The Bombs Bursting in Air...

Don't ask me why but the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays.  It's one of the only American holidays that my family and I celebrated together growing up.  This day always brings back fond memories of my parents and siblings lighting fireworks in the baseball fields of our suburban queens neighborhood.  The smell of sulfur, fresh grass, and backyard barbecues instantly brings me back to those warm breezy nights, where we'd catch fireflies, dance with sparklers, and light spinning sunflowers, which are my favorite.  The smiles on our faces as the we watched the bottle rockets shoot out of a can into the sky, illuminating our faces with a green, red, blue glow.  The thrill of watching the spark of the fuse race into the body of the explosive, time slowing down as we ran back to watch the roman candles spit out what seemed to me like little shooting stars.

Today, Frank and I decided to venture into town to see the fireworks.  We walked with a couple of our friends from the yard downtown, and man were we surprised to see how packed it was.  It was like the whole town of St Augustine came out to see this fiery spectacle.  All the streets were closed and it looked like a giant concert.  The Bridge of Lions was jam packed with people and the crowds expanded as far as you could see.  We chose a grassy spot and people watched until the show started.  It was like every other fireworks show, but the novelty has yet to wear off on me, even this many years later.  As I looked around, it made me smile to see families, couples, and friends alike enjoying this; the red, green, and blue flashing across their faces, the stillness in the air, as they all ooohed and aahhed like it was the first time they had ever seen this pyrotechnic wonder.  

Where did they all come from?