Denver Civic Center, independence celebration 2018

I didn't think that I left too early but the metal bench was getting mighty uncomfortable by the time the sky became dark enough for fireworks -- stop talking already and shoot off the fireworks! -- the ostensible point of being there while the people one meets is as interesting, certainly interesting to look at, the scenery is splendid if you know what I mean, but you never can be sure based on looks alone.

I walked past the library, down the central path through the trees to the concrete balusters surrounding a sunken area. Still early evening, the place was filling up, an intense mixture of people mostly young, well, younger than myself, young people dating, young families, teens, very young children and well-behaved dogs, but mostly very young families with very young children only now being introduced to this holiday and having the time of their lives dancing with each other, with their mothers and their dads, and with all the various goodies passed out, trollies rolling back and forth filled with plastic toys and replenished continuously so they stay full, the entire lot of them fitted with leds, swords for the boys, inflatable guitars, flags with poles that light up, Minnie Mouse type cartoonish hair bows for the girls that light up, so that thousands of young girls look silly and fun, illuminated hula-hoops, illuminated darts that are shot into the air like a slingshot then float down, illuminated zip copters, glow tubes, lit up spinners, lit up windmills, glow necklaces, glow strands, illuminated hats, the toys kept the children interested and playing and well-behaved. Lovely young families everywhere. Beautiful families. Everywhere.

I timed it perfectly. Only a few spots left on a few of the benches. I had a choice of two spots. But very good spots directly in front of the show.

The slight woman is old and knitting. She welcomed me to sit next to her. Conversation was instant with no preliminary ice-breaking. I thought she said that she had a vasectomy and that didn't make sense.

Mastectomy. I looked at her breasts but they weren't there. Completely flat chested. "So why didn't you have implants?"

"I wanted to see what it would be like to be flat chested."

"So what's it like buying clothes now?"

Thumbs up.

She turned out to be a remarkably determined woman. She used to have breasts out to there BLAM! D-cups, and she got sick and tired of them bouncing in her face when she ran. So she refused implants to compensate for her breast cancer.

"I like being flat-chested too."

We hit it off unusually quickly with tremendous ease.

The man on the other side got up and left.

Immediately two elderly gentlemen came up to his spot. "Boy, you guys are lucky." Visiting from Chicago, they've already been all over the place. The woman picked up our conversation and provided them with more immediate useful information than any travel guide could. She is a veritable encyclopedia of events in the park, the museum, the capitol, the 16th Street Mall, the baseball field, interesting restaurants the visitors must see, additional fireworks displays, where to be positioned tomorrow to see three at once.

The guys from Chicago said they were interested in seeing this one because they had read that it ranked 4th nationally among the best displays to see in the country. "We've been to New York fireworks, Boston, A fireworks competition in Canada, Chicago ... they listed cities around the whole country.

As it darkened the foot traffic in front of us intensified. I looked behind us, the entire park was packed tight, every inch of ground covered with blankets, coolers, folding chairs and people.

"Well, I've seen a lot of firework displays on Air Force bases usually not located in big cities. So huge that the audience is positioned well away from the danger. Large displays but remote. The action way out there on the tarmac. I was always a bit disappointed because you cannot get close. But this one is smaller, shorter, less extravagant, but much more intimate. They're happening very nearby and low. The smoke is right there above us. The band music plays through the displays and the lights on the City and County building are coordinated with the music, they switch from barely observable slow changes of pastel colors to much deeper richer tones and swirl around and pulsate and intensify with the music, switching to straight red white and blue for Souza 1812 Overture that signals the display.

What a rush.

They put on a delightful show. It's very well thought through and practiced over years.

As I'm sitting there I see the back end of a pup.

I tell the Chicago guys, "That's a Belgian Sheepdog Groenendael. They don't know what I'm talking about. I can tell by the feathery black fur, the slope of the tail, and the squareness of the legs. But I'd like to see its head and neck to make sure. They thought I was weird.

I observed this dog in its possession, its presence, within an intense and fast-moving crowd, how it wrapped its neck around the leg of its handler, how it set its paw on his foot, how it shoved its head between his legs as he stood there, how alert it is, and interested in everything especially attention from its handler.

Just like a little kid.

The dog puts is front paws on the man's hip, and as the women were dancing with their children, this dog wanted to dance with its owner. The man danced with the dog. This young pup had its handler wrapped around its paw. I was certain the dog would freak when the explosions started, and it did need attention and comfort that everything is okay, but it didn't go helpless as if being attacked. I was fascinated watching the dog.

The show ended and as people were leaving I waved the couple such they couldn't avoid me. They walked over to me. I told the man I was mesmerized by his dog. He liked hearing that. He told me that he put a lot of effort and time into finding the right dog. He is a dog trainer of eighteen years and his previous mixed breed dog died. He gave me his card. He told me that he researched for hours on end and discovered the dog through books. He hadn't seen one before. With only four breeders in the U.S. he had to travel across several states to get his dog. He told me he was delighted to find someone who even knew about the breed. He told me that I am the only person he's met who got the breed right. So far, everyone else that he's talked to guessed German Shepherd.

So, how about that, huh? Not only can I identify them by their back end, I know all the f about them. The guy really liked talking about his dog. And he has a very fine animal. I'm jealous.

The Chicago guys asked, regarding me and the woman, "so how long have you two known each other?"

"Minutes before meeting you."

"Holy crap! The way you two were talking we assumed you were married or partners for decades."

They must have got a bit of her wit.

Earlier I said to the gentlemen, "I am the slowest person I know."

They didn't believe me.

"Sure. Small children just learning to walk outpace me. Obese people with their legs wrapped up outpace me. People on crutches overtake me."

"Come on."

"Stephen Hawking passes me up."

"Come on! He's dead. He won't be passing you up anymore."

The woman quietly interjected, "So you won't be bothered by him calling you anymore."

Now, that's just funny.

That's why they assumed we'd been together a long time.

There is one part of the show that I must say got me a bit emotional. This crowd is mixed. Racially diverse. Caucasoid-persuasion the minority. The city is liberal. Much of my life is online, so the perceptual reality of the world at large somewhat distorted. My news sources untrustworthy. I did not know all these people are patriotic as I am. I imagined them indifferent. I doubt very many at all have any military experience or association or contact. But they are as emotionally attached to this country as I am. They love this country every bit as much as I do. I was not ready for them to sing words to songs that I don't even know. It kills me how they all know the words. And sing them. A laic public spontaneous choir. The song was introduced as "for our veterans."