First of the Month - Rocket's Red Glare

I'm cheating a bit this month with the First of the Month photography meme in order to show you some spectacular 4th of July fireworks along the Louisville waterfront. The actual show is not until the 3rd so these photos are from the 2010 show.

For the past seven months I've been scanning Kentucky skies, camera in hand, in order to participate in a year-long photography meme that attracts aspiring photographers from all over. The idea is that we look at our surroundings and record the changes from month to month. The host for this meme is Jan at Murrieta 365 . Here's how it works: "The goal is to capture one thing repeatedly on the first day of each month. It can be a landscape, a person, an animal, a project; whatever your focus is fine. It can be a record of where you are each first day of the month." I decided to photograph Kentucky skies.

July is the perfect month to feature my hometown Louisville's strikingly modern skyline. Louisville is right on the banks of the Ohio River with Indiana on the other side. There's a wonderful green space called Waterfront Park where Louisvillians gather to enjoy the river views and great concerts and special events. Several times a year the celebrations include spectacular fireworks displays laid on the two bridges across the Ohio River connecting Indiana and Kentucky. Here's another view:

Those of us who live with dogs dread the fireworks, but there's no denying how thrilling and beautiful they can be when handled by experts like the Zambezi Brothers who set off the Louisville show. So, if you're ever in Louisville for the Derby or Independence Day, I recommend that you leave the "rocket's red glare" to the pros and just lie back in the grass and enjoy.

Be sure to check out Jan's link above for some photographs of people and places from all over on the first day of July.

(Image credit: Photobucket)