There's a price to having an amazing view of San Francisco nearly everyday. There are holidays and other events that draw people out to this little island I live on. July 4th is just about the worst.

People started filing in by around noon, some setting up tents, several groups taking over the picnic area. I ran off the island to the grocery store at 3:30, and there were already a number of people with their lawn chairs set up to watch the show. A little bit later, the police would close the main road.

I was out working on the scooter, mounting the Givi E52 topcase I recently purchased. People were roaming my cul de sac, looking for a place to park. Some folks looped through several times, apparently thinking a new spot would magically appear. Next, people started lining Avenue B, one of the main drags through the housing areas, which runs right along my unit. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it does.

Then there were the hours of fireworks going off. I believe the official show was only an hour, but as the official hour approached, I had more and more fireworks going off. Why people find it at all stimulating to go out and watch a bunch of bright lights accompanied by loud booms I don't understand.

Finally, people come back to their cars, invariably being noisy, seemingly unable to recognize that they're in someone's neighborhood. The start their cars, the bass of their stereos far out of balance, and they stream off the island, at long last.

I don't hate Independence Day. But I do hate the 4th of July.

Boy, some people cannot enjoy anything! Fireworks on the 4th of July described as bright lights accompanied by a loud boom? Were you brought up by geezers???