This is pretty late, considering that the 4th of July was on, you know, the 4th. However, I had the pleasure of having a busy-and-tiring-yet-fun-and-active weekend with my boyfriend and his family in Turlock, California. I got to visit his maternal grandparents' retirement community (and spent the night in a guest suite). Plus, I visited the farm of his aunt, uncle, and cousins, and I got up close with chickens and cows (not to mention a hyper, energetic dog named Mitzy), played board games in the house and a ball game in the pool, ate so much food at a backyard BBQ, and lit fireworks. Earlier that day, we had bought fireworks from a stand in Turlock, such as this one:
I had grown up seeing (and hearing) fireworks in my childhood neighborhood on Independence Day. Sometimes I would watch from afar when a neighbor lit a firework on a street in my neighborhood and colorful sparks would burst not too far above the ground, sometimes making whistling or exploding sounds. This year, it was my first time being a part of it: Besides lighting some fireworks, I played with sparklers for the first time. Something I learned was that fireworks were illegal in San Jose and most of the Bay Area. In fact, my boyfriend said he had only seen these kinds of stands when he visits his grandparents during the summer. It was hard for me to imagine this because back home, churches, school groups, and other organizations would use these stands as a fund-raising tool.
Considering how I didn't originally have any plans for the 4th of July weekend, I'm glad that my boyfriend had asked his family about inviting me (without my prior knowledge) and got permission. This definitely ranks has one of the most memorable 4th of July holidays in my life. Another memorable holiday was last summer, when I was living in the birthplace of it all: Philadelphia.
These are Mummers, which are part of Philadelphia's cultural heritage. People dress in elaborate costumes for the Mummers Parade on New Year's Day, but there were some Mummers in the 4th of July parade, along with the usual sights of marching bands, uniformed officers, and various vehicles. There's also a Mummers Museum in Philadelphia that's dedicated to this tradition.
The year 2009 happened to be the 200th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln, so there were some festivities across the street from Independence Hall. There were people dressed in clothing from that time period and Civil War reenactors, an interesting contrast to the usual sight of "colonists" in Independence National Historical Park.
This reenactor in this Civil War-era camp seems to have an easy job of pretending to sleep, doesn't he?
One of my favorite exhibits at the different Abraham Lincoln booths were letters from school children across the country aimed toward the 16th president. Isn't that a cute drawing of Honest Abe with his famous hat?
Here's another letter:
In the meantime, there were a bunch of people near Independence Hall:
It turned out that they were having a Tea Party protest against President Barack Obama:
These Tea Party protesters weren't the only ones who were making trying to make a statement in this area, which was conveniently located next to the long line to view the Liberty Bell:
I had no clue what was going on until I read the back of these T-shirts that belonged to people who were with the group:
In the evening, I took the subway from my South Philly house to City Hall and walked along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a beautiful boulevard lined with flags representing different countries. This area contains some of Philadelphia's most famous sculptures and museums. There were so many people walking in the same direction as me; I had never seen the parkway so crowded before. The gorgeous sunset made for a striking scene:
Everyone was heading toward the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a free outdoor concert with vendors lined up along the way. While I was making my way to find my roommates, The Roots, a famous hip-hop group that originated from Philadelphia, were performing. The headliner was Sheryl Crow. Can you see her? She's wearing a white T-shirt and playing a guitar:
Afterward was the part that everyone was waiting for: fireworks above the art museum!
Overall, it was an incredible experience to be in Philadelphia for the 4th of July. It's great that I can look back at it fondly because I had been feeling homesick earlier that day and almost didn't go out that evening! Now, though, I have pictures, stories, and memories from just getting out there and making the most of my time in the City of Brotherly Love.
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