independence day
happy 4th of july to all my friends and family back in the u.s. of a.!
there’s nothing like being an ex-pat to make you appreciate some of the better characteristics of your country of origin. as disillusioned as i can be about my government at times, living in the u.k. has given me a greater appreciation for the freedoms enshrined in the constitution and the bill of rights. sounds corny, but it’s true. those things are guaranteed almost nowhere else in the world, and i think you take them for granted until you suddenly find yourself without them.
i also don’t believe that communism is an inherently bad or evil thing, but what i’ve seen of its application so far has lead me to the conclusion that the socialist ideology is easily bent to the purposes of dictators and oppressors. having seen the end result in action, i’m not a fan. and there but for the grace of god…
so whilst i have no answers for the perfect political system, i can say that i am (on this day at least) glad to be an american citizen. i’d never consider myself a patriotic girl – but i do consider myself incredibly lucky.
Enjoy the holiday y’all, and have a hot dog and beer for me!
July 5th, 2006 02:30
As I write, the POPS are playing on the Espanade. Jack Williams (WBZ) read from historic documents in our country’s history, with accompanying music and solo singing. Right now the sing along is in its full glory…yankee doodle…america the beautiful…it a grand old flag…god bless america. I am suprised to feel emotional as I type these words. There are feeling of pride, feelings of loss and feelings of ambivelence. Pride in our ideals, our freedoms, loss of years gone by, past 4th…people gone, ambivalence about where our country is going, and for what reasons.
I recall bring you to the hatch shell when you were 1 1/2 years old…you cried at the fireworks.
I lament not being there on the charles in the canoe tonight…storms were predicted. I was trying to coax dave and avi out. i fondly recall those many years out there in the river on the fourth. your mom and i were fondly remembering those days over at dave’s b. day party.
They just started the 1812. In those years gone by, we would be out in the lagoon enjoying the music and the crowd…couldn’t actually see the shell or orchastra. At the part where the church bells of the city begin to peel, it was time to paddle out to the river, but not before moving only yards in FRONT of the battery of cannons along the bank of the river. As they exploded, the paper from the “shells” would end up in the boat and we would smell the acrid smell of gunpowder. The shock of the guns filled your whole body and rocked the boat, literally. It was always much louder and more forceful than you think it will be.
It was then time to find our way through the armada of power boats to a spot right up to the edge of the area closest to the barge. Tonight they promise 12,000 shells…16,000lbs of fireworks. We always had a ringside seat… the ash would literally drift down on us and the rebound of the sea wall on the cambridge side where it would send shock waves through your being…a second time after the initial shock of the bomb overhead. When they send off hundreds of bombs at once, with the electric white flashes, it was something else.
The first series of church bells are starting to peel! The expectant victory is in the air…cannon shots are going off, intermingled with the bells, with fireworks accompany them. The battery of artillery is in full cadence…simply explosive!
Ayla Brown (american idol fame) started the concert with the star spangled banner. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry from Aerosmith are now coming on singing “i don’t want to miss you babe”. the crowd is going wild. He was introduced by dr phil (????) and robin (???). This is his first concert since his throat surgery. Try to imagine Steve singing at the top of his lungs, with a backup orchastra! The crowd is nuts.
Cate went by the river the other day and heard them in rehresal…she called me to tell me that there was a good band at the shell. I guess some would refer to them as a good band.
Arthur Fidler decided to include fireworks at the event because of a waning audience. tonight there is 400,000 give or take 10,000. guess it worked.
Steve and Joe are back up. cate is cooking up some sweet corn. Walk this Way…800,000 hands waving back and forth in the air.
It time…the stars and stripes forever…the finale has started. time to sign off to watch the fireworks. enjoy your fourth (fifth, sixth and seventh). hope it helped to bring you back home for alittle while.
love
July 5th, 2006 14:13
OK dad, you dont know who Dr. Phil is?!?!?!?!?!?
July 6th, 2006 02:09
i know who he is …just why was he an robin hosting the boston 4th???
July 6th, 2006 04:48
oh all the news i’ve missed! no idea about the throat cancer, etc.
but i have lots of memories of the fourth on the esplanade, and for my money there’s still no better place to be.