Riverfront was bustling with activity. People searched for areas to get a good view of the firework displays later that night and to enjoy the music from the Waterfront Blues Festival. Parties were being held in the many boats that were docked in the marina.
Even if it weren’t a holiday, I still would have been there because I liked the energy of the place and it made me feel relaxed and calm. Any negative thoughts I may have had seemed to temporarily be forgotten as I enjoy the scenery around me. I think it must be having the four elements of nature that does the trick for me. Basking in the heat of the sun, cooling off from the occasional breeze, watching the rippling surface of the river, green grass below and green leaves above, it's a perfect place for a picnic. Restaurants and shops also take up a strip of the esplanade.
It would be nice to live in this part of town. Or to have friends with boats to idly pass the afternoons drifting slowly down the river.
I'm glad I didn't pay for the festival since the music could be heard from blocks away in every direction and it's not like blues is my type of music anyway- although the admission was only $10 plus a donation of 2 cans of nonperishable food items to support the Oregon Food Bank.
I really hadn't planned on getting there so early but for the sake of festivity I decided to just wait it out to the end. A family of five set up camp to my right and a cordoned off area for a private party of festival staff and volunteers was to my left. I think it might be cool to volunteer for next year's festival.
The fireworks were naturally a dazzling display of lights. I liked the ones that reached higher than the rest and their burst was a wide range, ending in rains of twinkling stars. From where I stood, I saw fireworks being shot from two different barges- one stationary and the other moving down the river. Of course I could be wrong about that second part as I got distracted towards the end of it, not only because it had been going on for quite awhile but also because someone from the private party was passing out a box of chocolates. And sadly I broke my rule of not eating after 8pm but this was a special occasion- not specifically for me but in the sense that it was a national holiday- so I wasn't going to beat myself up over it. And, just a reminder, it was free chocolates. Free. Chocolates.
No comments:
Post a Comment