Lakeside Fireworks
Part 2 of the Memories Like Fireworks series
At Apple Canyon Lake, we used to drive down to the Clubhouse area, by the marina, swimming pool, and lakeside restaurant.
This was a home and property owners’ association out in the country in a really nice area with a lake. There were members only amenities like a swimming pool, beach, golf course, and campground. My grandparents had seized the opportunity in the association’s early days to buy land and build a house at a large discount. They had spent their retirement years here, with their children and grandkids around all the time. This place was a family legacy. Today, my kids and I fondly refer to it as the “Lake House.”
Scattered across the hill-ridge on the side of the sparkling quiet lake, were families from nearby towns and Apple Canyon Lake (ACL). Kids threw “poppers” at the ground, and played with explosive toys (!) like those strings you pulled apart until the middle went *POP*. You might see some friends from school and say hi before retreating back to your family’s blanket. Some people parked their boats in the middle of the lake so they’d be right under the fireworks. At about 9:30 PM, they would start.
After the first *BANG* vibrated through the air, quiet ensued. The audience collectively awaited the fireworks to come. In the cool dark breeze came bright explosions in the distance (though I always felt like they were too far away), that created reflective sparkles on the cool lake.
It was a quiet, peaceful place to gather for a fireworks show. When it was over, you’d hop back in your car and drive the winding country roads back to your air conditioned house. You may or may not have a few more beers and experiment with your own fireworks when you get there.
One summer, at age 19, I was a lifeguard at the Apple Canyon Lake swimming pool and beach. Part of my job was running a booth at the beach entrance, ensuring that the only people to enter had members’ decals and tags. I had to do this on the 4th of July. And man, was my boss (the Head of Security) relaxed about the rules that night! It was a veritable party thrown by the association. Why had I never come to see fireworks on the beach in the past?!
My lifeguard friends and I made some for here and found a party to sneak off to afterward. Some high school graduates getting ready to start college; using their parents’ summer vacation home for a weekend celebration. We talked on Facebook from time to time after that.
But now, it all remains, untouched, in the distant past. I reflect on these memories every Fourth of July. Follow along as this series brings a handful of these memories to life. Subscribe to the series for updates. Read part 1 here.
This is Part 2 of the series Memories Like Fireworks. Read the final memory, Part 3, next.
Valerie Sizelove is on the edge of her 30’s, navigating an ongoing early life crisis. In the meantime, might as well write about memories and life lessons. More to come!
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