Independence Day may be over but opportunities to enjoy fireworks continue. The city of Alexandria celebrates its founding on the Saturday after the Fourth. Fire and police boats herd all the other boats into an area a safe distance from the barge filled with the fireworks. Eventually the sun goes down and the orchestra the 1812 Overture starts. As the cannons boom, the first fireworks shoot up into the sky, white, red, violet and gold. The colors reflect in the Potomac and fizzle down into the water. I just happened to snap one that never made it up into the air---a reminder that there is a reason why we watch the show from a distance!