Sometimes you meet someone and you just know after sharing a few words that you'll be friends. Sometimes it's because they are interesting people who are very different from yourself and you just need to know more. Sometimes it's quite the opposite, and it's the same interests that draw you together. I guess it's really hard to say what actually brings people together.
In this world of technology, there are many 'meetings' that take place across the miles. Perhaps it's an internet 'anonymity' that makes one feel safe enought to reveal things that would be kept more private if one met face to face. Some of those 'meetings' develop into eventual marriages. I, for one, am skeptical of that sort of thing...not that I, personally, am in any danger. I'm happily ensconced in a loving and secure marriage, but I have friends who have found 'significant others' with the use of the computer.
My only interest in friendships on-line is just that...friendship. It's a modern version of the old-fashioned 'pen-pal.' I've 'met' several very nice people with whom I correspond, and some that I've actually met face to face after more than a year of writing multi-emails daily. I've met them through gardening groups, geneaology groups and decorating groups. I've met ladies of like-mindedness through on line Bible groups. I've collected new folks who follow blogs that interest me as well. The social networking site, Facebook, has been instrumental in my connecting with people from my hometown, no matter where any of us find ourselves situated these days. I didn't know them 'back home' necessarily, but I knew someone who knew them. There are some relatives who were not in my circle of friends at home who are now much better acquainted with me and vice versa. I think, as long as one is cautious, you can make some life-long friendships.
I love mail, and I love people too. The computer has allowed me the best of both possible worlds.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Things ....
you may not know about me and probably don't care much about either!
Sometimes, but rarely, I'm silent. Usually, I have lots to say.
I'm quite opinionated, but I always give others the option of having their own opinions.
I love to grow things....except the 'age spot' stuff that I seem to have inherited from some who came before me. They are not cancerous or even dangerous,according to my doctor...just ugly, sort-of wart-like spots.
Decorating is one of my interests. Crafting is THE major one, though....and I fluctuate between the many options of crafting. Currently, it's card making and scrapbooking.
I am the family-history keeper and explorer, and I get very excited over new findings.
Once, when I was in grade school, I played the lead part in the play, "The Little Match Girl." While reading the part, I read her description as 'bed raggled' rather than BEdraggled.
Once, much later, I wrote a play for our church Christmas production, from the book, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." It was such fun, and the kids all did a wonderful job! I might like to do that again sometime.
I used to bite my fingernails...now I don't. Right now my nails are healthy, all the same length, and are too long at 3/4" past the end of my fingers. They are in the way, but I'm kind of curious to see how long they will grow.
Heat and cold temperatures are more extreme to me than to most people. I seem to be more sensitive, 'freezing' at a higher temperature and feeling the heat at a lower one than most. All this since the 'change' hit me in my 40's.
Thrift shops and yard sales draw me like a magnet, though I've behaved myself very well for the last few years. Antiques are even more appealing to me, especially rustic ones. I wish I had the option of rummaging through people's old barns and attics, but so far, I haven't found that!
I'd like to have a swimming pool...even if just a lap pool...but we don't need the expense...or the work.
I like paper dolls....and like to make my own. I wish my granddaughters enjoyed them more, but that's an old-fashioned idea, and these techno-age kids aren't much enthused about them.
I'm flexible....but I am pretty stubborn too.
In late grade school, a teacher told me that I had very nice cursive handwriting. She suggested that my letters were well-done, but that it would be even better if I practiced my slant, as I seemed to have no particular choice about how the letters sat on the lines. I worked hard on it until I managed to find my comfortable slant.
It paid off,too, because in high school I was asked to write the hand-written menus for the Hedges Inn, and upscale restaurant/inn....and I was paid for it.
I also was paid to type the manuscript for a booklet by Ferris Talmage about the small hamlet of the Springs, in East Hampton. There was no mention of my name in the booklet section where credits and thanks were given, so I can't prove that I did it...but yes, I did it.
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I was at the Shea Stadium Beatles concert....far up in the mezzanine. I'd have seen them better if I'd stayed home and watched it on TV, but that's ok. I was there...I watched history made! I couldn't HEAR it at all, but.... well....you know.
I'm thinking that's enough for you today! Hopefully I'll find something interesting to write about tomorrow!
Sometimes, but rarely, I'm silent. Usually, I have lots to say.
I'm quite opinionated, but I always give others the option of having their own opinions.
I love to grow things....except the 'age spot' stuff that I seem to have inherited from some who came before me. They are not cancerous or even dangerous,according to my doctor...just ugly, sort-of wart-like spots.
Decorating is one of my interests. Crafting is THE major one, though....and I fluctuate between the many options of crafting. Currently, it's card making and scrapbooking.
I am the family-history keeper and explorer, and I get very excited over new findings.
Once, when I was in grade school, I played the lead part in the play, "The Little Match Girl." While reading the part, I read her description as 'bed raggled' rather than BEdraggled.
Once, much later, I wrote a play for our church Christmas production, from the book, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." It was such fun, and the kids all did a wonderful job! I might like to do that again sometime.
I used to bite my fingernails...now I don't. Right now my nails are healthy, all the same length, and are too long at 3/4" past the end of my fingers. They are in the way, but I'm kind of curious to see how long they will grow.
Heat and cold temperatures are more extreme to me than to most people. I seem to be more sensitive, 'freezing' at a higher temperature and feeling the heat at a lower one than most. All this since the 'change' hit me in my 40's.
Thrift shops and yard sales draw me like a magnet, though I've behaved myself very well for the last few years. Antiques are even more appealing to me, especially rustic ones. I wish I had the option of rummaging through people's old barns and attics, but so far, I haven't found that!
I'd like to have a swimming pool...even if just a lap pool...but we don't need the expense...or the work.
I like paper dolls....and like to make my own. I wish my granddaughters enjoyed them more, but that's an old-fashioned idea, and these techno-age kids aren't much enthused about them.
I'm flexible....but I am pretty stubborn too.
In late grade school, a teacher told me that I had very nice cursive handwriting. She suggested that my letters were well-done, but that it would be even better if I practiced my slant, as I seemed to have no particular choice about how the letters sat on the lines. I worked hard on it until I managed to find my comfortable slant.
It paid off,too, because in high school I was asked to write the hand-written menus for the Hedges Inn, and upscale restaurant/inn....and I was paid for it.
I also was paid to type the manuscript for a booklet by Ferris Talmage about the small hamlet of the Springs, in East Hampton. There was no mention of my name in the booklet section where credits and thanks were given, so I can't prove that I did it...but yes, I did it.
I'm thinking that's enough for you today! Hopefully I'll find something interesting to write about tomorrow!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Uninvited Guests
Yesterday was a rather interesting one. I was visited by two uninvited guests. Well, one has been here in the house, actually for several weeks, but I just that afternoon discovered that he was here.
You see, a few weeks ago, we brought in some hanging potted Fuscia, some unplanted Hollyhocks and a small tray with small pots of Mums in it. Because we wouldn't be home to water them, we determined that the best idea was to bring them inside and put them in our master bathroom. (After all, we do have a 'garden tub'.) So, we did just that, after putting a few inches of water in the tub, we placed all of the plants into the 'pond', and let them be. We never use the tub to bathe in, as we prefer to use our large, separate shower...and knowing that we'd be returning to my daughter's house again next week, when we got home from our first visit, we didn't rush to take them out of the tub.
Ok...so there I was, standing there in my towel, having just finished my shower in preparation for going out to run errands. I happened to look in the tub at the plants, thinking I might add a little water. Suddenly my eye caught something brown...something that I hadn't seen before. There in the center of one of the full, lush Fuscia baskets was a big, fat, stinkin' hop toad! Still in my towel, I ran to the kitchen to inform my husband that I needed him...now! He could tell from my tone of voice that something was urgent, and he came quickly. I told him to look in the tub...and then had to actually tell him what he was looking for. (He probably thought I'd found a snake, in which case, I'd have had to dress and call an exterminator, as Mike would have been barefootin' it up the road, screaming, "Feet, don't fail me now!")
I was fearful that the toad would jump out of the plant and end up hiding out somewhere in the house. When Mike picked up the dripping hanging basket and headed for the front door, he sheltered the toad with his hand, which wasn't entirely successful because the poor spotted thing was hopping about in the foliage, trying to hide from him. I ran to open the front door, following the inevitable stream of water from the bathroom, across the bedroom carpet, down the hall, and then across the wood floor in the living room, to the door. Tell-tale bits of plant were evidence, too, of the traveling. A little clean up is well worth the disappearance of that little guy....(unless he was a she and might have left eggs somewhere in the bathroom. No...I won't borrow that trouble.)
Ten minutes later all plants and Mr Toad were outside on the porch, in the shade. Of course, all of them might not survive, now that they've accustomed themselves to inside temperatures which are twenty degrees lower than daytime temperatures are in the great outdoors....but, so be it. At least there's not a reptile living in my bathroom, or elsewhere in the house.
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You might think that's the end of the excitement for the day, but not so! We finally got ourselves in the van, with the windows open because we haven't had the AC fixed in it yet. So, we were cruising along, when I suddenly felt something hit my shoulder, just near the tank top strap. I didn't feel anything for....4 miles or so. Then, I thought I felt something move on my back...inside my shirt. I shook my shirt, but didn't know if anything was there or not. Another mile or so, nothing...when suddenly, about two inches below my too-loose waistband, I felt movement again. I screamed and said, "something is in there!" Mike tried to look, when we stopped at a red light, but he couldn't see, as the darned thing had made it's way south and was crawling down my fleshy bottom...EEK! Apparently I'd given it access when I tried to get Mike to see if he could see it, by pulling the elastic on my panties away from back.
This was NOT funny! I didn't know what on earth was crawling around inside my clothing, or whether he'd had lunch yet. So far, he hadn't tasted what might have been, for him, an All You Can Eat buffet...and I hoped he wasn't hungry. My beloved Knight in Shining Armor pulled over into the hospital parking lot, and parked into a space far from sight of other cars. He told me to see about getting that bug out of there. So... I shimmied out of my jeans... and I lowered the panties 'til the darned bug fell out. Where it went after he left me, is beyond me...nor did I care much. I'm sure the bug, which was black and as big around as the end of my pinkie finger, was as anxious to be set free as I was to free him! I quickly covered my birthday suit with my clothing, opened the van door and got out to stand in the parking space next to the van. I shook the pants legs...I smashed my hand up and down my lower body. I just wanted to be sure I was alone in my clothes!
Boy! All this company was just a little too much excitement for this old gal~
You see, a few weeks ago, we brought in some hanging potted Fuscia, some unplanted Hollyhocks and a small tray with small pots of Mums in it. Because we wouldn't be home to water them, we determined that the best idea was to bring them inside and put them in our master bathroom. (After all, we do have a 'garden tub'.) So, we did just that, after putting a few inches of water in the tub, we placed all of the plants into the 'pond', and let them be. We never use the tub to bathe in, as we prefer to use our large, separate shower...and knowing that we'd be returning to my daughter's house again next week, when we got home from our first visit, we didn't rush to take them out of the tub.
Ok...so there I was, standing there in my towel, having just finished my shower in preparation for going out to run errands. I happened to look in the tub at the plants, thinking I might add a little water. Suddenly my eye caught something brown...something that I hadn't seen before. There in the center of one of the full, lush Fuscia baskets was a big, fat, stinkin' hop toad! Still in my towel, I ran to the kitchen to inform my husband that I needed him...now! He could tell from my tone of voice that something was urgent, and he came quickly. I told him to look in the tub...and then had to actually tell him what he was looking for. (He probably thought I'd found a snake, in which case, I'd have had to dress and call an exterminator, as Mike would have been barefootin' it up the road, screaming, "Feet, don't fail me now!")
I was fearful that the toad would jump out of the plant and end up hiding out somewhere in the house. When Mike picked up the dripping hanging basket and headed for the front door, he sheltered the toad with his hand, which wasn't entirely successful because the poor spotted thing was hopping about in the foliage, trying to hide from him. I ran to open the front door, following the inevitable stream of water from the bathroom, across the bedroom carpet, down the hall, and then across the wood floor in the living room, to the door. Tell-tale bits of plant were evidence, too, of the traveling. A little clean up is well worth the disappearance of that little guy....(unless he was a she and might have left eggs somewhere in the bathroom. No...I won't borrow that trouble.)
Ten minutes later all plants and Mr Toad were outside on the porch, in the shade. Of course, all of them might not survive, now that they've accustomed themselves to inside temperatures which are twenty degrees lower than daytime temperatures are in the great outdoors....but, so be it. At least there's not a reptile living in my bathroom, or elsewhere in the house.
You might think that's the end of the excitement for the day, but not so! We finally got ourselves in the van, with the windows open because we haven't had the AC fixed in it yet. So, we were cruising along, when I suddenly felt something hit my shoulder, just near the tank top strap. I didn't feel anything for....4 miles or so. Then, I thought I felt something move on my back...inside my shirt. I shook my shirt, but didn't know if anything was there or not. Another mile or so, nothing...when suddenly, about two inches below my too-loose waistband, I felt movement again. I screamed and said, "something is in there!" Mike tried to look, when we stopped at a red light, but he couldn't see, as the darned thing had made it's way south and was crawling down my fleshy bottom...EEK! Apparently I'd given it access when I tried to get Mike to see if he could see it, by pulling the elastic on my panties away from back.
This was NOT funny! I didn't know what on earth was crawling around inside my clothing, or whether he'd had lunch yet. So far, he hadn't tasted what might have been, for him, an All You Can Eat buffet...and I hoped he wasn't hungry. My beloved Knight in Shining Armor pulled over into the hospital parking lot, and parked into a space far from sight of other cars. He told me to see about getting that bug out of there. So... I shimmied out of my jeans... and I lowered the panties 'til the darned bug fell out. Where it went after he left me, is beyond me...nor did I care much. I'm sure the bug, which was black and as big around as the end of my pinkie finger, was as anxious to be set free as I was to free him! I quickly covered my birthday suit with my clothing, opened the van door and got out to stand in the parking space next to the van. I shook the pants legs...I smashed my hand up and down my lower body. I just wanted to be sure I was alone in my clothes!
Boy! All this company was just a little too much excitement for this old gal~
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Rain Dance
Soft rain drums the porch roof, like fingers drumming the table top. A higher tone comes from the drops as they hit the rain gutters at the edge of the house...sounding somewhat like a low pitched triangle.
I lay my head back against the cushion of the wooden Adirondack chair that holds me, and I listen.
Beyond the surface sounds, I detect the pitter patter of the water as it kisses the thirsty leaves of the hollies which are planted near the porch railing.
In my minds eye, I see the circles on the surface of the far-off creek. At low tide it is little more than a gigantic puddle. The circles grow, expanding until one joins the other. The breeze picks up and the salt marshes give forth a fragrance all their own. I breathe it deeply in as the gentle movement of air brings it my way. I watch the Queen Anne's Lace sway in rhythm with the sway of the feathered beach grasses. The rustling of the reeds adds to the symphony of rain.
The air chills. The rain reaches a crescendo and the sky darkens to a deep gray. Like the pounding of horses hooves, thunder beats across the clouds. Distant lightening flashes, spotlighting for only a moment the raised arms of the trees in the rain dance.
I open my eyes and rise from the comfort of my deep, cushioned, chair. I notice that the rain continues, but that there is no salty smell of a muddy creek. Instead my nostrils identify what was here all along...parched, red dirt and a newly-mown grass. Far in the distance, the thunder rumbles again, as a pounding rain beats against my porch floor. Opening the door, I enter the shelter of the cool, dry house. I take one more look at the darkening day. As the water rushes swiftly over the stones in the drainage ditch, I close my door to the storm.
I lay my head back against the cushion of the wooden Adirondack chair that holds me, and I listen.
Beyond the surface sounds, I detect the pitter patter of the water as it kisses the thirsty leaves of the hollies which are planted near the porch railing.
In my minds eye, I see the circles on the surface of the far-off creek. At low tide it is little more than a gigantic puddle. The circles grow, expanding until one joins the other. The breeze picks up and the salt marshes give forth a fragrance all their own. I breathe it deeply in as the gentle movement of air brings it my way. I watch the Queen Anne's Lace sway in rhythm with the sway of the feathered beach grasses. The rustling of the reeds adds to the symphony of rain.
The air chills. The rain reaches a crescendo and the sky darkens to a deep gray. Like the pounding of horses hooves, thunder beats across the clouds. Distant lightening flashes, spotlighting for only a moment the raised arms of the trees in the rain dance.
I open my eyes and rise from the comfort of my deep, cushioned, chair. I notice that the rain continues, but that there is no salty smell of a muddy creek. Instead my nostrils identify what was here all along...parched, red dirt and a newly-mown grass. Far in the distance, the thunder rumbles again, as a pounding rain beats against my porch floor. Opening the door, I enter the shelter of the cool, dry house. I take one more look at the darkening day. As the water rushes swiftly over the stones in the drainage ditch, I close my door to the storm.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Tuesday's Thoughts
This morning I woke up at 5:30. Immediately a friend popped into my head, and knowing some of the struggles she's encountering, I sent a heartfelt prayer heavenward. Hopefully, very soon, she will be relieved of some of what's on her mind.
My heart is full this morning...of gratitude for the beautiful things I know in my life. I've got a husband who is beyond word description. He's so good...to me, to my Mom, to my kids. He's so giving, so comical, so stinkin' cute! I've got a terrific and healthy Mom, and for that I'm grateful.
I'm glad that we still have her and that she is capable of still living alone. She refuses to live with us or anyone else, and says she'll hire someone to care for her if it ever gets to that point. Thankfully, it hasn't.
I have a large family and good friends, and I have an ever-present God. I am not alone. For that I am grateful! I have good health, albeit aches and pains, there's nothing to really complain about.
I have 'enough' and want for nothing.
There is an ever-changing world around me. There are trees of all sorts, with varieties of shape and color. There is light that alters itself according to the time of day and season. There are shadows that dance across the surface of the ground, and clouds above that never appear to be the same in the skies. There is so much to look at, so many things Nature gives us to ponder.
Life is good! And, I am grateful.
My heart is full this morning...of gratitude for the beautiful things I know in my life. I've got a husband who is beyond word description. He's so good...to me, to my Mom, to my kids. He's so giving, so comical, so stinkin' cute! I've got a terrific and healthy Mom, and for that I'm grateful.
I'm glad that we still have her and that she is capable of still living alone. She refuses to live with us or anyone else, and says she'll hire someone to care for her if it ever gets to that point. Thankfully, it hasn't.
I have a large family and good friends, and I have an ever-present God. I am not alone. For that I am grateful! I have good health, albeit aches and pains, there's nothing to really complain about.
I have 'enough' and want for nothing.
There is an ever-changing world around me. There are trees of all sorts, with varieties of shape and color. There is light that alters itself according to the time of day and season. There are shadows that dance across the surface of the ground, and clouds above that never appear to be the same in the skies. There is so much to look at, so many things Nature gives us to ponder.
Life is good! And, I am grateful.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Thoughts on the Fourth
Today I awakened to hot sun. Since I'm usually up before the sun, before the birds, I was surprised to see that my wrist watch read 8AM. Ahhhh well, I must have needed that sleep.
I find myself thinking about many things this morning. Yesterday's church service was attended by about half of our normal gathering, which is often the case on a holiday weekend. People are traveling, people have family...or a number of other reasons keep the numbers down. Those who weren't there missed a fantastic time in our sanctuary. We sang the patriotic hymns with great gusto, and I felt that my pew mates had their hearts fully engaged. There was a real attitude of joy in that room, some having to do with the freedoms we enjoy in this country of ours, some having to do with other blessings we have. Yesterday's blessing was multiplied by the presence of some of our congregants who have been out for some time, due to illnesses. Harold was back after an extended absence following heart surgery and rehabilitation, Sarah was back following surgery, Bob was back with his sense of humor following the suffering of a debilitating stroke, Sue was back after a long time of grieving for her lost husband, and Betty was back after a continuing battle with cancer. We also saw a photo of our pastor's great grandchild who was born in January, 3 months premature with lungs that weren't fully developed. We didn't know if that tiny guy would make it, but there he was in the photo, smiling, chubby and healthy. We were blessed to see so many of our prayers answered and failed not in giving thanks for each one!
I find myself wishing that my family members lived closer, so that we could enjoy this holiday together. My Georgia girls families have their own plans for the day, and my New York kids are limited by time and money. Our best friends are spending time with their own families, and one has to work today. So, we find ourselves alone, spending time with each other, which is definitely not a bad way to spend the day! We'll probably just stay home so that we don't put ourselves in harm's way on the highway. (LOL, I've corrected it just now, but my first typing of highway was 'HITway'. Freudian slip?)
Those ornaments I made for the "Christmas in July" ornament exchange are finished, so today I will package those up and get them ready to mail out tomorrow. The ones I've received thus far are very cute and diverse. There's a paper pinwheel made with snowflake scrapbook paper, a rusty old mason jar lid with a painted snowman face on it and a small rusty star hanging at the bottom, and a 'dirty' muslin stuffed star with a rusty vine of berries and a small rusty bell sewn on it which hangs from old twine. The rules stated that the ornaments should be handmade 'primitive' ones, meaning that they should look rustic and old, even if they aren't. My choice to make was small broomstick horses. The heads are handsewn, attached to a small dowel for the stick, with yarn manes and twine bridle and reins. They are white homespun fabric, but stained with tea to yellow the cloth. I hope they will be among the favorites with those in the exchange.
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We'll start another exchange soon...for Autumn. I've decided that I'll do either small,stuffed scarecrows or oak leaves that are muslin and stuffed with a quilt batting, with embroidered 'veins'.
The dyes will be natural ones made from beet juice or onions. When that exchange is done, we'll do a true Chrismas exchange. It's fun having other women's handwork!
My mind is racing with things this morning...but now it's time for my body to get up and move forth into the day. I hope you're all enjoying this holiday. Be safe, and I'll see you tomorrow.
I find myself thinking about many things this morning. Yesterday's church service was attended by about half of our normal gathering, which is often the case on a holiday weekend. People are traveling, people have family...or a number of other reasons keep the numbers down. Those who weren't there missed a fantastic time in our sanctuary. We sang the patriotic hymns with great gusto, and I felt that my pew mates had their hearts fully engaged. There was a real attitude of joy in that room, some having to do with the freedoms we enjoy in this country of ours, some having to do with other blessings we have. Yesterday's blessing was multiplied by the presence of some of our congregants who have been out for some time, due to illnesses. Harold was back after an extended absence following heart surgery and rehabilitation, Sarah was back following surgery, Bob was back with his sense of humor following the suffering of a debilitating stroke, Sue was back after a long time of grieving for her lost husband, and Betty was back after a continuing battle with cancer. We also saw a photo of our pastor's great grandchild who was born in January, 3 months premature with lungs that weren't fully developed. We didn't know if that tiny guy would make it, but there he was in the photo, smiling, chubby and healthy. We were blessed to see so many of our prayers answered and failed not in giving thanks for each one!
I find myself wishing that my family members lived closer, so that we could enjoy this holiday together. My Georgia girls families have their own plans for the day, and my New York kids are limited by time and money. Our best friends are spending time with their own families, and one has to work today. So, we find ourselves alone, spending time with each other, which is definitely not a bad way to spend the day! We'll probably just stay home so that we don't put ourselves in harm's way on the highway. (LOL, I've corrected it just now, but my first typing of highway was 'HITway'. Freudian slip?)
Those ornaments I made for the "Christmas in July" ornament exchange are finished, so today I will package those up and get them ready to mail out tomorrow. The ones I've received thus far are very cute and diverse. There's a paper pinwheel made with snowflake scrapbook paper, a rusty old mason jar lid with a painted snowman face on it and a small rusty star hanging at the bottom, and a 'dirty' muslin stuffed star with a rusty vine of berries and a small rusty bell sewn on it which hangs from old twine. The rules stated that the ornaments should be handmade 'primitive' ones, meaning that they should look rustic and old, even if they aren't. My choice to make was small broomstick horses. The heads are handsewn, attached to a small dowel for the stick, with yarn manes and twine bridle and reins. They are white homespun fabric, but stained with tea to yellow the cloth. I hope they will be among the favorites with those in the exchange.
We'll start another exchange soon...for Autumn. I've decided that I'll do either small,stuffed scarecrows or oak leaves that are muslin and stuffed with a quilt batting, with embroidered 'veins'.
The dyes will be natural ones made from beet juice or onions. When that exchange is done, we'll do a true Chrismas exchange. It's fun having other women's handwork!
My mind is racing with things this morning...but now it's time for my body to get up and move forth into the day. I hope you're all enjoying this holiday. Be safe, and I'll see you tomorrow.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Fireworks
In East Hampton, we always went to the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Well, it may not have been on the fourth, per se, but it was in celebration of the fourth. When I was a child, we chose the show that the Devon Yacht Club put on. We'd go down to Big Albert's beach or Fresh Pond beach and face toward the south and have a perfect view. We'd sit on our beach towels or blankets, and ooooo and aahh at every blast of color sent skyward.
The traffic was awful, even in those days, as we left the beach for home. It took quite awhile to get from the parking lot to the road as the police directed one car into the line from one direction, then another from another direction. Once we got on the road, we crept at a snail's pace, as we meandered through the woods on the winding road. By the time we arrived home, I think only my parents were awake!
When my kids were young, we often chose to go to the Main Beach fireworks, at the oceanside. The school band would assemble on the pavillion, and there would be the added enjoyment of the patriotic songs and Sousa marches. Most of friends, and their families, would gather there as well, so it was a party for us all. The volunteer fire department put on the fireworks show, and they did a wonderful job. They really were better than the ones at the bay. It was often cooler at the ocean beach,too, which meant not so many bugs. There were times,too, when the mist was so thick that we'd come home covered with salty dampness.
The leaving of Main Beach was no easier than leaving the other site. The police were there to direct traffic, and it was all done in an orderly fashion, but since there were so many cars and people, it was slow-going. In order to alleviate some of the excess on the road, the Village began running a school bus to and fro, so that people could still attend without having to have a car.
As the years went on and the kids grew up, we'd try to gather them to join us for the fireworks. My husband had a dump truck for his business, and we'd discovered that if we parked near the country club, a pretty good distance from Main Beach, we could sit in the back of the truck in lawn chairs, and all of us could see very well. We'd turn on the local radio station, and have our patriotic music while the pyrotecnics lit the skies with color and design. Parking there made it far easier to escape at the finale,too.
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We've seen firework displays in Connecticut, aboard a ferry boat that we thought would just deliver us to the shore of Long Island. Little did we know when we boarded that the boat would stop in the Sound, to watch the fireworks display! What a delight! We watched the light show in Massachusetts the night after my son was married. We've seen them in Woodstock, NH, after watching the most delightful parade of local people with home-made floats and children's decorated bikes and wagons, and listening to their military band in a gazebo on the square. I think that was Mike's and my favorite celebration of the fourth in our history. It was so simple and real.
So here we are again, and tonight we will watch fireworks put on by a church nearby. We'll park in the parking lot on a hill, facing the church, and will enjoy the show. How will you celebrate? Will you have parties? Where will you watch fireworks, or will you not? What is your favorite memory of a Fourth of July? However you choose, let's all remember to say, "Happy Birthday, America!" and thank God for the sacrifices made over the years to ensure the freedoms that we enjoy!
The traffic was awful, even in those days, as we left the beach for home. It took quite awhile to get from the parking lot to the road as the police directed one car into the line from one direction, then another from another direction. Once we got on the road, we crept at a snail's pace, as we meandered through the woods on the winding road. By the time we arrived home, I think only my parents were awake!
When my kids were young, we often chose to go to the Main Beach fireworks, at the oceanside. The school band would assemble on the pavillion, and there would be the added enjoyment of the patriotic songs and Sousa marches. Most of friends, and their families, would gather there as well, so it was a party for us all. The volunteer fire department put on the fireworks show, and they did a wonderful job. They really were better than the ones at the bay. It was often cooler at the ocean beach,too, which meant not so many bugs. There were times,too, when the mist was so thick that we'd come home covered with salty dampness.
The leaving of Main Beach was no easier than leaving the other site. The police were there to direct traffic, and it was all done in an orderly fashion, but since there were so many cars and people, it was slow-going. In order to alleviate some of the excess on the road, the Village began running a school bus to and fro, so that people could still attend without having to have a car.
As the years went on and the kids grew up, we'd try to gather them to join us for the fireworks. My husband had a dump truck for his business, and we'd discovered that if we parked near the country club, a pretty good distance from Main Beach, we could sit in the back of the truck in lawn chairs, and all of us could see very well. We'd turn on the local radio station, and have our patriotic music while the pyrotecnics lit the skies with color and design. Parking there made it far easier to escape at the finale,too.
We've seen firework displays in Connecticut, aboard a ferry boat that we thought would just deliver us to the shore of Long Island. Little did we know when we boarded that the boat would stop in the Sound, to watch the fireworks display! What a delight! We watched the light show in Massachusetts the night after my son was married. We've seen them in Woodstock, NH, after watching the most delightful parade of local people with home-made floats and children's decorated bikes and wagons, and listening to their military band in a gazebo on the square. I think that was Mike's and my favorite celebration of the fourth in our history. It was so simple and real.
So here we are again, and tonight we will watch fireworks put on by a church nearby. We'll park in the parking lot on a hill, facing the church, and will enjoy the show. How will you celebrate? Will you have parties? Where will you watch fireworks, or will you not? What is your favorite memory of a Fourth of July? However you choose, let's all remember to say, "Happy Birthday, America!" and thank God for the sacrifices made over the years to ensure the freedoms that we enjoy!
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