Fourth of July 2009

We had a great fourth of July this year. We celebrated with our close friends, the Howards. Before the festivities officially started, Jackson invited Finn (the Howards' oldest child) over for a lemonade stand. I figured it would be a good opportunity for them to learn a little about profit margins (can't tell I was a banker in my previous life, can you?). They spent about an hour setting up, making their sign, and overseeing the manufacture of their lemonade! When they finally got started, I headed out to check on them and saw that they were MAJORLY overcharging for this lemonade. A 5 ounce dixie cup was going for $1.50. I calmly explained to them that they would NEVER sell lemonade at that price and suggested they lower their price. They declined. I at least convinced them to use larger cups if they were going to charge that kind of price. They agreed. I went inside to round up some larger 12 ounce Solo cups. When I returned less than 3 minutes later, imagine my surprised when they had already made $20. Some benevolent neighbor had stopped by and bought a few lemonades, gave them a $20, and told them to keep the change. I lost all credibility at that point. Still, they agreed to upsize their cups. Two hours laters, when the novelty of the stand had worn off, they shut down the operation, but not before they made nearly $45.

Later, when the rest of the Howard clan arrived we grilled out burgers and had a few cocktails on the back porch while enjoying some beautiful weather. Finally, the sun went down and we headed out for some "legal fireworks". In North Carolina, the only fireworks that are legal are the kind that don't leave the ground (despite the fact that our neighbors showed us up with some illegal contraband!). We all had a blast!

Look carefully. How many grown men does it take to light a firework? Two, apparently!