A lawn ornament Uncle Sam says "Happy Fourth of July!" And, of course, what would the Fourth be without fireworks? (click pic at right to enlarge) L. and I spent the holiday on her parents' boat—my first experience watching fireworks from the water. I highly recommend it. Sound carries well on the open water so the explosions are louder; plus, it's dark out there, so the exploding light seems brighter and more vivid. Previous to this my most memorable Fourth was watching the fireworks launched from a barge in the middle of the Charles River in downtown Boston after racing across the country for two days from Utah in a 15-passenger van so that we could see the spectacular show. Again, it was fireworks on the water, but that time I was on the shore.

I hope you all had a fine Fourth!