The Ultimate Birthday Candles, by Julie Wold Peterson, 2002

I signed my name in the air. When I felt especially brave I held two sparklers, one in each extended hand. and played with symmetry in the night. When the last spark fell. I placed the metal sticks down into the sand-filled coffee can. "Can I have another?" I would ask, not wanting the day to end.

As a child, Independence Day was much more than a national holiday for me. With my Grandpa's birthday on the fifth and mine on the sixth, this was the day we celebrated our birthdays together with the cousins. We would gather at Grandma and Grandpa's cottage, just twelve stepping stones from ours.

The morning and afternoon would be typical of our summer. I awoke to the sounds of birds and power tools, all at Lake Delavan getting an early start on the day. After throwing on shorts and a top, finding my favorites for this special day, I ate a quick breakfast. For the next hour or so. I read a book or visited Grandma and Grandpa. Sometimes I caught them in a heated canasta game. Other times I found Grandpa reading on the front. screened-in porch and Grandma playing solitaire or working in the kitchen. After the visit, I headed for home to oversee Mom as she packed the cooler for our day in the sun. With our swimming supplies and cooler in tow, we walked down the curved. steep road to the beach.

At the lake, my sister Mary and I searched out our friends Tony and Lisa. My brother Andy, being much too old to hang out at the beach with us, went off to find the cousins. Caring little about Andy's departure, we quickly lay down our towels and headed straight to the lake. excited by the water and the multitudes of people out in their boats that day. On our breaks from swimming, we dug our toes into the sand and ate the goodies from the cooler. It was a challenge to keep the sand out of our plastic bottles. The promises of the day began to show themselves, as cousins and friends stopped at the beach on their way to their cottages or docks. Plans were confirmed. Tony and I discussed fireworks destinations. By four o'clock. Dad joined us for a swim. We giggled and showed off our newest theatrics for jumping into the lake.

After our day at the beach, we walked back up to the house. Grandpa could be found watering his grass, and he usually sent the spray in our direction. "OOPS!" he shouted. "OOPS!" Mary and I would squeal with delight but then ask him to aim the water at our sandy feet. By this time, Andy joined us. Who knows what he and the cousins did all day? Fireworks were probably compared, and motorbikes were tuned up or driven.

After washing the green lake algae from our suits and hair, our family changed clothes and went next door. We were usually the first. Grandpa cheered for his birthday girl and I sat on his lap. We talked and waited. He threatened my birthday spanking, though he never delivered. Eventually other family members arrived. Aunt Louise and Uncle John came with David. Eric, and Karl. Aunt Edna, Grandpa's sister, usually walked up from her house on the first road. Grandpa sprang for buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Since it was my birthday, I got to enjoy the drumsticks. Presents were unwrapped; cake and ice cream devoured. By 7:30, we began to arrange car rides to the fireworks at Delavan Park, or in later years, over Lake Geneva. Grandpa was the only one to stay home. He preferred the calm of his novels to the chaos of the holiday crowds.

Despite the traffic and usual parking problems, we always managed to find a great place to watch the fireworks display. Whether lying on a blanket or sitting with my legs dangling off a pier, the fireworks were wonderful. I loved to pretend that they were just for me. The ultimate birthday candles! Though the display always ended too quickly, the night air made me tired.

When we came home, Grandpa would be reading by one small, yellow light at the front porch window. He was eager to hear about the fireworks. Outside our cottages again, we closed the night with sparklers—quiet, bright, and beautiful. I hugged Grandpa before going to bed. "Happy Birthday, Grandpa," I whispered. "Now tomorrow, we can celebrate your birthday all over again!"

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