I took this shot two years ago from my bedroom window. These fireworks were not part of the official display at the Capitol, although my place is only about a mile away. This was part of a neighborhood display.

D.C. police are cracking down on illegal fireworks this year. When I first moved into D.C. proper in 2000, I was absolutely stunned to find makeshift stands selling all manner of celebratory explosives — bottle rockets, Roman candles, and so on — in shopping center parking lots. More often than not, kids were the ones buying.

And so my fellow Americans, if you simply must celebrate the independence of your country by blowing up a small part of it, do it safely. Better yet, enjoy a cocktail and let the pros handle the dirty work.