Public displays of patriotic bombast were thankfully sparse at this year’s Fourth of Jul-Ivar’s gathering.

Perhaps it’s a positive sign that folks, at least around Seattle, have gotten bored by the past one-point-five years of force-fed flag-wavin’ and jingoism-spoutin’.

Abundant, however, were all the new massive condo projects just over the railroad tracks from Myrtle Edwards Park. Many of these glass boxes are still somewhat less than fully occupied.

It was a refreshingly ordinary Fourth, full of low-key people of all ages waiting around all day for a good view of the big boomies later that night. One disappointment: The musical bookings for the Fourth of Jul-Ivar’s were a lot less diverse than in prior years, emphasizing the rote-aggressive “blooze” bands that have been Seattle’s official establishment music since the ’70s.

I didn’t stay in Myrtle Edwards for the big blast, having been invited to a deck bash at a FIrst Hill condo, from which the rival Gas Works fireworks show could supposedly be seen.

But with the Metropolitan Park towers rising like twin cans of Spam (the meat product, not the email) between the condo and Lake Union, we could only see the largest or tallest of the fiery boom-booms. Still, a splendid, if cold and windy, time was had by all.