What am I doing?!

Holiday in Waterford!
For the long weekend, we traveled to Waterford, NY, the oldest incorporated village in the US. Also my hometown. Growing up here, fireworks consisted of what neighbors had brought from New Hampshire or what the postman confiscated from the mail. These fireworks were launched out of bottles over the river with generally few on-lookers. There wasn't much traffic along the old canal at that time. But the town is trying to take advantage of its' historic heritage and has several Erie canal themed events now. On the 3rd of July, it is the Steam Boat Meet. Why are the fire works and festival on the 3rd and not the 4th? My guess, to not have to compete with other area attractions on the 4th (though lots of other small towns still have fireworks on the 4th). But I have to say, the fireworks were pretty good. I attend these works because they are virtually in my parents' back yard, but if I were still local to the area, I think I would prefer this small scale affair to the Albany laser show, or whatever they do these days. And as someone who has attended fireworks in Boston and DC, there is a lot to be said for a small town that can organize the holiday on a more reasonable scale.

People were lined up on the bridge and on the path to watch the display. The boats in the river were shooting the fireworks, that is how close we were to it. LOUD - and ash scattered on us in the yard-and I assume on all of these on-lookers. We kept waiting for Amira to wake up, but she never did. Unbelievable since the next night she we had to put in the car when it was 4 hours past bedtime and she was still going strong!

A lovely long weekend!