Firework

As the Fourth of July approached this year,  I started to feel cramped by city living and my "garden level apartment (read: basement)" with no porch. A wave of nostalgic longing for a giant grill to BBQ things on overtook me. And lets not forget a yard in which to play summery games and drink cool drinks and have lots of lovely friends and family around. Capped off with some fireworks, that sounds like the perfect Independence Day celebration to me.

Blessedly, some college pals felt the same so we cooked up (get it, heh) a last minute BBQ for a few old and new friends. Nothing too fancy but just what I needed to feel appropriately patriotic (my red and blue attire wasn't enough). Post cook out, some of us headed into the city to join the masses at Boston's 4th of July spectacular, which really is, if you ever wondered.

We have connections with a guy who gets to the esplanade along the Charles River at about 4:30 AM to save the best seats in the house, so it was there that we gathered to wait. . .and wait. . .and wait

A few pals and I sticking out the heat for the fireworks!

Finally after several hours and shortly before the show was to begin, we were informed the patriotic display was postponed from 10:35 to 11 PM because of a lightening storm across the river. Undeterred, my group and I decided potentially getting struck by lightening was a small price to pay for front row seats and stuck it out.

Our perseverance was rewarded when they started the show almost on time, after all! 

As we gazed up in wonder at the fireworks bursting in air, a few drops of rain began to fall, turning into a steady, pelting rain. For a moment, people looked around concerned and then  it seemed like we all made the collective decision that this was just something to make Fourth of July 2012 more memorable.  

It was one of those amazing moments where I felt so close to all the strangers around me as we laughed and squealed as the rain soaked our clothes and belongings, loathe to take our eyes off the sky to hide phones and cameras. The showers only last 1o minutes, or so, and then left us to watch the finale in peace-cooled from the humid heat of the early evening, and oohing and aahing over the magic above. 

It was perfect.