July 4 - Distant Fireworks

We're not fans of the loud booming of Fourth-of-July fireworks or the traffic jams afterward.

But I've always loved fireworks from afar, the distant rumble and popping and the colorful plumes on the horizon as the day's festivities wind down. We had fabulous views of Boston's famous esplanade fireworks show from our Southie apartment roof in the 1980s.

In Atlanta 25 years ago, a distant fireworks show shook us from a sound sleep at 4 a.m. on July 5. The Braves and New York Mets had finally finished a 19-inning marathon game peppered with rain delays, and 10,000 fans had stuck it out in the stands to the bitter end. The team management rightly rewarded them with the Independence Day fireworks display they came for. From our apartment three miles away, it sounded like something in the nearby rail yard had exploded. One can only imagine what it was like for near neighbors. It must have sounded like a military invasion.