An Awesome Fourth, and A Night of Adventure!

We normally lay low on the fourth.  BBQ at home, a camp fire and s’mores in the backyard.  We don’t even leave home for fireworks since we can see so many from our yard.  This year was different.

We decided to go into Pittsburgh to see the big fireworks there.

 

Pittsburgh Fireworks

(Photo by David Watson) Some Rights Reserved

Normally we would not attempt this sort of thing.  Traffic, parking garages, crowds of people ingesting God knows what and, worst of all, endless waiting with a small child.  But, we had a plan!  The Carnegie Science Center offered a 4th of July Sleep Over Event.  This was really too cool not to try.  Basically the idea is you get to camp out over night in the Science Center and have the run of the place when quiet hours were not in effect.   It was a long fun night.  

First we were treated to a demonstration that explained a lot about fireworks and how the various colors are made.  We then got to see a laser show in the planetarium.  We selected the” 80’s at EIght” show, figuring that Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd would be too much for 6 year old S.  Next was prime seating and a snack for the fireworks.  Our view was very much like the photo above. Best of all we didn’t have to save our place for hours in advance.  We were in the museum playing while the squatters had to entertain themselves out in the rain.  After the fireworks we had admission to an IMAX movie “The Alps”.  Poor S was so tired at this point he asked if he could go to bed, and we did. Others still had energy to play or see the later laser shows.  In the morning a modest continental breakfast was served followed by a traditional planetarium show.  At 10:00 we could have gone over to the Sports Works complex to enjoy that part of the museum but we were just too pooped.  We could have stayed all day at the museum if we wanted, it was included as part of the package.  BTW, free parking as well!

As great as the sleep over was, the fireworks really were the highlight of the night.  Our view was fabulous and the beauty of the location really couldn’t be beat.  The three rivers reflected the light of the fireworks as did PPG Place.  My work and travels have allowed me to see a lot of different fire works shows and this one was certainly one of the best I have ever seen.

I’m really glad we shook things up and did something new this year.  And, I bet we will do this again sometime, except we will have to get a better air mattress.  Sleeping was a bit of an adventure all by it’s self.  

We brought an air bed with us and upon reflection I guess it was (yes, was) about 6-7 years old.  I had suspected there might be a leak in it because it was pretty limp after my BFF’s son had slept on it when they were our guests for our 20th anniversary party.  So I got it out of storage and blew it up a few days early to check on it.  S and the Sandwiched’s girls had even bounced around on it and it held it’s air.  So I assumed all was fine.  

When we all bedded down after the movie S was out pretty quick.  This was a later than normal late night for him.  He looked so snug and comfortable.  Actually we all were.  We had elected to all sleep crosswise on the bed and it seemed pretty roomy.  The exhibit hall had become surprisingly quiet and all the clues said we would get a reasonable night’s rest.   We even had a cool view of downtown from our chosen spot.  

However, before very long it was clear that we were sinking.  There was not anything to be done except to lay still and wait for the inevitable, like polar explorers caught in a storm.  By 1:30 AM the trunk of my body was touching the floor and several of my  extremities had entered a tingly sleep.  I attempted to adjust my body so that it could assume a normal sleep instead of the numbing one for which  I was headed.   Just then, the combined forces of gravity and the magnetism that a sleeping child has for his mother conspired to suck my son into the small space under my body.  I was pinned!  Unable to lie back down again I elected to go to the ladies room.  Upon my return I found that my 1/3 of the queen size mattress was now inhabited completely by S.  Worse yet, his 50 lb. frame some how managed to take up his 1/3 as well.  OK, well, I’ll sleep on the floor.  It’s carpeted, how bad can it be?

I cannot describe to you how hard this floor seemed when I lay upon it.  Instantly I was longing for the luxurious cushion of 2 mm of flocked vinyl provided by our slowly deflating air mattress.  It felt as if the floor was actually pushing up into me and that some how the Earth’s mass had suddenly increased; gravity multiplying in response.  Clearly the carpet beneath me was some sort of clever illusion because if it was actually present there is no way I could have been that uncomfortable.

S L O W L Y, my body adjusted and I did eventually fall asleep.  How I will never know.  Perhaps the day was just so good my body didn’t care!

J and I traded naps when we got home; the air mattress never made it back into the house.  It went from the van directly to the trash.