Happy Independence Day to all the readers of "Tramps Like Us..."

 Of all the holidays to miss out on being in Beijing, July 4th is not much of a hardship as it is my least favorite American holidays.  Now before one declares me unpatriotic, I DO love the sentiment of the holiday.  My displeasure is rooted in my frustrations with the goofballs in my neighborhood.  On this holiday, the air around my house will be hazy green for hours and hours.  Shooting off fireworks is illegal in KC limits but that doesn't stop people.  I do enjoy a professional fireworks display and even the smaller versions under SAFE conditions.

The neighbors living directly behind me have been affectionately dubbed "The Bumpuses."  The original Bumpus family were the neighbors in The Christmas Story who owned the big, ferocious dogs who stormed in Ralphie's house and ate the turkey resulting in the family going to a Chinese restaurant for their holiday meal.

The Bumpus family in my neighborhood also have BIG dogs.  Mr. Bumpus use to get very busy in his back yard if I were reading on the deck in my swim suit.  One day, he just walked on over to "ask me about my landscaping."  TRUE!  He always has some half-completed home improvement project going on with all the paraphernalia stacked for the world to enjoy.  For about three months, half his driveway was covered in a load of gravel.  One day, the fire department appeared when the trash he was burning ILLEGALLY got out of control and started burning his tree!

There are Bumpus teen boys and they love July 4th which on their calendar begins on June 18th and ends July 12th.  But the 4th is truly their favorite.  How do I know this?  They begin with the M-80s around 4:00 by throwing them down the storm drains.  The neighborhood dogs begin howling and don't end until the wee hours of the morning.  When the Bumpus teen boys tire of M-80s they begin launching the bottle rockets.  From there they go for the BIG displays that are launched while the kids are holding them.  

This time last year, we were in Fairhope enjoying the last night of our Alabama/Florida vacation.  We had a fabulous holiday with Bob's parents and the Huffman family.  Deep-sea fishing out in the gulf was checked off the Bucket List.  We watched fireworks over Mobile Bay listening to the local community band playing patriotic tunes.  

July 4th, 2012....I'm in Beijing and NOT missing the Bumpus teens!!