Temporarily obliterated last night, however, by fireworks and the moon.

One of the towns near Rancho Obsesso had its July 4th display last night. Opinion on the Rancho is divided as to whether it's worth the schlep, the crowds and the late hour. Along with one other resident, I'm of the unalterable opinion that almost no inconvenience is too great to keep me from fireworks you can watch exploding directly overhead. Three of us went, two stayed home. And the fireworks were grand. You could lie on your back on the ground and they blossomed right above you, and they were good ones, too: red-white-and-blue circles, silver streaks, gold starbursts, and a new orange waterfall effect I'd never seen before. Lots of noise and good smells, too, what with the carnival across the street. Afterwards, we waited, to avoid the traffic, then moseyed out and drove out to the beach to watch a wondrous huge red moon rise, get smaller and turn gold, to the musical accompaniment of a hilarious frog chorus.