I can think of few things more dramatic than a well-done fireworks display.
There is a crowd, waiting in patient anticipation for something they know is going to happen - but simultaneously ignorant of what exactly might occur.
C. came by with her aunt and cousin A. - said cousin being a very nice young man from Kuwait, of all places (still not exactly sure how the family tree is growing here - but who cares?).
A. had not seen an American fireworks display before and it was kind of fun to watch him watch the crowd. He's a remarkably cosmopolitan guy who seemed very much at home in the diversity of the event.
This should probably not come as a surprise - in my experience most people who travel to the U.S. tend to be rather more cosmopolitan that the average American. This is not a slam on America as someone who comes over here is willing to mix it up by definition - people in their home environment can be a little provincial - if they don't, the visitors will have nothing worth seeing when they visit.
This makes sense to me, at least.
So the four of us sat out on the side of the Promenade in the gathering gloom. It really was quite a mix of folk. Above the hill we could hear a djembe being played - I could identify the drumming as Middle Eastern - A. caught the voices as Iranian.
I don't think i could have caught that in a million years. It's kind of like telling the difference between Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese faces.
So the fireworks went off below of and exploded above us. I just lay back with my new camera and took shots of varying shutter speeds.
One neat trick was to set for a long exposure and snap kids as they waved sparklers or rainbow-colored wands. C. and I both are working developing Pika-pika photoshoots, which is basically stop-motion animation using lights.
It's a cool effect and I'm interested in seeing if I can do one long enough to be worth writing a score for.
So the evening progressed quite nicely. Of course, the snacks were far too carb-based, which I had to improvise.
All told it was an enjoyable evening and, again, I have to say how much I enjoyed seeing so many people in one place, sharing one experience.
Down the slope was a group from what I thought was the Greene Memorial African Methodist Episcopal church from Munjoy Hill. They have a step group and they were doing some cheers and moves for the crowd.
Next year we're going to have to have some kind of drumline set up to play for the crowd - it's too much fun not to do.
