Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July to those who celebrate it!

I had to come back and amend my greeting. I didn’t even realize it seemed that I didn’t celebrate it. I do, although this year, I didn’t accompany the kid and his dad to watch the fireworks. I held our old dog as she shivered and drooled through it all. I never realized just how scary it is for animals. Worse, illegal fireworks in the neighborhood have only gotten worse each year.

The picture above was taken a few years ago when my brother joined us for the annual fireworks show at the Queen Mary that’s docked permanently in Long Beach. The picture makes it look like we’re so far away but we actually weren’t. He’s a professional photographer and he brought out the big camera with the big lens. So did many other people who brought along their tripods and staked their spots hours before the big to-do.

My iPhone was no match at all – at least, not that wide angle or the shutter speed to catch the lights on the ship. Gosh, does anyone even remember how those professional cameras worked anymore? ISO and all those terms?

Another thing I’ll never forget was the time it took us to get back home–all four miles of it. Two hours.

So how was your Independence Day?