The smoke has cleared, but not the memories
Onlookers watch fireworks go off from the Huntington Beach Pier on the Fourth of July. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
A couple in Huntington Beach enjoy the show. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
The Fourth of July celebration goes on in Santa Barbara despite a blaze in nearby Goleta that had burned about 6,600 acres as of Friday night. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Osa Aikhionbare, left, and Shaynelle McCalister practice their volleyball skills between two recreational vehicles at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey, just south of Los Angeles International Airport. (Benjamin Reed / Los Angeles Times)
A bubble machine entertains children at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa del Rey, where all 118 campsites were filled with recreational vehicles and families celebrating the Fourth of July.
A group passes the time by playing dominoes while relaxing at the beach campground in Playa del Rey. Some families say they decided to camp close to home because of soaring gas prices, which deterred them from traveling to farther destinations this Fourth of July. (Benjamin Reed / Los Angeles Times)
Tatiyana Petrie, left, and Kaiden Coleman, both 2, pose for a photo before racing each other between speed bumps at Dockweiler State Beach, where all 118 campsites were filled for the Fourth of July holiday. (Benjamin Reed / Los Angeles Times)
Kenny Story of Cerritos tends to a Fourth of July barbecue, feeding his family and friends while camping at Dockweiler State Beach. He says he still wants to eat and live like at home when he is on vacation. From left are Jillian Webb, 11, Naya Webb, 9, and Meka Story, 10. (Benjamin Reed / Los Angeles Times)
Fireworks light up the sky in Huntington Beach. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
