HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

 

BRIDGES ARE NICE, BUT TODAY IS THE 250^TH BIRTHDAY OF THE U.S.A. SO . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

When I was growing up, the big 4^th of July thing was getting to go out on the front lawn when it got dark and twirl sparklers around.  Of course we were given the rules: keep the sparklers away from your face and don’t get them near anybody else’s face, etc. etc. etc.

A few times I remember driving to Oakland to watch the fireworks explode over Lake Merritt.  One time we were so close to where they were shooting them off we had to lie on our backs on the lawn and look straight up to see them.  And each time they were shot off, it shook the ground under us.  Rather exciting!

When I married and had my own family, we lived near Crescent City, CA from July 1968 to July 1976 – the year of America’s 200^th birthday.  Over those years we watched the fireworks from the ocean’s edge in Crescent City a few times.  Always fun.  The kids loved the novelty of playing on the beach in the dark while watching the fireworks.

In 1976 the famous “Gascapades” wild & wooly variety show in the small community of Gasquet, Calif. paid tribute to our country’s birthday.  My husband is in the red shirt on the right holding a corner of the current flag, & I’m standing next to him.  I was the producer of the show that year.  What an exhausting job!

In August of that year we moved south to Oakhurst, CA, and for the next 5 years watched the fireworks over Bass Lake while sitting on the beach.  I remember one year in particular when there was a lull in the show while the fireworks were being reloaded for the next part of the show.  My husband needed to use the restroom, but it was a ways away from where we were sitting so, since it was dark, he decided to crawl into the bushes behind us.

Unfortunately, he was in the middle of things when all of a sudden the second stage of the fireworks show began with a huge burst of fireworks casting a bright light over the whole beach.  The kids and I burst out laughing with my husband uttering a few choice words and imploring us to be quiet so as not to attract attention, but of course it was too late for that.  Oh well.

From Oakhurst we moved to Groveland and the subdivision of Pine Mountain Lake where they held a 4^th of July boat parade in the afternoon, and fireworks at night.  We had a catamaran for a while and participated in the boat show a couple of times.

We belonged to a group called the “Windjammers” and for several years one of the members, who had a home right on the lake, would invite the group to their place to watch the fireworks.  Everyone brought hors d’oeuvres and it was a great time.  But eventually they moved away so we had to find a new place from which to watch the fireworks.

The new place was a street ending at one of the beaches around the lake – the beach from where the fireworks were shot off.  We couldn’t sit on the beach, but everyone brought beach & camp chairs and set up on the street which was closed off to traffic and boy, did we ever have exciting views of the fireworks almost directly overhead. A lot of folks who had motor boats watched the show from out on the water, but we didn’t dare try it with our catamaran as there was rarely any wind at night.

One 4^th of July we went to our youngest daughter’s home where a birthday party was in full swing for our youngest granddaughter sitting on her aunt’s lap watching her older sister prepare to attack the piñata.

That night many of the neighbors gathered to light fireworks in the street.  Lots of fun and everyone was very careful so no injuries.

Here I’m holding the birthday girl as we watch colorful things explode. 

After we moved from Pine Mountain Lake to Soulsbyville, and then to Sonora, Calif. we saw no more live fireworks, only those on TV which are definitely not the same thing.  There were live fireworks being shot off hither and yon, but they were several miles away with huge crowds and questionable parking so that was that.  But we had many years of fun watching those beautiful colorful explosions in the sky, live, so I really can’t complain.  I do miss them, though.

Nearby Columbia State Park holds a 4^th of July parade each year, however, with lots of fun and crazy entrants.  

I have no idea who these people are or what they’re doing, but it looks like they’re having a good time. J

And here’s a smartly dressed couple taking part in the parade.

So 

HAPPY 4^TH of July!

Let the picnics and parties and parades and fireworks begin! 

HAVE A GRAND 250th BIRTHDAY PARTY AMERICA!

:->

La Nightingail 

And congratulations to Sandy & Luna, Shadow & Jackie’s newest pair of eaglets, for their successful fledgings earlier this week even though Sandy’s was an accidental fludge caused by Luna.  Both are safe & sound for the moment and enjoying a newfound freedom of their own!

Sandy, sitting calmly on the ‘front porch’ of the nest with Luna, flapping his wings out on the balcony minutes before he tried to hop over Sandy on his way back to the nest, knocking her off her perch.  A scary moment as she fell and struggled to find footholds on the way down eventually managing to fly safely to another tree with her mom, Jackie, watching after her.

Whew!

Point of interest:  That nest next to Sandy is roughly 6 feet across and 4 feet deep.

The nest tree seen from afar.