Monday, July 2, 2007

Fireworks and Fourth of July

For as long as I can remember, the Fourth of July has been one of my favorite holidays. Maybe it is my love for fireworks (the purple and white are my favorite) or the pure celebration of lazy summer days, but I get all giddy at even a hint of red, white and blue. Growing up, the fourth of July meant one celebration after another and day full of swimming parties at a friends or the local country club (where they would let goldfish loose in the pool for all the kiddies to catch) , homemade ice cream, juicy hamburgers and congregating on the golf course to stake out the perfect spot for fireworks. For me, the fourth of July has always been sort of a ritual, one of those holidays I knew exactly how I wanted to play out.

Despite my longings for the other idyllic childhood memories, I have spent many fourth of July holidays in equally memorable and different forms of celebration. I remember particularly when I was 17 and traveling in Europe with friends spending the fourth hiking near Grindlewald in Switzerland and passing other Americans sporting R,W, & B. Trips to Lake Powell with the family, sleepovers at the cabin, and the annual trips to the Oakley Rodeo in full cowboy gear, a more recent tradition that Dan and I have loved the pass three years, and will miss this summer!

Fast forward years later, to now. I am sure this Fourth of July however new and different it will be, will end up equally as wonderful, although I will pine for the family celebration in the backyard, it is exciting to think of creating a new kind of holiday tradition for Dan and I to share. As of now our plans include a church breakfast, a beach day with friends, rooftop fireworks, and hopefully, if we are really lucky, some homemade ice cream!
To all of you out there in the blogging world! Happy Fourth of July!

2 comments:

Julia said...

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays as well. When I was growing up we would always go up to my cabin and swim, ride horses, and have a big bonfire in the evening. I also have great Lake Powell memories, and the Oakley Rodeo too. This will be my fourth 4th of July in the city, and we have some pretty wonderful traditions here too.

I am looking forward to an awesome one this year. The fireworks are spectacular, and you better believe there will be homemade ice cream!

Anonymous said...

My first vistit to the blog has left me ridiculously impressed. I must say Caitlin, you have brought some great (needed?) direction to Dan's quirky sense of style- I love the brickwall and beach photography. The Yankee game photos are driving me crazy, now Dan knows why I could never buy into his Mariners bit (Come on Dan, a manager who quits diring an 8 game winning steak because he has "lost his passion" for the game?) I'm sure you will have a fun time in the city for the fourth; for a country-club-esque experience you can head up another year to the Scarsdale Public Pool. Same atmosphere, but with kids running all over trying to catch fireflies (I myself filled many a jar). Keep having fun, spend a few days at Robert Moses Beach for me (or South Hampton if you wan't to go more upscale). I look forward to being a part of the blog audience, hope to see a documented Scarsdale visit soon. Best wishes, -Brent