(Belated) Independence Day Celebration

While igniting fuses in a late US Independence Day celebration, I pondered why people celebrate nation-specific holidays.  It's definitely fun to have days off work and shoot fireworks, but there must be more to it (I hope).  I come to the conclusion that celebrating things like independence dates make people feel like good citizens of their respective countries.  We all want to be loyal citizens, so we take time to engage in social events that conveniently are on the same date as a day off of work.  I suspect there's something in everyone's conscience that makes happiness a result of loyalty.

With those musings out of the way, I had some fun blasting off rockets of various magnitude.  Pictures:

A small bottlerocket in the process of departing the pipe

Me about to ignite a (supposedly) very powerful rocket

Fireworks are fun, plain and simple.