Fireworks and the Weekend Ahead

Last night, as planned, I biked down to the lake front from my house to watch the Festa Italiana Fireworks. It is a little over 7 miles. And it took me a little over a half an hour to get down there. It is actually a great bike ride, in fact as I was en route I was thinking it could be one of the best bike rides in the entire city. I took Bluemound Road from my house down to the stadium. I cut through Miller Park to the Hank Aaron Trail which runs along Canal Street, then over the 6th Street viaduct. Once downtown I used Michigan to get to the lake front. That entire stretch is all new pavement within the last 2 to 3 years with the exception of Michigan. Although biking through Miller Park when there isn't a game going on, those parking lots can get pretty dark. The fireworks were pretty good, but with a strong wind coming out of the west, they were a little further away than I had hoped. Tonight I am going to try to get down there a little earlier and get out on the breakwall. Not that you care too much because they all look pretty much the same, here are some pictures I took last night.The fireworks were pretty good. They lasted 15 minutes. I had my MP3 player with me, and I found a spot just south of Discovery World to watch the proceedings. I am assuming that tonight more people will be out and about to watch.

The tricky thing about taking night or firework pictures is that exposure time is longer than a normal picture with a flash. And because you can't keep your hands steady that long, you need to set the camera up and then take the picture with the timer. I have some running around to do after work, so I might stop and pick up a mini tripod.

On to the weekend to come. Tonight I am actually closing on the refinance of my house. Basically I am paying off my truck tonight and adding what I owe on my truck to my home mortgage. Plus I am adding in a couple large to get new windows for the murder house. As of tonight, my truck will be paid off. And it only took me 3 and a 1/2 months to do so. Not too bad. Also tonight, I am going to bike downtown again for the fireworks.

Saturday is a pretty big day for me. This weekend is actually one of the weekends that I look forward to all year. The Dave Matthews Band is coming to Alpine Valley. But before I can get to Alpine Valley, I have the 3rd Annual Legends Classic Wiffleball Game. What is that you are asking? One of my best friends from high school, Mike "Muffy" Braun, holds a Wiffleball game at his parent's house. The first game that Mike held a 3 years ago, it was really weird driving to his parent's house. In high school, I drove there hundreds of times. But 15 years later I made a couple wrong turns. I know that tomorrow will seem weird too, just because for one day it feels like you are back in high school. So that is my morning / early afternoon. Then I am to meet up with The General and head to Alpine. After the show, I am stopping by Chris and Rebecca's. They are hosting a bachelor / bachelorette party for Al and Vanessa. Sunday, I have a family reunion that I will show up late for. And then it is back to Alpine for show #2. Last year Sunday's show was much better than Saturday's. I am just happy to be going to both. Plus as an added bonus, I am in the reserved seats. Have a good weekend and I should have some blog worthy stories and pictures for you on Monday.