Oooooooouuuuuu! Aaaaaahhhhhh! But no popping sounds.

Happy belated July 4th to all (and to family in Canada, Happy July 1st)!  Deborah and I spent July 4th watching fireworks from the 14th floor of the Center for Advanced Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.  Near bedtime (for Deborah) the nurse came in the room and insisted that we go watch the fireworks.  The 14th floor offers a panoramic view of the east side of the city, overlooking the St. Louis Arch and the Mississippi River.  Deborah was unhooked from her IV, provided with a wheelchair, and for the first time in two weeks she left the confines of her floor.  We actually thought we were doing something naughty – leaving the floor and all – but the nurses ensured us that the doctors would not mind.  The venue provided an excellent view of the major fireworks display at the Arch, as well as no less than five other venues along the river where other firework celebrations were happening.  While we saw the bursts and showers of the displays, we couldn’t hear the noise.  All along the glass windows were other cancer patients, compete with nurses, technicians and family members, all enjoying a chance to escape from their room for 30 minutes or so.  This was not like lying on our back at Dodds Park in Champaign watching the fireworks directly overhead, but nonetheless still quite enjoyable.  And definitely unforgettable.