Not fireworks, but… – Photo: L. Weikel
Fireworks Bust
Man, I was so bummed out this evening. Karl and I were really looking forward to attending the Riverside Symphonia’s annual Concert Under the Stars at Tinicum Park tonight.
We’ve attended many of these old-fashioned, spread-your-blanket-out-on-the-grass, break out the picnic food, and listen to the music 4thof July celebrations. They truly are nostalgic of celebrations you might read about from the 19thcentury, with parasols and picnic baskets, and ladies with big hats fluttering hand-held fans.
The musicians of the Symphonia never disappoint. They always get my toes tapping, even if I’m immersed in reading a book or simply entranced by the vast opportunity to “people-watch” the hundreds who’ve come from all around to spend an evening indulging in simple pleasures. I know they’re from all around because there are usually license plates from at least six, seven, eight different states on the cars parked in row after row on the fields of dark green grass.
Old Friends From Another Time
It’s pretty much inevitable that I’ll run into old friends of one stripe or another. Some of us used to see each other on a regular basis when our kids went to school together – many for 12 straight years. Now, well…unless we make a concerted effort, we’ve fallen away and rarely connect.
So many faces we see are evidence of another phase of our life: friends with whom we spent some of the most amazing (and sometimes stressful) years of our lives, all wrapped up in the unnerving business of raising kids we all hoped would grow up to be unique, inspired, and essentially happy with themselves and their choices in life.
But alas, thunderstorms and whipping winds ripped through the area in the late afternoon, drenching us yet again. In all honesty, we toyed with braving the wet blankets and soaked shoes but when we checked the weather again, there was too high a probability for more storms.
Storms Wrecked It For Us
The best part of this annual event is the fireworks display. With the backdrop of the cliffs (palisades) along the river valley, they never fail to be spectacular.
I was so hoping to have them be part of our anniversary celebration this weekend. (It’s unusual for the Concert Under the Stars to be in June.) And to be clear: the concert was to go on “rain or shine.” So they probably still had the event. We were the fuddy-duddies.
Here’s hoping that next year we don’t get rained out. If you’ve never been, mark it on your calendar. It’s worth making a point to attend.
(T-881)