>>...Yeah... gunpowder, flame and cardboard is probably not the best combination.<<
Well, it's iffy. Single launchers are okay because even if it catches fire, you're not trying to use it again. You have your wet towel and bucket of sand, it's not a problem. Set pieces with 9-25 tubes in a cluster are more dicey, because if they burn wrong it not only messes up the display but causes a hazard. After discussion, we decided that the cardboard mortar tube was the worst idea, because it was meant to be used repeatedly, and if it caught fire, you couldn't launch your remaining shells -- unless you found something else to put them in.
>> Watching from the car is a good idea. My favorite way to watch fireworks is "On television," because a) I dislike the smell of gunpowder, and b) the television broadcasters have the best mics, so you can actually hear the music that's supposed to be part of the show. When the acoustics for the music is spotty, the overall effect comes across as jumbled and weird. <<
Do what works for you. Out here we have relatively flat territory. So I usually go outdoors around July 4th and can see aerials from several towns. Or you can drive down the highway and see them.
Re: Fireworks as PTSD triggers
Well, it's iffy. Single launchers are okay because even if it catches fire, you're not trying to use it again. You have your wet towel and bucket of sand, it's not a problem. Set pieces with 9-25 tubes in a cluster are more dicey, because if they burn wrong it not only messes up the display but causes a hazard. After discussion, we decided that the cardboard mortar tube was the worst idea, because it was meant to be used repeatedly, and if it caught fire, you couldn't launch your remaining shells -- unless you found something else to put them in.
>> Watching from the car is a good idea. My favorite way to watch fireworks is "On television," because a) I dislike the smell of gunpowder, and b) the television broadcasters have the best mics, so you can actually hear the music that's supposed to be part of the show. When the acoustics for the music is spotty, the overall effect comes across as jumbled and weird. <<
Do what works for you. Out here we have relatively flat territory. So I usually go outdoors around July 4th and can see aerials from several towns. Or you can drive down the highway and see them.