Fourth of July

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith rehearse
for today’s Fourth of July concert on the
Esplanade in Boston yesterday.
(GARY HIGGINS/The Patriot Ledger)





I went to Boston and Washington D.C. tonight. Will someone please explain to me how D.C.'s celebration could be so boring and Boston's so riveting. Okay, so it may have had something to do with the Boston POPs, and having Steven Tyler and Joe Perry on the scene didn't hurt either. Nevertheless, the D.C. package just could not tear me away for tonight's NCIS repeat. From Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" to Neil Diamond's "Coming to American", the Boston POPs celebration packeted a considerable wallop.

For years we've gone to the university's amphitheatre concert event and enjoyed our little fireworks display. Compared to the Charles River event, it's pretty small and fireworks and music are by no means in sinc but if the Stanislaus Symphony Orchestra had the POP's budget, we would give them some competition. Oh, yeah.

So tonight was a quiet night. The BBQ didn't happen. Family plans fell through at the last minute. But, we three had an unexpectedly pleasant evening just gathered around the tube listening and watching and I even made continued progress on the reduction of Mt. Break my Back Photograph. All in all, not a bad way to spend the Fourth.