Independence Day

Reston, Virginia, USA

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Every Fourth of July the residents around the lakes in northern Virginia celebrate the national day with spontaneous fireworks displays. Everyone who owns a boat or a floating dock or “deck boat” embarks with tiki torches lit and a boat full of family and friends to enjoy their company and the warm summer weather. Children young and old swim (some on purpose and some less so). Patriotic music is played loud and good cheer infuses the lake as the crowd of boats jostle and bump one-another. Shortly after dark, families from all around the lake — some on boats and many more on shore — begin to launch the first of what will be a nearly continuous series of fireworks into the darkening sky over the lake. It is unplanned and uncoordinated (if not entirely spontaneous). Floating on the lake, the crowd on the boats feel as if they are in the center of a huge show, with fireworks all around and reflected in the calm lake water. The crowd is at first hushed but then gains momentum, applauding the fireworks and calling for more.

This scene has become a much-anticipated feature of this particular holiday. All of the homes nearby (whether or not they themselves have fireworks) plan parties and people who are not blessed to live on the lake trek to the shore or overlooks where they can watch. All nearby parking lots fill to overflowing as sunset approaches, with some guests walking many blocks to get a seat or stand near the lake. Once the fireworks begin, traffic on the nearby road stops, as drivers pull over to watch — until the police come and shoo them away.

Most of the fireworks are fired in the first hour or two around dusk. Soon the parties go home and lake returns to its quiet, calm beauty — interrupted occasionally by those few pathetic souls who were unable to get their fireworks launched when everyone else was out. The lake is again serene before midnight.

(Both of these images were taken with a Nikon D300 on a tripod [on shore], ISO 200, f/9.5, Nikkor VR zoom lens at about 30mm and shutter at about 4 sec.)