The Power-Washer & the BOOM!

Spring comes with all sorts of presents:  There’s green grass, singing birds, and of-course, the sounds your neighbor’s power tools (like coal in a Christmas stocking).  Such was the weekend in Northeast Grand Rapids this weekend. 

The red-winged blackbirds were scoping out their favorite spots along Crystal Lake.  The finches were annoying them.  The light wind made the water lap every so sweetly against the shore. 

As I sought to take it all in Saturday evening, the serene sounds were broken by the whining sounds of a power washer.  Who starts power washing at 7:30 p.m.? The serenity being broken, I arose from the bench and returned to my trek around the south half of the lake.  A couple blackbirds swore at me for getting to close to the trees.  The power washer returned the machine to the garage and I thought “serenity was back”.  Then at 7:46 p.m. the BOOM happened.  The birds went quiet. I know it was 7:46 because I picked up my phone to call home and see if my husband had heard it.  But he hadn’t. 

I turned on Broadcastify to see if there were any clues and kept walking.  A young man on a bicycle went zooming past me on the walk and minutes later a call went over Broadcastify that they had a couple calls about gun shots (sounds like one of them was from the zoomer who told his mom).  Having grown up on a farm, I didn’t think it was a gun shot, more of an explosive of some kind. 

Being curious, I walked as far as the food buildings at the fairground but tired feet overrode my curiosity and I headed home.  An officer came down the fairgounds’ entry, asked if I’d heard it.  I told him what I knew and he went to check things out. 

Law enforcement this afternoon reported: “At 7:52P.M. on Saturday, Itasca County Sheriff’s Dispatch took multiple reports of an “explosion” or “gun fire” from the NE Soldiers Lane Area. Law enforcement responded to the area, spoke to multiple folks who were enjoying the outdoors and continued to patrol the area. Law enforcement was unable to locate the source. No electric outages were reported.”

So, if anyone knows the source of the BOOM, I am still curious.  I DO know who has the pressure washer in case my lake time is interrupted again!