4th of July Fireworks

Yesterday being the 4th of July, we decided that we might want to attend the fireworks put on by the city of New Haven. They were lighting them off in the Long Island Sound not too far from the shore, about 20 minutes from our house. They started at 9 pm. The problem was that we decided to go see them at 9:10.

Elizabeth had just finished feeding Joseph, and we set him in his car seat, which he enjoys sitting in. We set off down the road, hoping we weren't too late. As Joseph had just eaten, we figured he would drift off to sleep to the lull of the driving and we could park somewhere close, watch the fireworks from the car, then beat the traffic home and get to bed for an early Sunday morning full of meetings.

The wharf, however, was packed. As soon as we reached the vicinity, we could see cars pulled off the road and people waiting where you could barely see the crawling tips of the colorful explosions over the upper branches of the trees. We decided to drive closer, perhaps in hopes we would catch the spot when someone decided they didn't really want to wait for the end. As we were driving we could tell the show had started, and we got peeks and glimpses of fireworks here and there through the houses and trees lining the streets. In some cities, they synchronize the pyrotechnics to pleasant and patriotic music; our show was serenaded by a starving, screaming infant. I guess Joseph didn't get his fill before we left, and he let us know it.

We continued driving through the packed streets, with Elizabeth looking for a spot and trying to calm Joseph from the front seat (not very easy when he can't see you and you can't see him because he's facing rearward in the back). I was secretly hoping to catch just enough of the show from our little drive to turn around and head home. So on we meandered, finding the street with the best view only to realize it was blocked off by the New Haven Police.

Then we decided to try the freeway, as we both knew it led right by the wharf. We got on and saw some good rockets fly up and burst into streams of colors ... then disappear behind the sound wall to our right. On we drove, when the wall disappeared and we had a beautiful, unimpeded, clear view of the wharf. Joseph was still screaming, and we just wanted to stop and get him out of his car seat. Holding him does wonders when he's in those moods. So I noticed a bunch of people pulling off the side of the freeway to watch. Elizabeth was distracted by the fireworks she loves and by the baby she loves more. I was nervous and quickly asked if she wanted to pull off, because time was running thin before we would be too far to see them well. So as soon as she said to pull off, I did. I parked the car, turned on my hazards, and looked up to see the fireworks ... directly behind the one tree lining the road.


Then we heard a siren. A cop pulled up just as Elizabeth had gotten Joseph out of his car seat and calmed him down. He told us and those around us that we couldn't be there, as you can't stop on the side of the freeway. He was rather flustered, probably because he'd been telling people that for the last three hours. Right as we packed Joseph up and started the car we heard a loud stream of fireworks - the finale just beyond our little tree. So we pulled back on the freeway and drove home.