Happy 4th everyone

**JeffD** · Jul-04-2012, 2:00pm

Enjoy

**Bill S** · Jul-04-2012, 2:17pm

Happy 4th to all over you over there, from us over this side of the pond too!

**Charley wild** · Jul-04-2012, 2:31pm

A Happy 4th from me also! Hot here in MI! My thoughts go out to those in the east with storm damage and no power.

**David Rambo** · Jul-04-2012, 4:35pm

Happy Independence Day to all in the cafe. The temp here in S. Minnesota hit 103.8 degrees a couple of hours ago. I'm hiding in the house until late in the evening when it's safe to go out. It's also a wet heat, 50% humidity!

**sgarrity** · Jul-04-2012, 4:53pm

Happy Independence Day!! Please remember and thank those that serve our country. We're enjoying 70 degrees, sunny, and a cool breeze. Life is good!

**Randi Gormley** · Jul-04-2012, 5:25pm

Happy 4th! 86 today (92 in the sun) with storm clouds off toward the Atlantic but probably not moving in to spoil the fireworks. Heading on down to the beaches on the Sound in a bit.

**Stephen Perry** · Jul-04-2012, 5:55pm

I'm remembering the Founding Fathers and the great risk they took. It's a great day, even if their original vision has been somewhat diluted!

I certainly had an entertaining time already.

**journeybear** · Jul-04-2012, 10:16pm

Diluted, shmiluted. I would say "evolved" and leave it at that. But maybe that's just me.

Thanks for the well wishes from across the pond. I have to wonder sometimes how our British cousins feel at this time of year, with Dominion Day and Independence Day so close together.

Please remind us of when you celebrate your nation's origin; I shall send you best wishes on that date. Does it have anything to do with the Magna Carta, issued 15 June 1215? Interesting how close these three dates are.

My band played a gig today that came our way out of the blue. We recently underwent a personnel change - new bass player. Well, he's not new to me; fortuitiously, he's the same one with whom I have been doing gigs featuring my blues and blues-rock songs. We've been rehearsing a lot lately, more than we ever had before, bringing him up to speed and working up new material too. We have a big gig coming up Tuesday, our first time at another club, which we hope will lead to more, so we have been working up a show specifically designed for this venue. We were toying with playing somewhere mid-week as a freebie, just to run the sets and see how it all went. I had to call the place where my duo plays anyway to correct a schedule conflict, and while I was on the phone with the manager he said he was looking for someone to play on the Fourth (they're having music only on the weekends during the slow summer season), hoping to lure some business from people out for the holiday. So I offered us, he accepted, and instead of a freebie we actually got a gig, just falling into our laps like that. So we got some more playing under our belts, plus some remuneration, a meal, and a drink, as well as a couple of videos to add to the collection. Went pretty well all told - some people stayed for a couple of hours, even through set breaks. My guitarist broke a string, I broke a string on both the acoustic and electric, so the Ryder is no longer a virgin in this area (an A string, no less, very impressive), and also got to sort out some equipment questions and settings. And I had a chance to play "The Star Spangled Banner," which, given the equipment upgrade since last year, was pretty massive. So all in all, a pretty nice way to spend the day.

**jim simpson** · Jul-04-2012, 11:04pm

We (National Pike Pickers) played one of our hottest (tempurature) gigs today, It was challenging but we played our hearts out and felt good about it.
I had a chance to cool down at home plus get a nap in before going out with my wife to see a concert at our city's riverfront with Johnny Staats and band backed by the Wheeling Symphony. The fireworks at the end were the best! Happy 4th everyone.

**Axeman** · Jul-04-2012, 11:15pm

Frikken cold out here in the Central Coast mountains of California. Booms from all directions. If I didn't know it was a lot people celebrating it would be scary. Everyone in the country should read the Declaration at least once a year, lest we forget.
Those who don't learn from history, etc...

**Ivan Kelsall** · Jul-05-2012, 1:20am

JB - America for better or worse is 'it's own country' & personally, i celebrate that fact !. I have my own very strong views of the past British 'colonialism'. 'Colonisation' was simply another word for exploitation of the indiginous people & the acquisition of another country's natural wealth. Sticking a flag in the sand & proclaiming - " I claim this land in the name of (whoever) ...." just doesn't wash with me. Come & stick a flag in my front garden & you can spout away while you watch me put a good edge on my Bowie knife,

Ivan

**journeybear** · Jul-05-2012, 2:33am

Well, yes, quite. No one wants to be invaded, conquered, and exploited. It would be quite rare indeed for inhabitants of a conquered land to say, "Oh, thank you for making us your subjects. We are poor ignorant blighters and have no idea what to do with ourselves or our country." England itself has been invaded and conquered a few times, and at some point cast out the usurpers and set up their own sovereignty for ever and aye. I'm wondering when exactly that was, and whether there's some sort of celebration of that there.

Our nation's birthday is pretty well known; the citizenry are not shy about pointing this out. It is worth noting that the date celebrated was the day on which a number of citizens said the newly proclaimed nation existed independently of the empire which had created it. I am pretty sure most parents would tell their children that saying something is so doesn't make it so. Pretty bold, and risky, that, and I do agree with Mr. Perry in this regard. Perhaps the day we should be celebrating is October 19 - the day in 1781 when the British army surrendered after the siege at Yorktown - or September 3 - the day in 1783 when the Treaty Of Paris was signed, officially ending the hostilities. But I have a feeling Americans had been celebrating the Fourth Of July ever since the Declaration Of Independence was signed, and the custom was established. Besides, the weather is often nicer here in July, better for picnics and ice cream socials, days off from work and hot dog eating contests and the like.

**JeffD** · Jul-05-2012, 8:29am

Originally Posted by journeybear

England itself has been invaded and conquered a few times, and at some point cast out the usurpers and set up their own sovereignty for ever and aye.

Not to mention that a lot of the land "taken from" the Souix, they "took from" the Camanche, forcing them to go push the Apaches off of "their" land.

Everyone of us has the blood of conquerers in us, and the blood of the vanquished, and its best to just leave it alone and play music together.

IMHO anyway.

**journeybear** · Jul-05-2012, 10:43am

Yessirree. All that fussin' 'n' feudin' 'n' fightin' got nothin' to do with music makin' nohow.

And besides, it ain't no part of nothin', as far as what we're all here for, most of the time leastways.

I had a pretty darn good July 4th myself, even with a bit of rain after the show and into the night. In fact, the rain forced us to hang around and have a drink and chat for a while, a very good thing. And when it picked up again and forced me to seek shelter on someone's porch for a bit, and I realized a girl I know lived just across the street and might be worth killing a little time with, and turned out to be sitting on her porch in a dazzling red dress - well, this was a nice bit of happenstance. Sometimes I don't mind a bit of rain.