05 July 2011

July 4th : The best view in the "house"


Yesterday, a festive group of GCFers and friends neatly staked out a great spot along the Memorial Dr. side of the Charles River to watch the fireworks.  Thanks to Sam, Yong, and Mark, our area was well claimed, big enough for ~30 people, and - perhaps most importantly - directly in front of the fireworks barge.  We had plenty of food, games, and good conversation to keep people going through until the concert's start and then the fireworks at 10:30pm.

This was my first 4th of July celebrated in Boston, and it was a splendid one.  We were right near one of the main speaker towers and screens broadcasting the Boston Pops performance from across the river.  When the US Army Field band came on with their marches in full swing, it made me nostalgic.  "Stars and Stripes Forever," in particular, has long been a favorite.  Once upon a time I could actually play that piccolo solo ... can't imagine getting back into shape for that again, but who knows?

For Steph, who didn't see the smilies
I was very impressed with the 1812 Overture, the fireworks that followed, and then the main pyrotechnic display to end the night.  What a great show!  Here are some snippets from the night :

2 comments:

  1. A minor detail: Our numbers actually surpassed 40. :D

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  2. Actually, Yukari and Sam were the ones who stayed under the hot sun for the longest time. I "escaped" after finding the spot and spreading the tarp.
    Btw, the piccolo part is the part I like the most from the song. I am always impressed when the piccolo starts playing that. Now that you mentioned you could play it, respect! Play it for us sometime. :)

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