Happy 4th of July!
4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. As a kid, I use to come to Washington, DC to spend the summers with my grandparents.
Since my parents and I would make the drive from Rochester, NY, my parents were always there for July 4th. We’d have a family cookout at my grandparents house. My cousins and I would anxiously await for it to get dark. Nighttime meant fireflies and fireworks.
Once the sun went down, my father and Uncle Charles would set off the fireworks in the back yard. While our backyard fireworks weren’t as spectacular as the ones on the National Mall, they were big enough for us.
Over the years, my 4th of July celebrations would change. I remember watching the fireworks over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. A couple of times, I was so close I could feel the debris land on me afterwards. Once I stayed in New York City. The Macy’s fireworks were incredible but it wasn’t the same as being in the Nation’s Capitol. Later my cousin, Eric and I would race down to the Mall, surviving traffic and a lack of parking spaces to get the best view. There was the year we took our 2 younger cousins with us. Along with another couple of coconspirators, we almost set a tree on fire when we shot off our own fireworks.
Then there were several July 4th’s that my cousin, Dina and her husband owned a boat. We watched the fireworks light up the sky over the Potomac River.
Most of the time, I would have a camera with me. Needless to say, I’ve taken a lot of photos of fireworks. They aren’t the easiest to photograph but a few have come out ok. Here are a few to brighten up your 4th.
Those sound like you have some great memories!! To be honest, I don’t remember any July 4th’s growing up. Weird.
I’ve never spent 4th of July in the US (being a Brit) but we did visit often during my childhood, most often during summer or over Christmas, just never so early in July. Would love to be there for this celebration, it always looks so OTT and fun!
We sure know how to throw a 4th of July party. My favorite places to celebrate are NYC and Southern California!
Being English the 4th of July doesn’t really mean anything to me. However I would love to experience it in America at some point. I think being part of the festivities and all the food would be great – I would also like to be there during the Superbowl, it would be a great experience 😀