On Fire(works)

Happy Independence day everybody!

It's been a long day.... Started out nearly passing out at the Loveland Fourth of July Festival at North Lake Park from the insane heat and lack of money for water to drink... so $3.77 and 2 massive bottles of green tea later, I was on my way to a grass fire (sorry, I planned on bringing a photo home with me, but forgot to upload one to my memory card.... so you'll have to wait a couple days for it).

As usual, I got lost on my way there.... I really need to get one of those darn GPS systems my dad has (and never uses), especially doing what I do.... yet somehow I always end up finding my way where I'm going.

After a nice long hike up the side of a large hill (where the fire was) I started shooting from next to the Berthoud/Loveland Fire Rescue command post, got some shots of flare-ups when trees caught fire, a few shots of the airplane coming in low and dropping its slurry, etc.

Interesting experience, I must say.... I've shot a house fire before, but there wasn't more than a little smoke there; an actual grass fire that's threatening houses and requires airdrops is definitely a step up. Not a wildfire, but a new experience none-the-less.

Then it was back to the fireworks at Loveland Lake. I don't really know what to say about that, a few shots of kids with flags and some guy firing a bottle rocket off over the lake.... some shots from the tripod of, what I think, had to have been the best fireworks show I've seen in Colorado, 40 minutes long, and a blast! They lined the entire swim beach with massive mortars (if lightning were to strike the swim beach, there'd be little more than a crater left) and put together one hell of a show.

And once again I'm amazed with the people of Loveland, and of Northern Colorado in general. Never in Aurora or Denver could I even dream of seeing the kind of turnout there was at Loveland Lake.... There wasn't a square inch of space on the lawns on either side of the road.... the ENTIRE circumference of the Lake (I don't know exactly how long that is.... but it's BIG). Community is a big thing in Northern Colorado, it seems. What a strange sensation.... Kinda wish the whole community didn't have to walk by my parking lot at the same time though.... punks....

Anyways, it's been a long day, so I think I'm out. Goodnight!

Quote for the Day: "I see pride! I see power! I see a bad-ass mother who don't take no lip off'a nobody!" - Yul Brenner (Cool Runnings)
Song for the Day: "Nightmarchers" - Sudden Rush
Word for the Day: Independence - freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.