i had already seen fireworks (on june 28th. in somerville. AMAZING, as usual) but when rachael told me she and two of her out of town friends knew of a secret garden rooftop viewing spot, i said yes to more.
there was a small cover charge, a “free” beer, food, drinks, and ample space. we set up camp and ate and drank and chatted as we conducted our countdown until 10:30, the posted start time of the boston fireworks.
conversations and kids floated around us. we parted with our glowing necklaces, beaming at the smiles the kids now wore.
the minutes ticked by slowly. the wind shifted. the temperature dropped. the clouds rolled in. the sky flickered and the buildings around us echoed those bright lights. was it early fireworks? was it a thunderstorm rolling in? was it a heat lightning storm? was it the flash from the cameras around us? all of the above? or none?
slightly nervous at being on the top of a building and potentially turning into lightning rods, we pulled out our smartphones and checked the radar. okay, just E did and she declared, “the storm’s going to miss us.”
i looked up at the swirling, thickening clouds and wondered just how smart that phone and its radar really was. 10:20 came and went. the sky cleared. 10:30 came and went. the smartphones came back out and this time, we checked boston.com.
we looked up at the (now) relatively clear skies over the cambridge side of the river and cried, “are the fireworks canceled?!” we double checked the time stamp on that headline and realized it was from 30 minutes ago. the fireworks would go on, just slightly delayed.
we felt rain drops, small, insistent.
the sky lit up.
and then everything opened up — the sky, the fireworks, our mouths. laughter and cheers and shrieks tore from us as we scrambled to duck under blankets and jackets and umbrellas all while trying not missing a single crack of a firework.
soaking wet, but wearing a grin as wide the barge the fireworks were shot from, i couldn’t help but marvel that just like adele sang, we had set fire to the rain.
Abigail Mumford 
Bahahahahahaha you rock. How excited were you to realize you had lived out one of Adeles songs? Literally :P this is written very well, felt like I was sharing the excitement of the fourth with you. :)
it was a very memorable night of fireworks, that’s for sure! (and if we had planned things better, aka mom/dad had told me what y’all were up to), we could have really spent the 4th together on the left coast…next time.
I just got here today, so we coulda spent the 6th together ;)
the 6th together is better than no time together.
I love this post! Sounds like your 4th was a real blast. :)
my 4th was filled with more excitement than i expected. i’ve decided i really love these low key holidays (4th of july, thanksgiving) where all you have to do is eat, drink, and be surrounded with people you adore. happy birthday, america!
Awww! You make it sound so pretty!!! Great post. It made me want to be there, although I felt like I almost was, thanks to your words!
I didn’t see the official fireworks, just our insane pyromaniac neighbors’, but when it started raining and I heard thunder, my response was, “Thunderstorm = nature’s fireworks” :)
thunder AND lightning are nature’s fireworks and the timing of them usually works out better than this: http://su.pr/38VGU4 or heck, even boston, which had evacuated people while there was no rain and then brought everyone back to watch the fireworks just as the storm hit. mother nature sure is a crafty one!
Sounds like great fun. We don’t have to go anywhere. Our 270+ degree view fro our apartment is great for fireworks viewing. We could see the ones from Detroit on Monday a week ago. The on the 4th There were fireworks around the complete 270+. It’s like that each year when it’s clear. Weve also had a little rain this week though the temps are still close to 100. Life is very good. love. Grandpa
wow, your view sounds amazing! happy firework viewing, indeed!