Not sure yet I'm hoping since Dad has the day off he'lll take me hiking for a belated B'day present... Our neighbors always have fireworks (illegally ) so we usually watch them through the window...

On some years we go up to camp for the week and I get to watch (legal) fireworks on one of the lakes either on my B'day or on the 4th. Problem with having a birthday on the third is it's hard to have parties cuz everyones camping... I like camping better anyways though... And there's always leftover cake to enjoy with the fireworks!

In honor of the 4th...

The Star Spangled Banner:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Beautiful, kat! In keeping with a one-year tradition , we again sang the American and Canadian national anthems at the Moot around the bonfire. Really special.

Cake for everyone and a Happy Independence Day to all my US friends.

Up here in the wild northlands ( ), we celebrated Canada Day on July 1. It's fun having our respective national celebrations so close to each other.

And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I gladly stand up next to you
And defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the USA

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!!!!

On this day in the year 1776, the Continental Congress, a group of various lawyers, doctors, artists, and tradesman, gathered together to sign a document unlike any that had come before in which future President Thomas Jefferson wrote:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness

Some fun little tidbits about the evolution of the US Flag, which of course began during the Revolution. The people of the original 13 Colonies didn't consider themselves independent at first, but rather Englishmen with a gripe about taxes. When things started coming to blows the flag of the unified colonies began to take form accordingly.

The Grand Union Flag

The first was the Grand Union Flag, with the 13 stars and stripes in alternating white and red and a British Union Flag in the canton. As things turned from shaky to worse the nascent nation began to form its own flag separate from Britain.

The Bunker Hill Flag

Flown by Patriots at the Battle of Bunker Hill outside of Boston, Massachusetts on June 17, 1775. The evergreen tree in the upper left of the canton (with the English St. George's cross in red) was a common symbol of the New England colonies.

The Flag of the Green Mountain Boys

The flag flown by famous Patriot Ethan Allen and his band of merry men. Flown during the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and Canada Campaign.

The Gadsden Flag

Next came the Gadsden Flag, a yellow field featuring a coiled rattlesnake and emblazoned with the text "Don't Tread On Me". The symbolism was pretty simple and the colonists intent was pretty clear; "Mess with me and you're going to get hurt"

The First Naval Jack

A nautical version of the Gadsden Flag, the First Naval Jack was flown by early US ships.

The Betsy Ross Flag

The 13 Colonies by 1777 had numerous different flags in use (many more than I've pictured here) and it was desired to have all unify under one flag. The Flag Acts of 1777 stated in its description of the "official" US flag, "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." Whether Betsy Ross designed this flag is unknown but has carried her name on it nonetheless.

The Bennington Flag

This was the flag allegedly used at the Battle of Bennington.

The Serapis Flag

Flown by American Captain John Paul Jones after his capture of HMS Serapis at the Battle of Flamborough Head. Jones' own ship, the Bonhomme Richard, was mortally wounded however he ended up capturing Serapis after an extended gun battle which left both ships horribly damaged. Bonhomme Richard sank later on. This is the battle which Jones famously stated, "I have not yet begun to fight!" when asked to surrender.

The Cowpens Flag

The flag flown by the Continentals at the Battle of Cowpens in 1781, unique for the single star depicted at the center of the traditional circle of stars in the canton.

The Guilford Courthouse Flag

The Guilford Courthouse Flag was probably originally a Colonial flag used by the North Carolina Militia at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. It's unique for having reversed colors on the flag with a white canton and 13 blue 8-pointed stars and 13 alternating red and blue stripes.

My Country, 'Tis of Thee

My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From ev'ry mountainside
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.

May God bless America and all nations of the world.

Happy Independence Day!

America, the Beautiful:

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!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country lov'd,
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on.

"All [laws], however, may be arranged in two different classes. 1) Divine. 2) Human. . . . But it should always be remembered that this law, natural or revealed, made for men or for nations, flows from the same Divine source: it is the law of God. . . . Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine. -- James Wilson

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 4th of July.

Some pictures of our fireworks last night.

This is what my toes looked like this morning. Before my youngest brother stepped on my left big toe and messed up the nail polish.

SnowAngel

HAPPY 4th of JULY Everyone!!!!!!

In keeping with a one-year tradition , we again sang the American and Canadian national anthems at the Moot around the bonfire. Really special.

One thing I like about our school is we sing both anthems at the hockey games. "Oh Canada" really is beautiful.

Lots of (illegal) fireworks around tonight and Mother Nature joined in with a heat lightning display so me and my dad went to watch for a few minutes.

This is what my toes looked like this morning. Before my youngest brother stepped on my left big toe and messed up the nail polish.

Apparently Scarlet Trefoil lacerated you on top of your left foot, or you snap kicked your brother in the gourd for messing up your toenail polish stuff and his teeth got stuck in them. If the latter is true you should wear a necklace with his incisor on it...sort of a talisman against future attacks.

Some Declaration of Independence trivia for ya'

-The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time, nor did they sign on July 4, 1776. The official event occurred on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed it.

-The names of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were withheld from the public for more than six months to protect the signers. If independence had not been achieved, the treasonable act of the signers would have, by law, resulted in their deaths.

-Thomas McKean was the last to sign in January, 1777.

-Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.

-Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826.

I'm tempted to put in Bill Pullman's hokey July 4th speech from the movie "Independence Day", but I fear that would be taking this waaay too far. No one deserves that much hokey.

This is what my toes looked like this morning. Before my youngest brother stepped on my left big toe and messed up the nail polish.

Apparently Scarlet Trefoil lacerated you on top of your left foot, or you snap kicked your brother in the gourd for messing up your toenail polish stuff and his teeth got stuck in them. If the latter is true you should wear a necklace with his incisor on it...sort of a talisman against future attacks.

Nope, he stepped on my toe by accident. And I forgave him, so no need to get violent or anything. The star looked better the first time, the second time it was kind of big.

My older brother bought Call of Duty: Black Ops yesterday and he, one of my sisters, and I played a bunch of split screen yesterday and today. It was great! I love it when he spends his money.

More pictures... these are from last night, they're the big fireworks from on the installation.

SnowAngel

My dad always gets very excited about the Fourth of July because he's related to one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.