Happy 4th of July!!

Sorry I've been away for awhile, but sometimes distractions do make sense. In any event, please read the prior post on cooking safely and keep those ugly fires inside the cooking equipment where they belong.

Speaking of fire, tonight is of course July 4th and the big fireworks display night and, unfortunately, we'll always have a few idiots who believe they can set off more, bigger and better fireworks than the professionals. In two words... They can't! The emergency room will see quite a few who think they can. Again, They can't!

Fireworks around a boat full of flammable fuel is stupid. No other way to put it. Fireworks set off by people sotted with booze, and around vessels laden with combustibles and flammable gasoline is downright lunacy, and criminal behavior at best. A fire started in such a manner is a felony in most states and if someone is injured, or God forbid, killed, the person playing with the pyrotechnics could end up facing manslaughter charges or worse.

So, let the professionals set off the fireworks displays and just sit and enjoy them. If you don't have to get behind the wheel of a boat or vehicle, pop open a cold one and enjoy the show and count your blessings for a Free USA. Oh yeah, count your eyes and fingers while you're at it too, since there is a good chance if you played with those pyrotechnics yourself, you might be missing a digit or two, or not be able to see the beautiful fireworks display.

Take it from one who has seen many years of the beauty and the beast in pyrotechnics, gone good and gone bad. You never want to see the bad side, believe me.

Happy Fourth of July and have a Safe Summer.

Safe Boating.