2002 July

On July 4th, 2002, I joined my friends Sam and Igor on a trip to
Dana Point to watch the fireworks display at the marina.  This
was the third time I watched fireworks at Dana Point.  

[Dana Point is a small coastal city about 15 miles south of
the center of Irvine.  Dana Point is less than 7 miles away
from the border of San Diego County and the Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps base.]

The fireworks appear over the ocean.  You can watch the display 
from the beach, from one of the outdoor cafes or bars, from a path
in the marina, or, if you're wealthy, from your yacht with your 
drinking buddies and exotic female escorts.

What happens after the fireworks display is perhaps more 
interesting than the display itself:  All of the boats that
left the marina to get a good view of the fireworks return
to the marina in a kind of parade!  Boats big and small
form a continuous line as they slowly motor in to the marina,
back to their parking spots.  It's quite dark outside by
this time, so all of the lights on the boats look beautiful.
There's also something fun about seeing all of the people
lounging on the different kinds of boats.  Many boats have
wet bars.  Some have families eating at dinner tables in 
well-lit, warm and cozy looking interior rooms.  Some people
ring bells, blow horns, or speak through public-address
speakers.  Invariably the people on the boats shout out to
people on the shore.  "Hey!  What's up!  Woo-Hoo!"



FIGURE: Dana Point: Boats at marina (view #1).



FIGURE: Dana Point: Boats at marina (view #2).



FIGURE: Dana Point: Boats at marina (view #3).



FIGURE: Dana Point: Boats at marina (view #4).



FIGURE: Dana Point: Boats at marina (view #5).



FIGURE: Dana Point: Boats at marina (view #6).



FIGURE: Dana Point: Marina: My friends Sam and Igor.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Marina: Inner channel.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: Rocks.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: Boat and rocks.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: Walking path beside jetty channel.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: Palm tree.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: My friend Sam.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: Close-up of jetty rocks (view #1).



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: Close-up of jetty rocks (view #2).



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: A boat.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Jetty: Rocks and hillside.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Marina: Fireworks: Big blast.



FIGURE: Dana Point: Marina: Fireworks: Sparks.

Here's a link to a video clip of fireworks at Dana Point:
Fireworks Movie (AVI) [WARNING: 2.1MB] 



FIGURE: Dana Point: Marina: Boats returned after fireworks display. (view #1)



FIGURE: Dana Point: Marina: Boats returned after fireworks display. (view #2)



FIGURE: Dana Point: Marina: Boats returned after fireworks display. (view #3)



FIGURE: Dana Point: Marina: Boats returned after fireworks display. (view #4)


--- Colin
cpfahey@earthlink.net