Bang! Bang! Bang!

Day 11/ An Independence Day Escapade

Nine in the morning was the time I did wake.

Thought it was late, but my mistake.

Not a single soul stirred; the campus was dead.

Everyone was sound asleep in their bed.

Since brunch did not start until 10 o'clock,

I pulled out my book to read about Locke.

what a great coincidence to read his essay

on no other day but Independence Day.

And while the other students had fun in the sun,

I knew I had a lot of work to get done.

Tonight we would be out and about for a break,

an Erie Canal Tour we all were to take.

But before that ride across the waves,

Cotton candy, my stomach did crave.

for a little carnival would begin at two.

But turnout resulted to only a few.

There was little to do; the event was quite lame.

I think the lack of music was to blame.

In addition to which, the weather was quite warm.

I quickly returned back into my dorm.

In addition to my boredom, it was time to go

take off with the Kramnick Kids you all love and know.

Ms. Kaplan met us in her car with her great, big smile.

Are you guys ready to go down those 90 so miles?

Sitting in the front, with the windows rolled down,

Sunglasses on as we breezed through the town.

Music was playing with the base set up high.

The setting sun painted the sky.

Andrew and Alex sing songs in the back.

with their screechy duets they did attack.

Gonzales didn't join in but shared with laughs,

I watched the road on Kaplan's behalf.

Along the way, we made some stops.

we bought some fresh corn crops.

We also stopped for the sake of a sign.

We thought it was funny; couldn't decline.

Stopped twice for the sake of a sighting,

Ms. Kaplan thought the Amish were exciting.

Took some pictures as they rode past.

Then it was off once again at full blast.

Just before the canal, we stopped for a bite.

it was dinner at a dine-in tonight.

This experience was a first by far,

They bring food to you and you eat in the car?

Hamburgers and fries all around.

Ate all our food without touching the ground.

Kramnick Kids joked as they munched at their food.

Our evening was kicking off with a delightful mood.

It was back to the road once dinner was done.

The fun tonight had yet to come.

Two hours on a cruise down the Erie Canal,

was I just about the luckiest gal?

There will be fireworks and lights wherever we look,

as we learn about canal history in the boat we had took.

What an experience for the Fourth of July!

A shame it was to leave the Hotelies behind.

When we arrived at the docks, there was little time to spare.

Time to get on that cruise....wait, where?!

Back and forth we searched and asked.

We never anticipated this arduous task.

Kaplan called the cruise once she found a place to park.

Where on earth is the boat we must embark?

Thanks to the directions by a woman on the phone,

we went down the wrong way and we started to groan.

Where were we? Where was the cruise?

Time was slipping; were we going to lose?

Frantic in Rochester as we searched for that boat.

I started getting a funny feeling in my throat.

And to my great dismay, as it did break my heart,

the cruise could wait no longer and had to depart.

Gone. They started their boat and left us behind.

Such a disappointment clouded my mind.

If you saw the canal and how beautiful it was,

you'd be just as upset at this because,

you could've been on the waters too,

instead of standing at the dock and watching the view.

I'm sure the fireworks would've looked great on the cruise,

but what of all that Erie Canal history we'll lose?

An attempt was made to hitch a boat ride,

failed, but it wasn't a worthless stride.

One of the nice boat owners knew the captain of our cruise.

He gave him a call since there was nothing to lose.

He tried on our behalf to get us on board,

instantly, my hope was restored.

Restored they were, but not for very long,

the captain called back and his boat won't come along.

That was it; that was our last chance.

Erie Canal Tour: gone like a quick glance.

Five Californians sat in a row on the dock,

dangling their legs; they were too tired to walk.

Two hours they traveled to ride down this lake.

Now just sitting around for Pete's sake!

Rochester fireworks, that was our plan B.

It would be a waste to come here than flee.

We sat in our spots, waiting until it got dark,

anticipating those airborne sparks.

But once the show started, we were quickly in awe.

It was the best fireworks show we ever saw!

It was hard to dwell on our missed ride,

when such a show was being put outside.

Fireworks, of every shape and size,

mirrored in our opened eyes.

Some was small but had a big shout,

other's were quiet, but went all out.

Some fell like golden waterfalls in the sky,

others soared like eagles up high.

Some changed from one color to the next,

while others dazzled us with little specs.

Something so beautiful, so wonderful, so strong,

despite the fact that they don't stay for too long.

A good time was spent looking towards the skies,

Despite our misfortune, we got this surprise!

Maybe we missed our chance with that cruise,

but if we didn't, this new memory we'd lose.

And although there were roadblocks in our endeavors,

this was still the best Fourth of July ever!

Happy Independence Day!