Our Fourth of July in Boston

We took Otis over to the Old State House in downtown Boston for a reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Many folks were in costume outside the Old State House.

The ornate top of the Old State House.

We walked through Boston Common and got this shot of the current State House atop Beacon Hill.

A singing group from Wisconsin was performing patriotic songs near Downtown Crossing.

We then drove out to Ashland State Park, about 40 minutes southwest of Boston, for a leisurely walk around this beautiful lake. 

We forgot to bring a tennis ball, but being very resourceful, Otis found another dog's discarded ball near the  water...and it was game on!

On the way back into Boston, we saw that the Queen Mary 2 had docked at the Black Falcon Terminal in South Boston. When built in 2003, the Queen Mary 2 was the longest, widest, and tallest passenger ship ever built. It can accommodate 2,620 passengers and houses the only planetarium at sea.

 

A truly sensational sunset over the city skyline.

Around 9:30, we walked over to Castle Island, where hundreds of people were milling about, enjoying the balmy holiday evening. The constant popping and booming of firecrackers was too much for Otis to handle, so we stayed only a few minutes before heading home.