Happy Fourth!

A Fourth of July post by all rights should have plenty of pictures in it, of small-town parades and kids in red, white and blue eating hots dogs and corn-on-the-cob. But as your regular poster is currently away from home without the requisite cord for uploading pictures from the camera to the computer, and the other some-time posters are less reliable (ahem), this is a quick text-only update.

As a family we've been getting our fill of Landscapes We Miss this summer. The Rocky Mountains are stunning indeed, but they don't have it all. We all traveled to North Carolina last month for my grandmother's memorial service, followed by a week at the beach. There are plenty of lovely pictures from that trip awaiting uploading later this month. Edith proved herself a true waterbug, venturing eagerly into the ocean every day with her partner-in-crime, Grandpa Jack, for as long as anyone would let her stay out. Alice was less sure about the waves for most of the week, finally deciding at the end of the stay that they were giving her bum a high-five and saying hello.

Tom and the girls have since returned home, while I'm doing some archival research amid that other landscape that comes hard in Colorado Springs--grass. Specifically, the land of the bluegrass. Not knowing what to expect of the small town where this archive is located, I find myself in a picturesque spot, with red-brick, white-trimmed college buildings lining the length of the main street through town. There are about a dozen businesses along Main Street, and then you're out into horse country, where the black and white board fences running along grassy hills and the absolutely beautiful horses grazing are all worthy of postcards.

I am sorry I can't upload a video of the best Lake Wobegon moment in this morning's parade--and I say that in the warmest sense possible, as a devoted fan of Garrison Keillor's. Along with the obligatory fire trucks and Boy Scout troops, there was a lawn mower brigade. Comprised of men in white button-down shirts, khaki or plaid shorts, and John Deere caps, the brigade performed "precision" formations along the length of the parade route, while pushing their mowers. Not to be missed.

After my eight hours in the archive every day, I'm also catching up on sleep, evening downtime, reading, knitting, driving around playing tourist without anyone in the backseat complaining, and lots of NPR time. I do miss Tom and the girls and hope they'll update you about some of their doings, but if one has to be away from family, there are fringe benefits.

Plenty of pictures to come in a few weeks!