It was slightly hazy, but not totally overcast.

That is a full moon. And there are no street lights in the backyard.

There is a military bases nearby. And it seems that UFO’s tend to be sighted more frequently near Air Force Bases. By the way, one of the bases nearby is Hurlbert Field, home to more than a few US Military Special Operations groups. How do I know. Can’t tell you, as then, well, we’ll just leave that one alone.

This was taken close to midnight.

Help me figure this one out. If it is something truly terrestrial, and you can prove exactly what it is, then I will give you a midweek stay at The Bee and Thistle, plus dinner at The Chestnut Grill. If we don’t figure it out, then I will choose from the best and or funniest explanation a choice of dinner at The Chestnut Grill, or a massage at Daydreams.

Now is the time to make plans to go to that destination you’ve wanted to get to, and do that activity that you’ve wanted to do. Don’t wait!

Maybe try something new this summer? Me? I’ve been kayaking for the first time, and loving it!

What’s your favorite summer food? Ice cream? Watermelon? Fresh tomatoes? How about a berry pie? Think about your favorite, and eat it!

Now is the time to make memories for your Summer 2010!

Okay, having been in the Marines, and not having been involved in mayhem in over 25 years (?????) there obviously only one thing I can say.

“Is it going to be legal?” By the way, this is a very pertinent question considering our high school years. Thank God for statutes of limitations and such.

So Edgar aka Sid as in Viscous (again back to the day) tells me that Steve Zygmont,  pyro technician extroidinaire,  and one of the lead shooters for Atlas Pyrovision Productions wanted to know if I would like to go to a shoot.

“”I dunno, let me check my schedule”  Of course I want to. Just tell me when and where.

So, this past Sunday, I am heading out to Old Mountain Field in South Kingstown, Rhode Island to light up the night sky. I figured this would be a great story, and a chance to see what it takes to put on a show. Now this is a 25 minute show, and as I found out, the folks in South Kingstown loves their pyrotechnics.

Now, what does it take to shoot a show like this?  How about a lot of labor. As in there was twelve of us, and when I say we busted it, we did. To the tune of  fourteen hours. WE did break to eat, once, and we also, obviously broke for the show, but that was it. It all starts with the tubes coming off the trucks, getting set up,cleaned of all debris, and then the supports get attached. For the record, this shoot had close to ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED mortar tubes ranging in size from two inch diameter to six inch diameter. You can have tubes of up to twelve inch diameters, but due to safety requirements, the largest we could shoot here was six inch. Just so you know, each rack of mortar tubes consists of between three and ten tubes per, and weigh on the average of eighty to ninety pounds each.

After the tubes are cleaned and secured, it’s time to work on the shots themselves. As you can see, there are lots of these. Each shot has to have the manual fuse removed, a “squib” ( electric solenoid) inserted, and staged for placement in it’s tube. Now the whole time we are staging the shots, Steve is planning the show, and although I see him writing something down once in a while, and referring to the bill of laden, I swear, the whole show is being planned in his head. Now once all the shots are primed, it’s time to drop them in the tubes. And then two elastics around each tube to secure the wire leads, to keep them from coming unattached. You don’t think about this, but as you will see, the launch is sheer violence. After all the shots are secured, then the wires are set into the firing module, and then back to the firing board. This is a lot of wires.

It is now about 3 o’clock, and we finally break to eat. Now me being the ever attentive person that I am, (re smart ass) I look over and see TEN more cases of fireworks, so of course I make mention of this, something like ” count much?” This is when I learn about “cakes”  What a cake is is a box of small diameter tubes (think of the fireworks you can buy in a store) that are fired in sequence. Each “cake” has between 40 and 100 tubes in it. So now we are up to approximately TWO THOUSAND shots.

Back to work, finishing up the wiring, final placement, and then, finally it’s showtime. And what a show. Twenty five minutes of air bursts, ground effects, white flowers, and patterns. And where was I? Literally less than 25 feet from the trailer that had a majority of the four, five and six inch tubes. I would say that there was around a thousand pounds of explosives in the tubes. Wicked cool. The point of this little story is not the show, but the hardworking crew behind it. Now you know what Steve,Sid, Bob, Dan and everyone else on these crews due to provide you with these shows. And yes, it is extremely dangerous, as many of you know, there was an accident at the Madison shoot. A five inch round had a bad fuse and went off in the tube. A good friend of Steve’s is in Yale New Haven Hospital with severe leg injuries. He will survive, but it will be a long road back.

So, with all this hard work, why do we do it? Yes we, as in me included, as I am hooked. We do it for the beuty of the displays. Yeah, the adrenaline rush involved with the possible dangers. But most of all, we do it for the all of you, so you can enjoy the this show on one of our greatest holidays. On Sunday, we made an estimated sixty thousand people go ooh, and ahhh. Life does not get any better than that.

And in case you miss it, Fireworks are far from done. Sailfest in New London has one of the largest shoots in the country going on Saturday. For me, I will be hanging in Guilford with a bunch of friends drinking summer libations and hanging with Steve and id again, as Atlas is doing the shoot. Damn, I love summer….

And the final word is: TOTALLY

Send all 5 words to me in the correct order for your chance to win one of two family four packs for Cirque Du Soleil” OVO”

edwinbartlett@hotmail.com

But did you know that as you age, your ability to age decreases?

So they pile up and cause all kinds of problems such as clogged pores and an overall dull tone. And the more they build-up, the harder it is to keep your skin hydrated and moisturized! Exfoliation is a key step in maintaining healthy skin. By sloughing off (removing) the dead skin cells that you accumulate each day, you can keep that healthy glow. Think of exfoliation as if your are polishing a beautiful silver bowl. Each day a little ‘tarnish’ builds up. If gone unchecked that beautiful silver bowl becomes dull and old looking. Regular ‘polishing’ keeps a beautiful shine and glow. Same goes for your skin! Without
proper and regular exfoliation, dead skin cells can get trapped on the skin’s surface. When they’re trapped, they build up. Once they’ve built up, you’ll experience:A flat, dull complexion

More noticeable fine lines and wrinkles

Rough texture and blemishes

Lessened effects of your skin products

And please re-read the above last point again. Who can afford for their skin care products to have a lessened effect? Out with the old (skin cells) and in with the new (skin cells). Exfoliate your skin regularly. Those built-up dead skin cells aren’t doing a healthy and youthful appearance any favors. For more information regarding skin care, facials and what products would work best for your skin type visit.

www.daydreamct.com

ROCKS

edwinbartlett@hotmail.com

Now remember I told you I have really cool stuff to give away? Well here is how I am going to do it. First, the I need a name for this column.  best name gets dinner for two at The Bee and Thistle. Next I need your suggestions. And this is where I really give away the goods. Whenever I get that exceptionally cool place, I will open up my stash of swag, and let you pick something. And I always have massages, dinners, tickets and gift certificates available. And all you have to do is tell me where to go.

Du

edwinbartlett@hotmail.com

As we know, the Internet has seen explosive growth. And trust me, we ain’t seen nothing yet. Part of  the reason for this, is the ability for anyone to be able to create a website or blog for very little, if any, money, and everyone having something to say. By the way, blog is a portmanteau (yup, real word,look it up) of  web log. A blog can stand alone, or as in the case of Shoreline Out and About, be part of a website. If you are interested in starting your own blog, check out www.wordpress.com. You will be able to set up your own blog, and do it for free.

So, here are a few websites/blogs that I think are home runs.  Some are just straight out fun, some are great resources, but all are worth a look.

First up is The Real Life Survival Guide by some guy named Bruce Barber. This name may sound vaguely familiar to you. Evidently, he had some type of radio show for a few years, which I hear was pretty popular. Don’t know for sure,as think it was before my time.  So The Real Life Survival Guide is not just Bruce taking everyday situations and finding humor in them.  What this and most blogs do is encourage conversation on the topic. And this is what is making blogs so popular. Prior to this, all that happened was that you read a story, and often mumbled to yourself, “man, what is this jerk thinking”. Now you can let the author really know what YOU are thinking. By the way, Bruce is actually not the jerk I that I am talking about. I actually have about 5 names I can put on this list, but I shall refrain. For now….

Next up is Sharedharvest.net. This site is all about sustainable harvests, local produce, and given the consumer (and others) another means of finding local produce and vendors other than by going to a Farmers Market. It gives all o here, so let’s give her the support that she has earned.f us a way of supporting our local producers year round, not just when it is summer. If you have not fanned Shared Harvest, or Emily Brooks yet on FB, do it now. Emily is doing a great thing.

Here is one that we will be working with, and I am incredibly happy about.  Lifewithwendy.com. How does Wendy describe herself ? “Somewhere between Erma Bombeck and Dave Berry. Tampons and Depends“.  So  now you see why I am liking this blog. Any one with kids is going to be able to relate to Wendy. Anyone who is thinking of having kids should read this blog. Now here is the really scary part. You all think I am wired? Wendy is just as wired, and to think that the two of us are collaborating on not just content, but a few other projects ? Be afraid Connecticut, be very, very afraid….

So as I have said, just because I call this “Pick 6″ doesn’t mean that I have to have six of anything. Remember my mantra ? “My website. I make my own rules, and break the rest”. Well, that’s what I am doing, these are my best, but before I wrap it, I would be remiss if I did not say that the absolute top of the must read list is none other than Annie Mame. If you follow the link to the site, you will see someone that believes in the same thing that I do. Connecticut is a great state, and that the diversity we have here is incredible. And Annie Mame is willing to take the time out her incredibly busy schedule to tell us about the those oh so cool places and businesses that are all over the state. And how do I know that Annie Mame is busy? Because she is one of the few people who posts more on FB than me. She is none other than Connecticut news icon, Ann Nyberg. In the past year plus, I have had the great pleasure of working with Ann on multiple projects, and I can tell you that what byou see is what you get. This is a woman who wants to connect this state, and make it one big community. And knowing Ann the way that I do, I can guarantee, that some of her best work has yet to be seen.

I was very lucky to have a great Dad. Although he is gone I still feel very lucky. He was honest, hard working, talented, dedicated and had a great sense of humor. He was in my eyes –a great man.

He was also a sentimental man. After my Dad passed, we found battered old folders in the back of his desk. One folder for each child. Inside were notes and cards that we had given him at various ages in our individual lives. He had kept so many from each of us. I had given him a copy of the below list with a note saying,” I don’t have to wait till I’m 30 to appreciate how smart you are“. I felt very mature and evolved at the time for letting him know how much I thought of him. He must have too because it was in my folder. Every now and again this list pops up via email and it still brings a tear to my eye. Everyday I do my best to be just like him.

4 years: My Daddy can do anything!
7 years: My Dad knows a lot…a whole lot.
8 years: My father does not know quite everything.
12 years: Oh well, naturally Father does not know that either.
14 years: Oh, Father? He is hopelessly old-fashioned.
21 years: Oh, that man-he is out of date!
25 years: He knows a little bit about it, but not much.
30 years: I must find out what Dad thinks about it.
35 years: Before we decide, let’s get Dad’s idea first.
50 years: What would Dad have thought about that?
60 years: My Dad knew literally everything!
65 years: I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.

Fathers Day, June 20^th , is quickly approaching. Celebrate your father or the father of your children with a gift certificate at Daydream. For gift ideas visit www.daydreamct@att.net