Slightly OT - what is everyone doing for the 4th of July

Now I'm sure that a little more than half of the board won't be celebrating it, as it marks the formation of a horrible repressive regime that is responsible for literally every bad thing to ever happen in the world, but for those of you who are celebrating, what are y'all doing?

As for me, I spent $150 on fireworks last week. Fountains, roman candles, mortars, bottle rockets, saturn missiles. The municipalities near me have all cancelled fireworks, so me and some dudes in my neighborhood decided that we would try to somewhat centralize a "show" people could watch. I believe there will be 5 or 6 shows in the neighborhood.

I'm also smoking a shoulder and a chuck roast to make sloppy joe like sammiches called "chuckies." I may also crush a beer or two.

“Y’all”.....You have all those Southern mannerisms down pat. So do they consider you a Yankee or are you officially one of them?;)
 
NW Iowa. God’s country.

The land of relentless wind, featureless horizon, and the scent of hogs.

It ain’t bad though. Almost no covid as a percentage of population, and my property taxes on a 1,100 sqft house, double lot are $1K a year.

I can vouch for this. We stop at the Cenex/Hardee's (aka Holstein Travel Center) South of Holstein every time we drive to/from my sister-in-law's house in Nebraska. That place is near the top of a large hill and it's ALWAYS windy there. I don't mean a slight breeze either. It's 15+ MPH gusts every time.

It's a little hilly between Holstein and Sioux City, but really flat most of the way between Holstein and Waterloo.

Something that's hard to believe is when heading East, the Holstein Travel Center is the last gas station right along Hwy 20 for 163 miles. The next one is the Casey's off Hwy 63 by Cedar Falls.

The lack of law enforcement presence on this trip is also crazy. I can usually count on one hand how many highway patrol/county sheriff's we see (both marked and unmarked). We've went the entire drive (one way) without seeing one officer on patrol, sitting in the median, or parked on an on-ramp.

Anyways, this weekend we'll be going to my parents' farm where I grew up. We'll blow some shit up, shoot some trap, grill some good food, relax, and light fireworks.

We usually have a big gathering of family & friends over to watch us light our own fireworks show every year after the small town they live near lights theirs. We've been doing this for 30+ years. The town is still having a fireworks show this year, but my parents are only having immediate family members over this year.
 
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Something that's hard to believe is when heading East, the Holstein Travel Center is the last gas station right along Hwy 20 for 163 miles. The next one is the Casey's off Hwy 63 by Cedar Falls.
I can think of two without even trying. There is a caseys Early, and the Mill at Grundy Center.
 
@okeefe4prez is being sarcastic. He loves this country. We all love this country. We just don’t always like the stuff going on. Let’s leave the political stuff out of this nice ass thread and put it in the designated one.

Yeah, I know he made a sociological joke, but it was funny and he didn’t digress unnecessarily. The internet is a mofo for people who can’t sniff out sarcasm. Put some meat on whatever cooking appliance you have, drink a barley soda, and shoot a few bottle rockets. We’re all in this together.

My point wasnt political but I thought his first sentence either was political or if sarcasm it was still veiled attack toward what he called one half of the citizens. My point was "why" even start a neutral thread on a good subject with that shtick?? Really, it was funny??? Oh well
 

I just checked Google Maps. You're right :). Both of the gas stations you mentioned are under a half mile from Hwy 20. I'll keep this in mind for future reference. The BP in Grundy Center I think I remember seeing after thinking about it. The only thing I remember seeing near Early is their water tower though.
 
We will be going to the range. Doing a little kayaking, maybe grill some steaks up, our town is having a fireworks show so probably catch that and have a few drinks.
 
My point wasnt political but I thought his first sentence either was political or if sarcasm it was still veiled attack toward what he called one half of the citizens. My point was "why" even start a neutral thread on a good subject with that shtick?? Really, it was funny??? Oh well

I get it. Your wife's boyfriend is lighting the fireworks and you're not happy about it. Maybe they'll break up by next 4th of July.
 
I just checked Google Maps. You're right :). Both of the gas stations you mentioned are under a half mile from Hwy 20. I'll keep this in mind for future reference. The BP in Grundy Center I think I remember seeing after thinking about it. The only thing I remember seeing near Early is their water tower though.

There's also a Sinclair/Sparky's One Stop station (new within the past few years) just north of Hwy 20 on Highway 4 that's north of Rockwell City and a truck stop on the south side of Webster City as well. I only know this because I grew up in RC for the first few years or my life and then WC. :)
 
There's also a Sinclair/Sparky's One Stop station (new within the past few years) just north of Hwy 20 on Highway 4 that's north of Rockwell City and a truck stop on the south side of Webster City as well. I only know this because I grew up in RC for the first few years or my life and then WC. :)

Damn bro, I didn't realize that we were practically neighbors. Coalville represent! You ever been to Brushy Crick? Duncombe? My childhood best friend used to live on a farm just southeast of Duncombe.
 
Damn bro, I didn't realize that we were practically neighbors. Coalville represent! You ever been to Brushy Crick? Duncombe? My childhood best friend used to live on a farm just southeast of Duncombe.

Oh, yeah. Our old landlords, or I should say slumlords, from when I lived in the dirty for 9 months while going to ICCC lived in Coalville actually. It was fun times, but that's the maximum amount of time I would ever want to live in Fort Dodge.

Used to go get drunk out at the Brushy Creek beach pretty regularly. Good times.

And Doon-com-be? Of course! Had a few friends who grew up there. Most of them went to WC schools. Actually played a few baseball games for the Duncombe Demons back in the day. :cool:
 
Oh, yeah. Our old landlords, or I should say slumlords, from when I lived in the dirty for 9 months while going to ICCC lived in Coalville actually. It was fun times, but that's the maximum amount of time I would ever want to live in Fort Dodge.

Used to go get drunk out at the Brushy Creek beach pretty regularly. Good times.

And Doon-com-be? Of course! Had a few friends who grew up there. Most of them went to WC schools. Actually played a few baseball games for the Duncombe Demons back in the day. :cool:

Yeah, I think my buddy was just south of what is now Highway 20 and so he went to Otho with me - I think if you lived north of 20 you went to Webster City, south of it you went to Otho, at least for elementary school. Back then, that nice 4 lane Highway 20 did not exist. I remember we turned right when going there from Coalville, so he had to be south of it.

I didn't realize we had such a scholar in our midst. Did you live in those shit apartments on the ICCC campus?

My uncle just died and he lived in a less than stellar house that he "owned" in Fort Dodge. I forget where it was but my cousins were talking about what to do with the house and the money they will get from it. My mom called the mortgage company and found out there is a $60k mortgage on it. Place would sell for like $50k tops, and I doubt they would even get that. That town is such a fucking dump.
 
I get it. Your wife's boyfriend is lighting the fireworks and you're not happy about it. Maybe they'll break up by next 4th of July.

Well my wife has had so many boyfriends, menfriends since we have been married I cannot keep count. But that doesnt bother me because she always says I am the best and the only one that takes her to full or any type of orgasm. But I get it that you cannot justify to yourself what you said about 1/2 the citizens not standing for the anthem and you feel very small for what you said but your modus operandi is to try and attack the messenger.
 
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