Yesterday was Fourth of July holiday so of course there was hordes of illegal fireworks happening long into the night. It’s been my annual ritual and goal to avoid all the madness, shutting out the chaos with noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs while praying to the gods none of the shrapnel sets fire to my car.
I don’t own a car anymore so one less thing to worry about.
This year circumstances found me heading out with some friends to watch San Francisco’s official fireworks display by the piers. We avoided heading to Fisherman's Wharf directly because of the enormous crowds, and instead placed ourselves on the nice lawn at Fort Mason. Perhaps not as awe-inspiring compared to being upfront and close, but we valued space and actual spots to sit above that.
Having a view of the Golden Gate Bridge backdropped in a glittering sunset wasn’t so bad either.
Departing from the festivities I was able to see the many illegal fireworks setting off throughout the city, a symphony of exploding lights accompanying me on the drive home. The sheer volume and scale of some of the fireworks was truly impressive; dangerously close to rivaling the smaller shells in the City's show. One stray from those incendiaries land on a roof it is over.
Unfortunately one stray did land in my housing complex’s communal dumpster, courtesy of my neighbor, so I came home to a literal dumpster fire. A company of firefighters was at the tail-end of extinguishing it, which blocked me from entering the parking lot. It was a mess.
I am decidedly live and let live when it comes to unsanctioned fireworks, but people have got to be smart about not igniting next to highly flammable things (all of our houses made entirely of wood not withstanding). Count it a successful July 4th holiday if everybody can have their fill with fireworks and in the process no houses - or dumpsters - got burned down.
The evening sky over Golden Gate Bridge, our lovely view from Fort Mason.