The Festive Fourth O' July

I'm not sure when this photo of The Space Needle was taken, but in spite of the red, white and blue theme, they actually don't shoot fireworks from up there on the 4th - which is too bad, since it's very cool when they do. I don't think it really gets enough use, since it mostly just stands around, reminding people of the space age future that never materialized. This is a picture from one of the annual New Year's displays. You can tell from the tiny Christmas tree in the center on top. See the cone-shaped thingy?

There are two competing Fourth of July fireworks displays in town. One is from the pier off of Lake Union to the south, and the other is from Gas Works Park, slightly to the north. When I first moved here I could see both fairly easily from my balcony. In the last couple of years it's gotten more difficult for two reasons. There's some new crazy law which now allows buildings in the neighborhood to extend into the stratosphere and the trees that haven't been yanked to make room for the construction have grown amazingly larger in a very short period of time. It's as if the trees and the new buildings are engaged in some kind of grudge match to see who's bigger and better. Guess the trees are among those who "have not yet been told the terrible truth" (condos win every time!), but I certainly applaud their effort, even though it means that I have to hang precariously over my railing to get a decent view. Like I always say, what's a national holiday without a bit of added danger?