McMansion neighbor takes fun out of childhood [Archive]

Captain Pre-Capsize

07-05-2006, 09:42 PM

Our kids have always enjoyed blowing off fireworks over the years - until now. Last year a home was purchased across the street for $425,000, torn down and a HUGE home went up. Then mom, dad and their two little children moved in along with their two new cars. So the fireworks were going off as they have every year and the sheriff pulls up. "Anonymous complaint about the illegal firecrackers on your property. Just a warning for now but don't let me catch you again..."

Anonoymous indeed. Gee, I wonder just wonder who made the phone call? Scrooges...

Phillip Allen

07-05-2006, 09:47 PM

Go and talk to them
Apologize and promise to be better in the future and could you be excused now?

(ya might also ask what country they're from)

Bob Cleek

07-05-2006, 09:51 PM

You shoulda invited their kids....

Phillip Allen

07-05-2006, 09:56 PM

All kidding aside:

If I lived across from them, I would bake bread then take a warm loaf to them explaining my recipe made more than I could use and would they like this loaf?

I once had neighbors make threatening noise about my bee hives. I jarred up some real pretty stuff in a nice jar and took it over to them and explained that bees didn't chase their baby...they would not be interested.

Wild Dingo

07-05-2006, 10:12 PM

And sometimes some of these mega mansion ownin gits just dont get it wont get it and dont want to get it... and your lumbered with it... next year same thing only instead of a warnin the sherrif will slap you with a fine cause of some "anomyous" complaint... then it will be excessive noise and any other thing they can think of cause you are destroyin their precious peace and quiet... and they will continue until you have to move and then they will buy your place and combine the two and well that was their plan in the first place then they will subdivide and sell of as little box land for little box minded people while they move on to the next quaint quiet place to do the same thing

So... you should try... but dont be surprised if theyre not interested... and dont care.

geeman

07-05-2006, 10:19 PM

We had a neighbor across the road from us that set off rockets every nite.The next morning I always had to go out and clean up my yard.I also found fire crackers in my truck (which was new at the time) and my BOAT.Explainning to this guy that I didnt appreciate having to clean up his mess in MY yard didnt seem to get thru to him.( he also talked to himself while mowing his lawn so loud we could hear him over the sound of his lawnmower).Finally I decided that every day I'd pick up all the firecracker leftovers and collect them for 2 weeks,then throw them all in his yard at the same time,and wait until he got home making sure I was in sight in case he had a problem with it.He got the message and did cut down on the amount tho he still shot em off some.Calling the law wouldnt have helped as we have no laws against firecrackers here.You have a problem with somebody,YOU deal with it.

formerlyknownasprince

07-06-2006, 03:00 AM

You could, of course, put a decent size cracker in his letter box - but you'd better not get spotted

rbgarr

07-06-2006, 03:19 AM

Yes!! The Ted Kaszynski Solution reborn!! YeeHawww!!!!

We've got an older neighbor lady who gets a bit crabby about things from time to time. We manage to rub along with her, even though I overheard the kids refer to her as 'Medusa' once, as in 'don't look at her or she'll turn you to stone'. There was even a 'police-called-in-dispute' over whether our gas company damaged her stone wall when installing a new tank about a month ago.

But last evening she invited us and some neighbors over for a potluck and we had a good time. Then the new J Boat 'Ranger " came into the harbor and she talked about seeing the original when it was being built in the nearby Bath Iron Works in the 30s... and her friendship with Starling Burgess. Now THAT was something to hear about! It reminded me of that story about POMELION in a WB sometime in the last few years. :cool:

Bert Langley

07-06-2006, 08:32 AM

There is another possible take on this and I would like to hear some opinions on this. Almost all fireworks are illegal in Illinois. Is it possible that your neighbor was taking the opportunity to teach his kids that laws should be obeyed and that there are consequences for not doing so?

As kids we loved shooting off fireworks. The city passed a law making them illegal. We did not like that, but my father insisted we obey it. His lesson was that we are a nation of laws. We may not agree with a law but we do obey them. We do not get to pick and choose. When the speed limt was lowered to 55 he absolutely hated it, but to my knowledge he never drove faster then 55.

I have no interest in discussing whether fireworks should be legal, but I do question parents who send the message to their kids that it is OK to not obey a law that they do not like. Kids pick up on things pretty quickly and it is not a far leap to go from it is OK to ignore the fireworks law to it is OK to ignore other laws you do not agree with.

Then again your neighbors could just be jerks.

geeman

07-06-2006, 08:41 AM

This guy lived alone,so teaching his kids wasnt his point.Later on a big black car showed up and 2 men went in his house.Turned out they were FBI,he had e mailed a threat to the prez,and the FBI came out here to hicksville to investigate .We watched them take his picture search his house and then his car and then leave.Because I sent all his trash back to him, he complained to his landlord that I picked on him.Its not against the law here to shoot off fireworks,however bothering neighbors by allowing your trash to go in their yard so they have to clean up your mess DAILY is over the top.I wouldnt put up with it and the next step was a visit to him from me.When he realized I wouldnt tolerate anymore he moved.

George Roberts

07-06-2006, 08:43 AM

This year my neighbor set off a lot of fireworks. The next morning there was debris on my property.

Got on the phone and reported an attempted arson.

Bet it will not happen next year.

Matt J.

07-06-2006, 09:02 AM

Sooo... illegal fireworks are OK because you like them? Well, sh!t, dude I like your car so perhaps I'll just take it for a spin.

I've got neighbors who still find pops and booms on a regular basis wildly entertaining. I've called the police and written the fire marshall and am persuing "other" means of forcing them to be reasonable, if not altogether cease, their fireworks jollies.

I'm a friggin' American, too, bud. I appreciate Independence Day. I go to fireworks displays, too. But in our neighborhood, if you choose to light of quarter stick fireworks during the day, at night, year round and all week long, you're going to regret it. Legally, financially, and if it comes to it, physically.

Here's how this works: After big John first moves in... Oh, look big John is shooting fireworks... OK.

After 39 times that year: That's it, I going to talkwith big John. This is ridiculous.

After 75 times that year: Honey, I'm calling the police.

After 5 years of this... other ideas start occuring.

Now a letter has been sent to the fire marshall, damning the police ("sorry, it's not my job to deal with BOOM fireworks"), demanding action, and being copied to all state and county legislators - some of whom I know well.

Your neighbors don't like you doing fireworks? Perhaps their kids are afraid of them? Perhaps their cars got debris on the paint? (BTW, damn them for having new cars! :rolleyes: ) Then stop doing fireworks. They're ILLEGAL!

Memphis Mike

07-06-2006, 09:25 AM

Thanks Matt. Not to mention all the houses that have caught fire due to backyard fireworks.

If you want your kids to see fireworks, take em to a public fireworks display.

They're illegal in TN yet legal in Ark. and Miss. These dealers set up right on the border and thousands cross the border each year to buy them. I wish they would stop them cold as soon as they come back and put an end to it.:mad:

Tristan

07-06-2006, 09:35 AM

Fireworks are illegal here too. Hey, we overlook it on July 4th, even though some jerkoffs spend hundreds of dollars to shoot monster mortars and rockets 'till midnight or later. The same jerkoffs shoot fireworks at other odd times too, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. On the 2nd of July some nitwit fired off two mortars at 3AM. Problem is, that a lot of people just have no respect at all for other folks rights. These are the same buttholes that throw trash and bottles out their car windows as they drive around, the same ones that let their pack of pit bulls run wild, the same people that . . . oh well, you know the story. An hour of fireworks, SAFELY exploded, on the fourth just after dark? Great! Fireworks 365 days a year at random times day and night? Not so damn great.

Milo Christensen

07-06-2006, 10:29 AM

Explain to me why kids can't have fun on the Fourth without blowing off illegal fireworks?

Did you ever think that your neighbor might be trying to raise law abiding kids. Perhaps they don't want their kids to use fireworks and are dealing with the perennial problem faced by protective, law-abiding parents who care about their kids safety; "Why can't we have fireworks? The captain's kids have fireworks. Well, if they're breaking the law, why don't we say something?"

geeman

07-06-2006, 10:48 AM

Mike ,fireworks are not illegal everywhere in Tn.In our county its still legal.Last night in fact at 1: 45 AM a neighbor down in the hollow below my house started shooting off rockets.1:45 AM!!!!!.Since its not against the law ,nothing much can be done.However these neighbors dont do this as a regular pass time,so for now we'll over look it.The problem is though that people around here get "high" on fireworks and tend to want to do it for a while after the 4th.

Memphis Mike

07-06-2006, 10:50 AM

They're illegal in Memphis and like you say, they are still setting them off and the 4th was two days ago.:mad:

John of Phoenix

07-06-2006, 10:54 AM

When I lived in TX, one of my neighbors got out his 12 guage to go with the case of Bud he'd been working on all afternoon and tried to bring the moon out of the sky. Calling the poice at that point was an invitation to a shoot out, so we hunkered down in the single-wide and called them next morning.

"Why didn't you call last night?"
"Because he was armed and drunk and he'd have shot everything and everyone all to hell and back."
"We can't do anything now, he's not shooting."
"Can't you come out and 'investigate'? Let him know that he's not supposed to do that? 'Danger to the public' and all that?"
"If he was shooting we could."

One of the advantages of being trailer trash was the mobility.

Milo Christensen

07-06-2006, 11:02 AM

My daughter brought over a nice young man for the Fourth Feast at our house. An Israeli from Jerusalem who's just completed his three years of military service humping a Stinger through the Golan. His reaction everytime a really big 'cracker went off was quite different from the reaction of all the Americans. He was somewhat embarassed the time he actually ducked under the table on the deck.

geeman

07-06-2006, 11:10 AM

Years ago,when we lived in VA, my wife ran an apartment complex.I owned and operated a Private Investigation Firm.I furnished the security for her complex.One night a drunk tenent came out on his patio and proceeded to blast away with his shotgun.The police were called and they sent out a very young rookie and a female cop.They ask me to take them to the best area to "contact" this guy.When we got there we found the drunk on his patio,shotgun in hand ready to pop off more rounds.The rookie pulled his gun and pointed it at the drunk and ordered him to drop the shotgun.The problem was the rookies hand was shaking so bad he was in more danger of shooting anything BUT the drunk,not to mention spooking the guy into panicing.The Female cop just stood there with her hands in her pockets.Beccause the rookie was in panic mode and the female cop didnt have a clue what to do ,I had to draw my revolver and cover them.If that guy had pointed the shotgun anywhere close the shooting would have started and no telling who would have been killed,most likely somebody sitting in their apartment minding their own business.Finally the drunk passed out and dropped the shotgun on his own.Then the rookie ""took charge" and cuffed the sleeping drunk guy,I just laughed at the rookie and walked away,,,

John of Phoenix

07-06-2006, 11:14 AM

Milo, you'll see lots of that when our young folks get back home.

I came to the office one weekend when the AZ Cardinals were playing at their home field here at ASU, just a block down the street. As I reached the front door, they scored and as is done on the rare occasion when that happens, there was a volley of six or seven big mortars. The old guy security guard and I both were on the floor. We both had a chuckle when we got up, but it's a reaction that just gets to be a part of your being.

Lew Barrett

07-06-2006, 12:03 PM

Two nights ago,(July 4th) the NOAA dock burned down. The bets are that it was some errant fireworks, which are illegal in Seattle, but widely available across the state anyway. It was a big mess and if they ever figure it out remains a question. On the lake, which was crowded with boats, morons were firing off their expired flares; you know, the ones that burn underwater? In my neighborhood, bottle rockets, firecrackers, Roman candles, and bigger stuff, was ignited all night. In the morning, we cleaned all the detritus away, including the stuff that landed on the lawn, the cars (wife's has a convertible top) and porch. Our house is nice, and we keep it that way.
Meanwhile, there were two professional shows with big shells and amazing pyrotechniques going off in town that made the homebrew events look just like what they were; puny, stupid, and rude.

I used to think fireworks were harmless fun, and I admit to having engaged in playing with them with joy, but no longer. Maybe it's my advancing age, or maybe it's simply that I am older and more responsible, but I've come to think that parents who buy or engage in fireworks with their kids are generally acting irresponsibly, especially in so packed a place as most cites, and definitly in Seattle. I was of a mood to call the cops, but couldn't bring myself to do it, precisely because I didn't want to live with the neighbors' acrimony for the next 11 months. The teenage boys next door, who are now nearing their 20s, and were blowing the crap off all night, did get glared at in the morning, so I didn't really spare myself or them; just more cause for ill feelings.
In most cities, fireworks are illegal for a perfectly sound reason; they start fires or at the least, are a public nuisance. Out of town maybe it's a different story. I'm sure your kids are well supervised when they blow off the stuff, but in general, it's just a bunch of small explosives in the hands of people who may...or may not...be trained in their use. No disrespect, but your neighbor only did what I was thinking of doing, and probably, what was well within his rights. Anyway, my 2 cents.
I'm with Milo on this one. I see a lot of stupid municiple regulations, but I don't consider banning fireworks (or the discharge of weapons) inside a city to be one of those.
Lew

Cuyahoga Chuck

07-06-2006, 01:19 PM

Sorry Cap'n. You don't get no credits 'cause you lived their first.
That neighbor you are bitching about has given you two gifts.
First, your real estate is worth more because he built that nice big house near you.
Second, that nudge toward a no-fireworks lifestyle would be beneficial to you and your kids. Kids, certainly, don't need to develope a taste for things that explode.

Ed Harrow

07-06-2006, 09:53 PM

Geez, what a bunch of whiners, you ought to check out Chinese New Years sometime. What a hoot! They don't have some big display out in the country where the spectators are all 1/2 a mile away from the launch site - They fire those suckers off right in the middle of town, in front of their shops! The bigger display they have, the better the new year will be. I spent Chinese New Year in Hin Su (sorry if the spelling is incorrect, it's been a while...) and the last night of the celebration we were hanging in an ex-pat bar when the owner came out with a trash barrel full of stuff and told us all to come out front. We were then employed lighting them off... I hope he had a GREAT year!

So, if you want to make bangs, and fireworks are illegal - one of the best is C2H2+O2+ignition. I did that for years; if the cops came acalling it looked like I was working on my car.

Ah, but it's gotten booring here too. New neighbors complained (now, of course, THEY fire of fireworks, illegal stuff, so when they're popping away I fire off a salute or two. ;) It ain't a pretty firearm, it ain't a pretty firecracker, but it's pretty legal! ;)

Phillip Allen

07-07-2006, 07:00 AM

Mrleft8

07-07-2006, 07:16 AM

My neighbor is the chief of police's brother. He always has the BEST fireworks! :D The yearly 'cross driveway duel really was lopsided this year.. All I had was some bottle rockets and a string of inch and a halfs. They had piles of sky rockets....

Milo Christensen

07-07-2006, 07:17 AM

Nothing beats the bark of a proper acetylene saluting cannon.

Mrleft8

07-07-2006, 07:51 AM

Ah yes...... I love the smell of Bangsite in the morning!

Milo Christensen

07-07-2006, 08:38 AM

Perhaps the only proper way to salute the Fourth?

http://www.cannon-mania.com/10_cg_close.htm

High C

07-07-2006, 09:27 AM

I'd like to know how the value of the guy's home is relevent to his right to enforce the law.

Phillip Allen

07-07-2006, 09:30 AM

Well, there IS a connection...according to my cousin, if you have more then that means the government has more to protect so you should pay a high percentage of your wealth in taxes.

geeman

07-07-2006, 09:31 AM

I would assume its the same old story,,"money talks"

P.I. Stazzer-Newt

07-07-2006, 09:34 AM

...

Anonoymous indeed. Gee, I wonder just wonder who made the phone call? Scrooges...

No dear, wait until someone new moves into the area before complaining about the looney.....

Texas Boater

07-07-2006, 09:39 AM

I'd like to know how the value of the guy's home is relevent to his right to enforce the law.

Plus it sounds like very ritzy neighborhood to be setting off fireworks!:eek:

When I was a youngster my brother and I would set off fireworks, but we lived out in the country and all out white oil-field trailer trash friends were doing the same (I can call them that 'cause my family were the kings of that clan!):D

I was raised to think "fancy-rich-folks" didn't do that sort of thing!:rolleyes:

geeman

07-07-2006, 09:43 AM

Earlier,I mentioned that my neighbor fired off fireworks and that its not against the law here.He was within his rights here to shoot fireworks,I can live with the noise,however his right to shoot fireworks ends at my property line.When he shoots off fireworks ,and they fall in my yard or on my truck,boat etc,now he's violating MY rights.

Matt J.

07-07-2006, 10:08 AM

If it was one night, hell, if it was TEN nights each year, I'd turn a blind eye... Fireworks can be mildly enjoyable when they're not regular. Instead, we get fireworks more weekends than not throughout the year. They actually started shooting large mortars during a damn Redskin game! When the Redskins scored, they'd do a quarter stick shot (or 3, or 4, or 5).

Am I hypocritical by saying I'd ignore it if it were only within some capriciously set limit of nights? No. It's illegal where we are, and so I can choose to me tolerant, or I can choose to call the police, and I can choose to do whatever the devilish hell I want when the police refuse to enforce the LAW.

Problem is, people turn a blind eye for so long, then they don't know what to do when it's no longer tolerable. I'm guilty of ignoring it at first, not of ending it now.

Phillip Allen

07-07-2006, 10:12 AM

geeze...gita grip

Matt J.

07-07-2006, 10:17 AM

No worry, Phil, I've got a grip. That includes on this redneck-likes-booms problem our neighborhood has (had?).

You should speak with our neighbors. Pushing 90, they've lived in the community since it was built - in the 50's. They're old, and they like to sleep when they can. They don't understand being woken up at 1 in the morning because redneck John finds "boom" amazing still.

geeman

07-07-2006, 10:19 AM

I have no problem with fireworks on a holiday,as long as their careful where they aim the things.I DO object to being forced to climb up on my roof to clear off the debris the next day from said fireworks show.I dont like to climb anymore,Wife used to do most of the roof work over the years due to her worrying about my back problems, and now my stroke forces me to be more careful what I do.So,in order for him to do his little show,that act puts me in a position of doing something that I'm not able to do anymore.

Phillip Allen

07-07-2006, 10:20 AM

there were some bodacious bombs goin off the night of the forth...rattled my windows which I had closed with the AC on...to cut out some of the noise...I went to sleep in the middle of it (your milage may vary)

Matt J.

07-07-2006, 10:27 AM

:rolleyes:

I sleep through anything not actually threatening, including fireworks. My wife does not, nor do my dogs; therefore, I end up awake, and cranky.

My neighbors, who are some of the sweetest salt o' the earth people I know, similarly can not sleep so soundly.

Geeman, we had a big one go off ON our roof the second or third year we lived there. Failed motor fuel? Idunno, but it exploded on our roof. Blew off a shingle or so. We'd been finding debris in our yard and on our roof for a few weeks at that point... during a drought, of course. Those neighbors haven't done fireworks since that next day. to be fair, the roof was being ripped off the following week... happy coincidence.

Phillip Allen

07-07-2006, 10:39 AM

I haven't had those sorts of troubles so I defer to your experience...I'd have to at least talk to them

geeman

07-07-2006, 10:59 AM

Not to sound whiney here,,I have had conversations with neighbors concerning fireworks in years past.They cant seem to get past the fact that tho they ARE within the law,what their doing puts my property at risk.To them because its lawful its ok.They are younger people and dont understand that its harder for us older people to deal with the problems of cleanning up the next day.If they even offered to help with the cleanup would be a big help but ,,so far no help offered.

paladin

07-07-2006, 12:41 PM

Well, Matt...If I'm around the next 4th of July...we can make some really big booms over your neighbors........I betcha I can rattle some windows........:D

Milo Christensen

07-07-2006, 01:08 PM

I say do it to 'em on the Chinese New Year.

Matt J.

07-07-2006, 08:01 PM

Chuck, next time I come over, we'll talk about those options (BTW, I've got a pickemup truck again and my neck feels better, so perhaps I'll see you in the next week or two?).

Captain Pre-Capsize

07-07-2006, 09:44 PM

I'd like to know how the value of the guy's home is relevent to his right to enforce the law.

It is all in the context. Here you have an established neighborhood of average homes on large lots. Everybody is low key year after year with each other's quirks - barking dogs, whatnot. Ours is shooting off fireworks a few days before and after the fourth. That is it, literally a few days a year. And these aren't some boomer types but mainly just basic firecrackers. So rich 'ol newbies tear down a home the rest of us have saved a lifetime to live in. Then they start calling us on what we have been doing for the past ten years. Does the resentment make sense now?

Phillip Allen

07-07-2006, 10:10 PM

I understood from the beginning...those who don't are not being honest (and everyone thinks he is the exception)

High C

07-07-2006, 11:54 PM

It is all in the context. Here you have an established neighborhood of average homes on large lots. Everybody is low key year after year with each other's quirks - barking dogs, whatnot. Ours is shooting off fireworks a few days before and after the fourth. That is it, literally a few days a year. And these aren't some boomer types but mainly just basic firecrackers. So rich 'ol newbies tear down a home the rest of us have saved a lifetime to live in. Then they start calling us on what we have been doing for the past ten years. Does the resentment make sense now?

No, frankly it doesn't. Your obvious dislike for your new neighbor because he has the means to build a bigger/nicer house than yours smacks of good old fashioned envy. The fact that you've gotten away with breaking the law for a number of years doesn't "grandfather" you in. :rolleyes: Maybe your other neighbors tolerate your illegal, inconsiderate noise, but I damn sure wouldn't, and you have no right to expect those "rich 'ol newbies" to do so either. :rolleyes:

And don't get me started on those barking dogs! :mad:

P.I. Stazzer-Newt

07-08-2006, 03:00 AM

It is all in the context. Here you have an established neighborhood of average homes on large lots. Everybody is low key year after year with each other's quirks - barking dogs, whatnot. Ours is shooting off fireworks a few days before and after the fourth. That is it, literally a few days a year. And these aren't some boomer types but mainly just basic firecrackers. So rich 'ol newbies tear down a home the rest of us have saved a lifetime to live in. Then they start calling us on what we have been doing for the past ten years. Does the resentment make sense now?

Be very very wary of "pointing the finger" - it might have been the new guy - but equally it could be anyone else - if this behaviour has been going on for years them bitter resentment may have been brewing....

Matt J.

07-08-2006, 06:56 AM

I understood from the beginning...those who don't are not being honest (and everyone thinks he is the exception)

Truly? Would you care to elaborate on my dishonesty? Thank you, in advance.

George.

07-08-2006, 07:54 AM

And don't get me started on those barking dogs! :mad:

Mine only bark annoyingly when some annoying neighbor is shooting off fireworks.

Phillip Allen

07-08-2006, 08:27 AM

George, I know that Brasil is enamored with fireworks even more than the US

Lew Barrett

07-08-2006, 08:48 AM

Cap,
Has the possibility occured to you that your neighbors have merely tolerated your behavior rather than embraced it for the last ten years? Perhaps, behind closed doors, the talk on your block might go like this "There goes Cap and his damn kids blowing off the fireworks again. Oh well, it'll all be over in a week, and things can get back to normal. I wish they wouldn't do that....."
Next day they pass you and say "Good Morning." Then think to themselves..."what an inconsiderate jerk." Think it doesn't work that way?
Think again.

It is all in the context. Here you have an established neighborhood of average homes on large lots. Everybody is low key year after year with each other's quirks - barking dogs, whatnot. Ours is shooting off fireworks a few days before and after the fourth. That is it, literally a few days a year. And these aren't some boomer types but mainly just basic firecrackers. So rich 'ol newbies tear down a home the rest of us have saved a lifetime to live in. Then they start calling us on what we have been doing for the past ten years. Does the resentment make sense now?

Phillip Allen

07-08-2006, 08:57 AM

I live in a two story brick house...that is brick with interior partitions of similar masonry...it is the masonry holding up the roof...no stud walls on the first floor. As I type, I am in the rear of the house away from the street and yet the windows vibrate and rattle as kids go past with their cars and over sized speakers for their radios...vastly worse than fireworks...vastly worse. I could call the cops about the fireworks and get action. I can call the cops about the radios and expect NO action at all...how do you anti firecrackers gents reconcile that?

geeman

07-08-2006, 09:49 AM

Its not the noise thats a problem ,I can handle the noise issues.Its the fact that ROCKETS land on the house,yard,truck,BOAT,etc thats the problem.Next day cleanup ,climbing up on the roof ,cleanning out the back of the truck and boat to me is rude on their part to put me in that position.

Phillip Allen

07-08-2006, 09:52 AM

just how much rocket trash do you have to clean up? I have been operating on the personal experience of a few such things for a total of three or four in my 3/4 acre lot...usually less

geeman

07-08-2006, 10:00 AM

This year it wasnt as bad.In years past I've collected a trash bag full,after climbing up on the roof ,walking the yard so the mower dont run over it,sweeping it out of the back of the truck,climbing in the boat and picking up debris out of there.Some of my problem with it is the fire issue.We have woods on 3 sides of the house with a deep layer of leaves as the carpet in there.Fire ,truck and boat ,roof are my issues mostly. Not the noise.Ive watched 2 houses burn to the ground in my neighborhood in years past.Our Fire Dept is all volunteer,they do a good job considering what they have to work with,but usually by the time they can get to this area the house is ingulfed and destroyed.Its not fun watching someones home burn to the ground.These were not fireworks related but its makes you think when you watch those rockets shoot up and come down wherever they want to.

Phillip Allen

07-08-2006, 10:06 AM

First, they need to not send it to your yard. If that is not possible for them then it is possible to get your permission...maybe. Securing that, they need to clean it up. If they do not secure your permission, no trash should happen at all, no clean up necessary.

Meet them part way…go over with your own box of crackers and help them set them off…then make it a point to clean up not only your mess but theirs as well…pointedly.

geeman

07-08-2006, 10:15 AM

Phil ,most of the shooting is done at night while the wife and I are at work,we work nights so joining in isnt an option.Thats another point,,you see, this goes on while we're not home so I cant ""keep an eye on things".All we can do is drive home nervously hoping to still see the porch light still burning as we get close enough to the house to see its still there.

Phillip Allen

07-08-2006, 10:17 AM

write a polite letter and outline your worries and possible solutions...keep it so that if it is read in church you won't be sorry for it.

Lew Barrett

07-08-2006, 10:22 AM

Phil, there's no need to reconcile it. You are operating on the "two wrongs" principle. The fact that kids driving past your house in illegally loud cars is annoying doesn't make illegal fireworks less distasteful. My sympathies about the cars, but how does that bear on the rockets?
We're packed awful tight in the modern world. You should feel lucky that you have 3/4 of an acre of seperation. Our lot is about 7 times smaller, and there are those who have less, much less. Regardless, one wrong doesn't excuse the other.
By the way you're "aim the bottle rocket" theory doesn't work in the city. The houses are packed too close together for that sort of approach to work.
Lew

geeman

07-08-2006, 10:25 AM

I have the largest amount of land in this section.From where their houses are there is no safe area to aim,so they just aim it to the largest area,,mine.

Lew Barrett

07-08-2006, 10:25 AM

That's certainly the friendliest and likely the most effective approach insofar as maintaining harmony in the 'hood is concerned. But if it doesn't work, call the cops. Probably Cap would have prefered that sort of approach; that's to say, a friendly request.
Cap...would you have complied with a request to stop blowing off the fireworks had you been asked nicely?
Lew

write a polite letter and outline your worries and possible solutions...keep it so that if it is read in church you won't be sorry for it.

geeman

07-08-2006, 10:33 AM

LOL ,cops are not an option here ,its not against the law so their are not violatiing any.They are within their "rights" .They already think of me as "Mr Wilson" because when their very small kids come over here I tend to send them back home.I'm not much for patience with little ones in recent years,can only tolerate small amounts of the noise.Wife and I work in public with large amounts of families with small and large kids hollering and screaming all shift.When we get home we just want to listen to the quiet ,I think we're gettin old. LOL.Is one reason we switched the boat to electric,we're out on the water,its QUIET,and solitary,its GREAT!

geeman

07-08-2006, 11:43 AM

Added to the above post. For years I leased the land those 2 trailers are on from the land owner.He refused to sell but agreed to lease the land to me so I could keep it tied up.That way nothing could be built on it and I had woods on all 4 sides of the house here.About 8 years ago he refused to renew the lease and put 2 house trailers on it.Since there has always been renters in both that stay a while until they get too far behind on their rent and he throws them out.Its an on going problem he has ,rent a while, throw em out.I dont mean to sound like a snob because the wife and I also lived in a trailer for a while.Its not worth the time to get to know these people as they come and go frequently.

Captain Pre-Capsize

07-15-2006, 10:42 PM

Probably Cap would have prefered that sort of approach; that's to say, a friendly request.
Cap...would you have complied with a request to stop blowing off the fireworks had you been asked nicely?
Lew

Absolutely. In fact we have repeatedly gone over to their home in order to help make them feel welcome in the neighborhood - something nobody else has done. Feeling a bit betrayed and would have felt terrible at having known we were disturbing them. Recall these are black cats and itty bitty bottle rockets that "snap" more than "pop".

P.I. Stazzer-Newt

07-16-2006, 12:44 AM

Had the stick part, about 4' long, of one of those big jobbies land in our city garden before we moved out to Wales. It was a length of 1" square hardwood but the rocket end had a 7" length of 1/2 " reeve bar wrapped round it. The whole thing weighed in at quite something and it had missed the bonnet of the car by about 2' and embedded itself in the lawn.
No idea where it came from but sure heard the bang!!!

ps. It's odd how some of our dogs have never batted an eyelid at fireworks but we have had a couple that were complete wrecks with the noise!
Mrs P.

Phillip Allen

07-16-2006, 06:41 AM