Poltrack Blog

I'm dreaming of avoiding a White Christmas like we did in 2015 but in reality we hit the SNOW jackpot. On Christmas Eve we got a snow/ice mixture but avoided losing power. By the mid afternoon the roads were in good shape so we were able to visit my sister in New Boston for our annual Christmas Eve festivities. It is snowing on Christmas Morning and hopefully it will taper off before noon so the family can visit for a brunch and Christmas gifts. Merry Christmas to all of you, be safe and happy in 2018. Susan found some seasonal chair covers at her recycle center. My sister and I have a mutual appreciation for recycling centers. She has her room at the transfer station and I have my Green Center . Lizzie made a big hit at dinner by providing an Ambrosia Salad. Alex was happy to have his own plate with cold green beans Blowing out candles with Grandma A longtime Polish family tradition is sharing a Christmas Wafer ( opłatki) Alex set up a race car...

The skies were on fire on Saturday at the New Ipswich Athletic Association.    As in years past the fireworks were provided  by Mike DeBlasio. Mike is the owner of DeBlasio Masonry Inc., a masonry firm that deals with difficult and challenging projects. Mike’s company has done many repairs and restorations of  historic building in Boston. He like fireworks and does a great job. His team has been doing these shows for 19 years. Some big ones being wired for the show Preparing the show in the afternoon Lots of preparation required Nightime NIAA   www.poltrack.net

Granted that the 4th of July was a washout. But the day after was awesome. I dug into my stash of fireworks and found some crackers.  These date back to 1972 and I bought them in Wyoming when we traveled across the country  after my Navy time. I had stored them in a coffee can and more or less forgot they were there. I'm happy to report they still worked.

At Mary and Melissa’s graduation we were once again privileged to experience a performance by our very own “Pyroman” as well as great firework display. Pyroman has spent many hours perfecting his craft. He wears a special Kevlar and Nomex outfit along with a motorcycle helmet affixed with pyrotechnic devices. The pyrotechnics are electronically ignited, a process that consists of each device being attached electrically to a trigger box. This setup allows Pyroman to coordinate his performance to a musical score. Pictures cannot adequately capture the essence of the performance but I tried to take a few. I have been lucky enough to witness other Pyroman displays but this one was the best ever. The smoke did not obscure the stage and several new innovations were added. This year a pinwheel was added that produced a lovely dynamic spiral effect. At the end of the performance, we were treated to several large mushroom shaped fireball effects that may have be...