Wednesday, July 4

What a firecracker of a hot day...102 degrees in our neck of the woods! Happy Independence Day, just the same.

Up around 7:30 this morning, but skipped my exercises. Decided to relax and goof off on this holiday.

Hubbie hung the flag on the well house, and then we had breakfast. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she joined us in idleness.

This morning, we watched the musical comedy movie, "1776," which is about three hours long. So it was lunch time before it ended. This 1972 film is just as delightful today as it was in the 70s. It's a very palatable way to review this most important period of American history, in which the Continental Congress grapples with the issue of whether or not to declare Independence from England.

After lunch, we watched the 1949 musical comedy, "On The Town," starring Frank Sinatra, and Gene Kelley. Three sailors on twenty-four hour leave, tour New York and meet three girls. Cute movie, with lots of music and dancing. The most familiar tune in the show was "New York, New York (What a Wonderful Town)."

Later, for supper: a choice of cheese burgers, turkey burgers with cheese, or hot dogs, along with my version of baked beans, corn-on-the-cob, and sliced tomatoes from the garden.

Following supper, I encouraged Mother to head to the couch for a nap, so she'd feel refreshed for an outing later. She woke up around 6 p.m., and at 7 p.m., we watched "A Capital Fourth," on the PBS channel. Good show for getting us in the mood for our local fireworks display. Coincidentally, the show featured a tribute to Gene Kelley that included a clip from "On The Town."

Around 8:30 p.m., we went to the river. Drought conditions exist in all counties of the state, causing a ban on private fireworks, but the city had permission to conduct its annual display over the river, where there was little danger of setting off a wildfire.

Even though the risk was low from the fireworks display, emergency vehicles were on hand...fire trucks, a rescue unit, a tow truck, police presence (who continually patrolled the area, and then controlled traffic at the end of the event).

The fireworks were great, but had to compete a little with a spectacular orange moon that rose as the display was going on.

Since I didn't make a dessert for the holiday, we stopped by a fast food restaurant on the way to the river for their soft serve frosty treats, which we enjoyed while we waited for the fireworks to begin.

Note: according to a website, the first July 4th celebration happened in Philadelphia in 1777, with the firing of guns, cannons, bonfires, and fireworks, exactly a year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.