Happy 4th of July in America 2012!

Here's hoping for a safe and happy 4th of July today to my fellow Americans. Cook up those hot dogs and hamburgers, drink those beers and sodas, have lots of fun. I wanted to share with everyone a little fun product that the wife and I tried last night and we are excited about now. She had ordered a box of Japanese sky lanterns over a month ago and she was saving for a party. We had a friend over at our house last night so I decided it was time to try these out. I'm glad we did. It was a lot of fun. The lanterns come in individual packages in the box. We took three of them out of the box opened each one, one at a time and unfurled the flame resistant paper lantern and held it by it's top. Then, I lit the little cardboard square that is held by wires at the bottom. The cardboard is coated with a slow burning wax. In no time at all the square starts to catch fire and burn and the lantern begins to fill with hot air. After about fifteen seconds you release the lantern and watch it sit still just a foot or so above the ground until it starts to begin it's ascent skyward. It starts slow at first but then begins to pick up a little speed. It will drift one direction and then it will reverse and a wind current will take it up and on it's journey. We watched the first one just about disappear out of sight before we lit up the second and then a third one. It was fun to watch and took a little while before it just about went out of sight. We are planning on setting more on their journey tonight as we celebrate the fourth. I've found a link to where you can shop for these lanterns if you want to get some for your next event or celebration. Have fun and enjoy the fourth! Sky Lanterns