Post Parade

The remainder of our Fourth o'July weekend commenced with a picnic down at our daughter's in-laws, then fireworks at the Fairgrounds.

Note to self: Henceforth, do not even THINK about parking in the Fairgrounds parking lot for the 'works. We drove right in and got a spot, enjoyed the twenty minute show, then spent well over an hour waiting to get out through the gridlock or lotlock or whatever you want to call it. My wife called the non emergency police number just to see if they were directing traffic anywhere and the dispatcher noted that the police were trying, somewhat in vain, to get TO the site to direct traffic. Seems like they have things like sirens and lights that could help in a situation like that. I'm just sayin'...

Note to police: Show up BEFORE the fireworks, stay for the show (you know, in case anything happens? Which, incidentally, it can. We watched a little episode of domestic violence play out right in front of our car. Fortunately, before it got too idiotic, two people walked away in one direction and the idiot perp walked back to his car, which was lotlocked in right next to ours, making for a bit of a nerve-wracking time there in the car.) Anyhow, if they show up for the show, then the police will be in position to direct folks out in a more efficient manner than the chaos, anarchy, and frayed nerves that we enjoyed.
OK, soapbox over. The actual show was great, including the "firebomb" (above). The show went 20 minutes, which, according to a certified pro fireworks engineer (or whatever) whom I know, is about the length that people really want. Any more than that, and we get restless, he says. Probably true. Maybe that's why sitcoms run about 20 minutes of content.
We spent part of Sunday watching a couple blue jays keep watch over their two young'uns, bringing them an occasional bite, but the young'uns were doing well by themselves on the mulberry tree, which is enjoyed by a variety of species, including squirrels.
Then yesterday, we took a walk down the local rails-to-trails, um, trail. It is a wonderful asset and I hope to bike it some day. As a walking trail, and being a former rail right of way, it tends toward being straight and flat, although there is a very nice and scenic river valley at about the point where we turned around and came home. It runs all the way to the next town, five miles away, and beyond. Long range plan is to be able to tour pretty much the north coast of Ohio by continuous trail.

Anyhow, for you plant lovers who know your plants, we saw two plants along the trail that we could not identify. I liked their symmetry. The first one has a sort of nut-like thing attached to it. Any ideas what these are?
Anyhow the hike was a success for the dog, who came home "dog tired"...