The Spirit of '76

 

Today I'm feeling the Spirit of  '76

Today I join the Spirit of '76 Club, though I won't officially turn 76 until 10:26 P.M. It's overwhelming -- neither of my parents made it to 76 -- and lots of fun, and I am very grateful to join this club. I'm going to write a longer birthday post, but couldn't resist including this in a very quick recap of the monumental weekend. 

Tall ships on the Hudson River 

It was quite a weekend in New York City. There were tall ships, planes, fireworks, the World Cup Games and as previously discussed, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding. There was a lot of discussion about the upheaval the wedding created because several blocks were closed, but if you weren't driving it was barely a ripple in Manhattan. Streets are closed for one reason or another every day and a few times a month I find I'm riding on a bus that's detoured because of a street fair or construction. 

I got to watch the tall ships and planes from a friend's office that overlooks the Hudson River -- New Jersey is across the water. We were on the 35+ floor. We had a great view of the ships coming down the river, but a less good view of the details. No complaints from me. It was one of the 100+ degree days and I was happy to be inside and out of the sun and have a great array of snacks and a coffee machine. It was truly memorable.   

I also made two visits to the New York Public Library for several great exhibits, which also deserve their own post. The Library has gone from what was, when I moved to New York in 1975, a musty series of reading rooms to a very lively and interesting place for exhibits, lectures and a cafe. 

I spent time "curating" my collection of photographs of the American flag taken in the last decade. I put my collection on Instagram and I'm happy to share the link. This photograph of the Fearless Girl statue in Lower Manhattan is one of my favorites of the collection. 

Fearless Girl and the New York Stock Exchange

I hope all of Buttercupland had a great celebration, too. I'm going to take the next few days and simply catch up. There's email to read, bills to pay, thank you notes to write, blogs to visit and the usual household chores to do. Turning 76 doesn't change the errands and chores, but I did take a vacation from them to celebrate America's birthday and my birthday. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and keep cool.