nyc pyrotechnics

it was my first woodsville independence day in quite a number of years. it's hard to tell what my expectations are for one of my favorite holidays anymore. i rolled out of bed without even giving the morning parade a second thought. around mid-afternoon, i headed over to the restaurant to cover dee dee's shift. i had planned to wear red, white, and blue.... i hit two out of three. white and blue. close enough. business was slow, as expected. i couldn't tell if the scattered thunderstorms were a good thing or bad. nonetheless, people tipped well today and made me a happy waitress.

sherry (10) and theresa (9), my cousin's daughters, wanted to see the fireworks and visit the fair again. so we walked back to my house after my shift to grab my mom (and a hoodie). it took just a short stroll before the girls, their mom, my mom, and i made it to the community field where the festivities were taking place. the girls went on a couple rides before we picked out a spot to watch the fireworks over some cotton candy. my mind wandered despite the booming and flashy display in the night sky. the show was less than spectacular and failed to capture my attention as i wondered what the day would've been like if i were back in new york city.

celebrating over a bbq with family. hanging out with friends and shopping the ever-present sales, ending up at south street seaport by nightfall for the famous macy's fourth of july fireworks.... i did realize that i should live in the moment, and that i shouldn't dwell on the ways that woodsville will never compare to new york, but it's difficult when i've spent the greater half of my life in the city.

nostalgia kicked in as i'm writing this, and i started a video google search for nyc fireworks. just then, nestor skype messages me and proceeds to send me a file that was supposed to cheer me up. i had expected a little memory of our time in japan, but what an AWESOME surprise! it was a video of macy's fireworks that he had recorded just tonight! i couldn't believe it. enjoy :)

macy's 4th of july fireworks 2009, courtesy of nestor :)