Today is the last in summer's trilogy of holidays. Labor Day means that fall's cooler temperatures cannot be far off. While a good part of this holiday weekend was spent doing yard work, yesterday John and I spent most of the day playing.


After breakfast at the Atlanta Bread Company in Maryville, we took a late morning hike in the Great Smoky Mountains. This was a stroll really, a short 5-miles to stretch our legs. We started on the Little River trail, circled back on Cucumber Gap and returned to the car on Jake's Creek. Lots of cars in the area but most people had picnic baskets in hand and were looking for a good spot along the river to relax. We saw very few people on the trail.

In the evening, we headed downtown to watch Knoxville's most spectacular fireworks display, aptly named "Boomsday." In previous years, the city held the celebration on the Labor Day Monday meaning many kids were very late getting to bed on a school night. Several years ago the city moved the show to Sunday night providing attendees a day to rest before the school and work week begins.


With attendance in excess of 100,000 people, our city police did not appear to have a good game plan for traffic. Cars, pedestrians and poorly timed traffic signals produced a lot of chaos but people arrived in mass, lined up to buy $4.00 funnel cakes, listen to the bands, hangout and watch an incredible fireworks display. The photo above is the view from the Gay Street Bridge, looking down on Neyland Drive, sight of the event.


As twilight fell, sunset in the city produced its own light show.

Boats of all sizes crowded on the river for front row seats to the show.

At 9:30 pm, the show began! John and I squeezed in the Baptist Hospital parking lot with hundreds of people. By showtime, there was little standing room left. Aside from the hospital building (left in the pictures), we had a great view of everything but the "waterfall" on Henley Street Bridge.


The fireworks came in so many colors and shapes. Each display was more beautiful than the one before.

Some fireworks were shot high into the sky while lower fireworks were launched from the bridge. The mix was spectacular and kept the crowds cheering.

I thought the bows were particularly beautiful.

Wow! A mass of red!

And lots of pastels!
We had a great time at the show and look forward to the 2006 Boomsday celebration!