Happy 242nd...

...Birthday, America!  On this most important day we stop and give thanks for both the brilliance and the bravery of our founding fathers.

They understood the fundamental importance of freedom and they honored our Creator as the source of our unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Those early struggles to break free from tyranny and strike out on their own as a new and independent country have yielded the innumerable blessings we enjoy today.

May we pause amidst the cookouts and family gatherings and fireworks and truly be thankful in our souls for the wonderful privilege to live in the land of the free, because of the brave.

Here's a pic sent to me by my MORA racing friend, Larry...he's up in TC this week for the Cherry Festival...

...part of the week long festivities over the 4th of July holiday.

Here's one of a beautiful sunset on the bay where he is:

Larry has often talked about moving back to the TC area and pics like this show you why.

Had a veterinary emergency for this poor beakless bird...

...an egret with regrets...stuck his nose someplace he shouldn't have, apparently...or else the victim of an aggressive rust infection.

Fortunately I'm one of the few lay practitioners capable of performing animal metallurgy and reconstructive surgery.

I rushed him into my makeshift operating room and am happy to report the delicate operation known as ajouter une pince à linge pour un nez (from the Latin addabeaktome) was successful:

Another satisfied customer...my work is done here.

Dug a new firepit to go with the chairs and umbrella Karen set up in the backyard...and enjoyed our first fire there last night...

just getting started...

...almost done for the night...

...and the morning after...where is everybody?

Well, it's only 7 am and already approaching 80 degrees, headed up to 90 today...if I wanted to swelter I'd move to Dixie from whence I hail...oh well, at least it's not snowing.

We wound up the day sitting by the fire again, and as we did our neighbors were kind enough to provide us with a fireworks display...

Happy Independence Day, mcm fans...