Good 47ยบ clear sunny morning.
The house where I grew up in El Sereno on Stockbridge Avenue...
The house had a flat roof and Daddy and I would take watermelon and a couple chairs with us to the roof and on the 4th of July would sit up there and watch the fireworks from the park!
Picture of the Day
Interesting about Lynne Cox...
Lynne Cox (born 2 January 1957) is an American long-distance open-water swimmer, writer and speaker. She is best known for being the first person to swim between the United States and the Soviet Union, in the Bering Strait, a feat which has been recognized for easing the Cold War tensions between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
In 1971, she and her teammates were the first group of teenagers to complete the crossing of the Catalina Island Channel in California. She has twice held the record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel from England to France (1972 in a time of 9 hours 57 minutes and 1973 in a time of 9 hours 36 minutes). In 1975, Cox became the first woman to swim the 50 °F, 10 miles Cook Strait in New Zealand. In 1976, she was the first person to swim the Straits of Magellan in Chile, and the first to swim around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
Cox is perhaps best known for swimming 2 hour 5 minutes in the Bering Strait on 7 August 1987, from the island of Little Diomede in Alaska to Big Diomede, then part of the Soviet Union, where the water temperature averaged around 43 to 44 °F . At the time people living on the Diomede Islands, only 2.3 miles apart, were not permitted to travel between them, although the Inuit communities there had been closely linked until the natives of Big Diomede were moved to the Russian mainland after World War II. Her accomplishment a few years before the end of the Cold War earned praise from both US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Another of her accomplishments was swimming more than a mile in the waters of Antarctica. Cox was in the water for 25 min, swimming 1.22 miles. Her book about the experience, Swimming to Antarctica, was published in 2004.
Here is a good recipe for the 4th......
Red White and Blueberry Pie
- 2 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
- One 9-inch graham cracker crust (about 6 ounces)
- 3/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3/4 cup 2% milk
- 1 package (3.3 ounces) instant white chocolate pudding mix
- 1 cup whipped topping
- 8 fresh strawberries, halved lengthwise
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Spread melted chocolate onto bottom and sides of crust. Arrange sliced strawberries over chocolate.
- In a bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth; gradually beat in milk. Add pudding mix; beat on low speed until thickened, about 2 minutes. Spread over strawberries.
- Decorate pie with whipped topping, blueberries and halved strawberries. Refrigerate until serving.
Historically this date.....
1776 – American Revolution: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress.
1826 – Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, dies the same day as John Adams, second president of the United States, on the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.
2009 – The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks.
And births this date include....
1872 – Calvin Coolidge, American politician, 30th President of the United States (d. 1933)
1902 – George Murphy, American actor and politician (d. 1992)
1918 – Ann Landers, American columnist (d. 2002)
1927 – Gina Lollobrigida, Italian actress
How I will be spending my 4th of July....
Tonight is supposed to be the Boston Pops Concert and Fireworks Spectacular on TV, but it's not happening this year because of the virus.
I did find that New York will have a fireworks show on NBC...
And here are other 4th of July programs....
All I know. Nuff said. Happy 4th. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo
Each year on July 4th, the United States celebrates Independence Day. This federal holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
For nearly 250 years, the country has been celebrating a day in history that inspires us still today. On July 4th, communities host speeches and ceremonies across the nation. Across the country, people crowd cities for parades and festivals. Cities deck the streets in red, white, and blue bunting and flags.
Families and friends also gather for some of the most mouthwatering food – large picnics and barbecues, local fairs provide a taste of culture and mom’s home cooking, too. With so many converging on their hometowns, family and school reunions take place.
Fire Works:
Before the day is over, many communities hold spectacular fireworks displays re-enacting moments of victory. Patriotic music accompanies the performance while spectators view the show from blankets strewn along capital lawns or from boats floating in bays. Whether our National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner” or “God Bless America,” many will sing along. In some locations, music will be played by a live orchestra or band, while in other areas it’s pre-recorded. Some of the most popular on the playlist are “America the Beautiful,” “My Country, Tis of Thee,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “God Bless the U.S.A.,” “Yankee Doodle” and “Dixie.”
In some parts of the country, people will shoot their own fireworks while children delight in the bright colors and sparklers. They roast marshmallows and make s’ mores.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Spend the day celebrating independence. Attend local events or travel the nation to see friends and relatives.
- At noon, a “Salute to the Union” is fired, each July 4th, by any capable military base. This is a salute of one gun for each state in the United States.
- In 2009, New York City hosted the largest fireworks display in the country.
- Held since 1785, the Bristol Fourth of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island, is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States.
INDEPENDENCE DAY HISTORY
July 4th
- 1777 – The First Anniversary – Bristol, Rhode Island, fired thirteen gunshots in salute: once in the morning and once again in the evening. Philadelphia hosted an official dinner for the Continental Congress. There were also toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decorated with red, white, and blue bunting.
- 1778 – General George Washington gave his soldiers a double ration of rum and an artillery salute. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin hosted a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
- 1779 – Since the holiday fell on a Sunday, celebrations were held on Monday, July 5th.
- 1781 – The Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4th as a state celebration.
- 1783 – Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, celebrated with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. The work was titled “The Psalm of Joy.”
- 1791 – The first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred.
- 1820 – Eastport Main held the first Fourth of July celebration, and it remains the largest in the state.
- 1870 – The United States Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
- 1938 – The United States Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
