire block. We watched from a safe distance as all house and porch lights went on. She probably knew it was in her honor, but just in case, he called the next day to claim credit. They later enjoyed decades of marital happiness together. I like to think firepower played a role. A convent nearby housed the Blessed Virgin Mary nuns who taught us in grade school. We weren't the only ones who lobbed a few "tributes" in that direction each Fourth of July.
We used a light touch on the sisters, with mostly just standard firecrackers tossed from our hideout in the bushes near the playground. We never targeted the church rectory. Jesuit priests staffed our parish (most likely associated with The Pontifical College Josephinum), and if you thought you'd get away with tossing firecrackers at their house, you were wrong. Forget the police. We knew those Jesuits would come out fighting.My youngest brother squirreled away fireworks to be enjoyed year-round. He liked to enliven an occasional snowy winter evening at home by lighting bottle rockets in the first-floor fireplace. The challenge was to have them make a "clean" three-story ascent without getting snagged on the way up the chimney. He'd light the fuse, then race out the back door to watch as they emerged unscathed -- and still sparking -- into the sky.
Link (here)
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