Happy Independence Day

[Andybev01]

That is a beautiful shot, but I prefer the' big bang' from a few years back.

[NeverMore]

Oh... this one? Don't remind me.

[Murfreesboro]

What a great photo! Did you take that, Nevermore?

Our weather was plusperfect around here for the whole weekend as well. I attended the local fireworks, which are very nice. We have a symphony that plays, too, though I didn't get close enough to hear it very well this year.

The folks up in Nashville were boasting that their fireworks are rated 2nd in the nation, right after NYC. My son, who lives up there, attended that. He says you have to be careful where you stand, because if you get too close to the riverside, the smoke from the fireworks can obliterate most of the show for you. He and his friends got to stand on a bridge and saw it very well, I think.

[MauEvig]

lol Thanks for the revenge spell Witchy, I shall save it for a rainy day.

And no Nevermore, I'm not talking about birthdays. I'm talking about a certain holiday that everyone on this forum loves! XD (I'm excited for this specific holiday too, but I'm going to enjoy the Summer first. I love Fall, and will get excited when Fall gets here, but I'm in no rush to wish Summer away. I do not want to be any closer to Winter than I have to be! XD) speaking of birthdays though, I shall be turning 29 this month.

I heard New York City's fireworks are spectacular. I'd love to see them one day, but the closest will probably be on TV, which I prefer seeing them in person. It's like with Parades, I just prefer seeing them in person over TV, it's just not the same seeing them on television.
One of my bosses from work watched it on TV.

A friend from work would love going to Nashville, but I have no interest in going there. I'm just not into Country music. I'll always prefer rock and metal. XD

It's still a lot of fun just lighting our own fireworks. A joy that I rarely got to experience in New York State that I can now enjoy each year down here in Virginia. Plus it makes missing out on a fireworks display not a big deal, because if you have your own 'works you can shoot them off whenever you want, even if you have to wait until the next day to celebrate the 4th. Plus you don't have to worry about that "rush" to get home after the 'works are over because you're already home. That's one thing about public displays, you have to get into your car and try to get out of the big mess where everyone is trying to leave at once. It's like NYC traffic comes to visit in that area for a brief hour. XD

I did watch some really cool fireworks in Rochester once. They were pretty good. It wasn't for the fourth though, it was for New Years. XD Apparently people like lighting fireworks for New Years too. We tried lighting off some of the left overs from last year on New Years Eve I think it was, or New Years night, something like that, but it was just too darn cold. XD What a rough winter. So glad Summer's here.

I don't know about y'all but for me July 4th was more of a kick off to Summer than the end. XD

[NeverMore]

What a great photo! Did you take that, Nevermore?

No, I found it on Reddit. Here's another one that's pretty good.

Not having seen every display in the nation I can't attest to how good others are but I've seen a few folks say ours is the largest on the west coast. Barring all the shells going off at one, they are pretty spectacular. Something about seeing the reflections off the water and the city lights in the background. The music sync this year was spot on too. For some reason they only had four barges this year instead of five. Maybe the fifth one sunk? We do have a history of things going wrong after all.

[Andybev01]

What a great photo! Did you take that, Nevermore?

No, I found it on Reddit. Here's another one that's pretty good.

Not having seen every display in the nation I can't attest to how good others are but I've seen a few folks say ours is the largest on the west coast. Barring all the shells going off at one, they are pretty spectacular. Something about seeing the reflections off the water and the city lights in the background. The music sync this year was spot on too. For some reason they only had four barges this year instead of five. Maybe the fifth one sunk? We do have a history of things going wrong after all.

They couldn't skimp with such an active naval base in the area. That would be treasonous.

[Murfreesboro]

NeverMore, they are saying on local TV that the "drone" perspective of the fireworks show which has gone viral now on line is the Nashville show. Did you know that when you linked it?

Mau, it always amuses me when people think the only reason to come to Nashville is country music. The music industry gets a lot of publicity because it is entertainment, but it has never been the #1 industry here. Insurance and book publishing are bigger. There are also many colleges and universities around here, which is why, during the 19th-century Centennial celebration, they built a model of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. Before it became "Music City," Nashville was known as "The Athens of the South." There is a lot of history here, for people who care about that kind of thing. East Nashville has become very trendy as an arts neighborhood and place to eat. And people who go to clubs (as I do not) say there is plenty of music other than country.

Not saying you have to plan your next vacation in this direction, just saying--don't stereotype us. I am not originally from here, but Nashville swiftly became the home of my heart when I moved up here at 20 to go to school. You remember figure skater Scott Hamilton? He is living here now (well, in Franklin, south of Nashville), and he has remarked that Nashville is "God's country." It really is. All those years when I was living in other places (including Virginia), my dream was to get back here.

Lots of people do fireworks at New Year's, though I am unaware of any big civic shows at that time of year. When I was a little girl growing up in Mississippi and spending my Christmases in Arkansas, it used to be a big thing to shoot off fireworks on Christmas night. I think that's because, during the Civil War, Vicksburg fell on the 4th of July, so the deep South didn't celebrate the 4th for a long time. Vicksburg didn't celebrate it again until after WWII had started. So people got used to shooting off their fireworks at other times of the year. I don't think too many people do that at Christmas anymore, though.

[Boogeyman]

Yesterday I heard author Brad Thor, who just moved out of Chicago down to Nashville, refer to it as Nashvegas.

[NeverMore]

NeverMore, they are saying on local TV that the "drone" perspective of the fireworks show which has gone viral now on line is the Nashville show. Did you know that when you linked it?

The video I linked to, by Jos Stiglingh, was filmed in West Palm Beach last year. Maybe they were talking about a different one? This one? A bunch of people got busted trying to do the same thing here this year.

Unfortunately, they had to change the music on the video I posted. Copyright reasons. I don't get it, video gets over 8 million hits, creating a lot of exposure for the music, and they force them to remove it. I knew I should have downloaded the original one!

Edit: Found it with the original music. Go get it before it gets gone.

[Murfreesboro]

I bet you're right, NeverMore. Thanks for all the links!

LOL about "Nashvegas." I'm not quite sure why he would call it that. Nashville isn't nearly that glitzy.

[witchy]

Loved the pic's, they were very nice!!