4th of July fireworks, originally uploaded by Zach Zerr-Photography.
When I think of Fourth of July's as a kid, a flood of images race to my mind... My mother's berry flag cake (which I was allowed to put the stripes on as a teen, careful to measure out the right amount between the rows and rows of strawberries), going back for seconds and thirds of grilled goodness and then, of course, fireworks. One of my first memories is as a four year old begging my Uncle to take me to see them off the coast in Miami. Then, I remember one of our grandmothers (gram, we call her) taking my middle sister and I to watch fireworks at the racetrack in Kentucky, and the magic of seeing a kid discover them for the first time. During my high school years, we usually rang in the patriotic holiday on our father's boat. There would be yelling, of course, and me voicing just how mad I was to be missing the party going on an hour away where all of my friends were lighting of sparklers and probably getting into a little bit of trouble. But, when the fireworks started, we were silent as the symphony of bursting gunpowder filled our ears. My middle sis and I watched our baby sis, both the delight on her face and the bursts of the fireworks reflected in her eyes. Though I would have rather died than tell my parents on those nights each summer, there was no place I would have rather been than sandwiched between my sisters, lemonade in hand, watching the fireworks.
For Girls in the Hall living in other countries around the world: The Fourth of July, Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the USA from Great Britain way back on July 4, 1776. Each year, Americans take this day off from school, work, or other obligations to celebrate our country. What national holidays are in your country?
Posts
