04 July 2012

Parade, Pool, Picnic, Pyrotechnics

Of all the happy memories from my childhood, 4th of July in my small, suburban Philadelphia hometown (pop 5,000) tops the list!

Ages 10 & 7, 1962

Early morning, my brother and I would race through breakfast to decorate our bicycles out on our back patio with red-white-and-blue crepe paper. We'd tape little flags to our handlebars, and, for "neat" sound effects, attach a pair of playing cards to the handlebars with WOODEN CLOTHESPINS!

not mine ~ ("web grab")


We couldn't wait to ride at the back of our tiny (pop. 5,000) hometown parade down "main street!" Our parents and all of the neighbors would bring folding chairs, sit at the top of our street and wave excitedly as we rode by. What a festive sight ~ I can still hear the fire engines!

Aug 1957: my best friends, barbie & terry. Terry's dad, Earl.


Afterwards, the entire town would follow the parade to the park for hot dogs, soda and all the fixins. A band would be playing, lots of laughter and good times as we eagerly anticipated family gatherings followed by FIREWORKS!

Back at home, mom & dad would begin to pack the car as we grabbed our suits to meet up with friends at the pool and yes, you guessed it, later we'd have a picnic spread out in the grass.

And the BEST PART: driving to Philadelphia with a box of sparklers, taking the long walk to the (School for the Deaf) schoolgrounds with thousands of others to eat ice cream and watch the pyrotechnics!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

03 July 2012

Winds of Change Are In the Air

First I want to say, unfortunately, I lost my last post! It was about the latest Ancestry.com discoveries which led me to an adventure in a pennsylvania cemetery that I promise to share more on later!

Back to more personal stuff. Lately, I feel a soft wind is beginning to blow in my life and I've been experiencing a loosening and breaking free of "debris" in several areas..

(1) now that summer has finally arrived, i've been able to take over a section of my summer kitchen table out on the porch. This has me feeling extra P.L.A.Y.F.U.L. as it's allowed for a constant flow of creativity.

my happy place!

(2) in June, i began my morning walks again and this weekend i experienced renewed determination to get healthy/lose weight.
only a bicycle ride away!
(3) I decided that I can no longer postpone an interstate road trip with my sweet mom to pay a visit to my favorite aunt laura. She is 95 and my mother just turned 89! We leave next week and will take a brief detour for an overnight in our favorite south jersey shore resort.


sisters-in-law

(4) I am thisclose to booking my first out-of-state art journaling classes.. hoping to pull it off! If I can, it will be at ink about it in westford, MA with the one-and-only kelly kilmer.

page from kelly's "New Directions" journal

(5) i just activated my first iphone!

(6) there is so much more life out there for me to sample, I'm not going to wait another MINUTE!