Fireworks.

Last night Arthur saw his first fireworks, and it was entirely thrilling for him. Rarely does he stay up past 8:30, and even rarer does he take a CAR RIDE IN HIS PAJAMAS WITH HIS PAPA IN THE DARK TO SEE FIREWORKS! He stayed up late watching a nature show, then and 9:30 we went over the Powderhorn Park, the same park Jess and Emily watched fireworks when they were kids. As we were walking a couple blocks to the park Art started asking all sort of questions, including the recurring one, "Will the fireworks hit my head?"



The park was total chaos. Kids and cops and families all over. Men breathing fire (see above), and fireworks being lit in every direction. I remember seeing someone just to my left holding a roman candle shooting colored fire in the air. Random bursts of light and sound and smoke in all directions. There was alot of energy. As I held Art's spindly little body I could feel him trembling as he clung tightly to my neck. He was literally shaking from the sheer excitement of it all. In the dark. Past his bedtime. Seeing FIREWORKS!



We found a spot near the lake to see the show. I had planned to take some photos of the fireworks, us watching them, etc. But my fingers were immediately employed as earplugs and if I moved them the tiniest bit I'd get a complaint. "Papa, Papa! Too loud!" Art is sensitive to loud sounds, but I realized he's mostly sensitive to surprise sounds. He was OK with the loud cracks and fizzes of the fireworks, and he sat there entranced for most of the show. Towards the end he started getting overwhelmed and we walked further away to see the grand finale.

I had more fun imagining Art's perspective then experiencing my own last night. I remember once as a kid my parents woke me up around 10pm to go to some sort of carnival. I'll never forget the sense of amazement I felt at seeing what the world looked like when I was supposed to be sleeping. I think Art had the same feeling last night.