Fireworks 2004

Yesterday I went out to see the fireworks, and saw one of the best fireworks displays of my life. Usually I go out running on July 4, running to all the fireworks displays that I can find. Last year I did not see much in my neighborhood. But yesterday, I saw three good displays, including one that would have rivaled the local community's official display, and further, the displays were enhanced by lightning flashing in the distance.

I walked this year rather than ran, because Anne was with me. We went down one street to a dead end bulb, and saw some sparklers and some shooting fireworks, which fizzled when they exploded. But then we went to another display that shot sets of fireworks three or four times. These fireworks produced colorful and bright bursts in the sky, causing the ground to seem like it was lit by a strobe light. This effect was enhanced from lightning strobing up the sky from about 30-40 miles away. The combination of flashing and bright colored lights was one of the most impressive I have seen, and it beats battling huge traffic jams to go to a public display. There were even a few fireflies around. We also went to a third display, which featured two fireworks trees and several high-flying fireworks with bursts.

Later on that evening, the storm producing the lightning struck and gave us some rain and thunder. It was fortunate that the clouds and rain cleared enough for all the fireworks displays to go on OK. An excellent display, which will be tough for 2005 to beat.