You were, as I recall, into fireworks.

Yeah, but then I became old and decrepit and started pretending to be an adult. I still have a small jar of firecrackers and the like somewhere in the bedroom (ready to burn down the apartment house), but I haven't touched them in a century and probably never will unless I move outside the city where I could shoot them without getting the neighbors involved.

We'll see if I get to Jack London Square later this evening. If I drive I'd have to arrive early to find a parking space, too early probably for me to last until the fireworks start. I'm good for about two hours and then I quit. The bus goes to the City Center in the downtown, but not all the way to Jack London Square and I don't like to walk at night, even in a crowd, with the cameras and such to wait for a bus. If there is a bus. I'm getting too old for that. Too chicken. Too much of a space case.

Are you familiar with the concept of a holiday being used for pleasure instead of work? Are you turning your pictures into work?

Hmmm. Now where are those fireworks I claim to have in that jar again?

Later. Ah, sun at eleven. A walk down the way to the farmer's market is in order, something I've done dozens of times in the past for reasons obscure. I rarely find pictures to shoot, rarely buy anything useful, don't sit and eat the food at one of the tables or listen to the music. Sometimes I take pictures of the Women in Black protesting the war and an Israel support group that doesn't like Black's position on Gaza. But I'm going to walk down to the farmer's market anyway. It's the Fourth of July, a day to set forth. “Where” has never really mattered all that much in the west. It's the going that gets you going, your destination forever out there somewhere beyond the mountains, beyond an ocean in a setting sun.

Later still. I was wrong about the market crowd, still plenty of people, but fewer than I've seen in these past months. People planning other events for the day, only the hard core need to buy fruit and vegetables on a holiday? I shot one or two pictures on the way and on the way back. Looked more closely at the changes they're making to the road and path between Lake Merritt and the Lakeshore library branch. Looks like they've eliminated the entire road for something more pedestrian friendly. OK. Back home now, the temperature warm but nice, sitting here at the desk typing with the fan on low blowing cool air into my face. Emmy doesn't like to sit on my lap with a running fan, but otherwise a most pleasant way to vegetate.

I think I'll probably hook one of the new webcam's to a cable, rather than use it in wireless mode, as that way I can display the video on the web. From the look of it there's not much to see and it probably opens my system up hackers and such. The link is directly to the camera and not to the web site, so the image may work when it's accessed from the outside and then again maybe it won't. Anyone clicking the link knows now and I'll know when I test it, if I test it, tomorrow.

Evening. A drive downtown toward Jack London Square finding a parking space fairly close by, a walk then the rest of the way arriving around six. I know, too early, too long a wait until the fireworks display, but I wanted to get out of the apartment. So, maybe half the total number of people I remember from prior events, almost no food vendors, although one or two of the restaurants had set up hot dog stands and tables out front. A fair number of people none the less. I sat for a while, wandered around for a while, shot one or two pictures, none of them any good, but no complaints. I was aware of my surroundings, I was carrying the camera in my right hand ready to shoot, I just didn't find anything that grabbed my interest. Happens. I sat for an hour watching people pass, a lot of couples with young children, a number of older couples waiting for the first band to start.

So, of course, I walked over to Beverages & More and bought a bottle of sake (the Ozeki has gone up 50% in price these last two times I've bought it), two different blocks of cheese and a box of crackers, thinking, well, it's the Fourth of July, let's at least have a small celebration when I get home. So that's what I'm doing, the mood good, the day almost done. Here in Oakland.