Above Town

With the sun setting to our left and an old road beneath our feet, John and I enjoyed a walk above town on the Sunset Mountain Fire Road on the Fourth of July. You have to take Chaney Trail to get there and Chaney Trail is closed at 8pm, but we had plenty of time for a good hike, or so we thought.

On our way out at about 7:40pm we approached the locked gate near the bottom of Chaney Trail. Several Forest Service vehicles were there and the workers let us out (not that they had much choice, but they were nice about it). One Forest Service guy told us a sign had been posted for early closing at 6pm, but we sure hadn't noticed it. And we weren't the only ones. When we left there were at least four cars still parked at the trail head.

Can you spot the unexpected vehicle in this photo?

O Beautiful for Open Space

Hahamongna Watershed Park

Go vote for something. Stand up for a right or two. Or a left, or something in between, whatever suits you. Fortunately we have a choice and we'll keep it as long as we're as vigilant as our foreparents were. 

I wish you an independent Independence Day.

Amber Waves

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

America the Beautiful, the 1895 poem by Katherine Lee Bates set to music by Samuel Ward, has several more verses. (Read that first link if you want to know why the poem was originally entitled "Pike's Peak.")

For all its flowery drama, I think it's a beautiful song no matter how you sing it (and some ways are more interesting than others).

Happy Independence Day.

Fireworks

Today my wish is that everyone in the world had the freedom to vote for their own government, knowing their vote would be counted.

May I have more than one wish, please? Thanks. I also wish everyone had a source of income, a home and a chicken in their pot.

It would at least be a start. When we're free and fed, it's easier to make peace.

I never thought of those things when I was a kid in DeKalb, Illinois. On July 4th, we'd hop into the station wagon and head over to Hopkins Park. We'd find a good spot near the band shell (the old one) and spread our blanket on the grass, maybe near people we knew, maybe not. Everyone in town came out to hear Dee Palmer lead the DeKalb Municipal Band. When the Sousa marches started, everyone--adults and kids--laid on their blankets to watch the show in the sky. Maybe the adults were reflecting on freedom, maybe not. I was just being dazzled.

Thursday night I got to see the Altadena Town & Country Club's fireworks, viewed from the back yard of friends who live across the street. It was a lovely party with great food, interesting people and a beautiful setting (torches included).

The kids were so excited to see fireworks! And it was an impressive show, during which I did not reflect on life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness. I giggled all the way through it because the kids were so delighted.

There's a new band shell at Hopkins Park, and the The Municipal Band, still led by Dee Palmer, plays Sousa Marches on Independence Day in DeKalb. Some people sit on the shiny new benches, some lay their blankets on the ground. Regardless of their ages, their concerns or their hopes, for a little while they just listen to the music and watch the show in the sky.

A Hopeful Independence Day

I searched and searched for the right photo for today. What would it be? Something essentially Pasadenian as well as American? Look what Clueless in Boston posted. Perfect, no?

Or would I post something more global? I was moved by Eric's post at Paris Daily Photo, reflecting the thrill of new freedom hard-won, and his kind mention of the American hostages. (click link then scroll to top.)

New York City Daily Photo has another good post—a protest! (A revolution. How quintessentially American.)

In the case of America's Fourth of July celebration, the word "independence" has a broad definition. From immigrants scratching out a living to the wealthy who've made it and everyone in between, we all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Not to mention free speech. These rights are worth protecting. We all agree on that. We don't always agree on how.

Life has changed since I was a kid. Everything's global now and we're not going back to the old days. The one thing you can be sure will always happen is change. Change can be a very good thing.

So I posted a hopeful photo. I'm hopeful for a future where we can work things out not just as a nation, but as a world.