Sunday Salon...Independence Day and so much more

         Stars and Stripes. Photo taken at our house several years ago on the 4th of July. Photo credit: Keith Stapley. Used with permission.

Before you read anything else watch this 4th of July message from Joe Biden:

Our nation was founded on a simple idea: We're all created equal. We've never lived up to it — but we've never stopped trying. This Independence Day, let's not just celebrate those words, let's commit to finally fulfill them. Happy #FourthOfJuly! pic.twitter.com/1WrATlx8Xl

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 4, 2020

Weather: Saturday ended up being a lovely day after a slow start. Not sure what today will be like.

This week:

• With no plans to celebrate Independence Day, Don and I went food shopping. On the way home, as we drove past the fairgrounds, we saw a notice that the Chamber of Commerce was hosting a drive-in fireworks display at 10 PM that evening.We decided to find a spot to watch them where we didn't have to pay. We had to look through power lines but otherwise it was a good view. From where we stood we could view the whole valley and see all the fireworks set off by families in their own neighborhoods, too. The whole event made me feel very happy.
  
  
• My sister visited us and we spent a day at the Washington Coast and another in the park near our home. As you see the tide was out but it was still fun to run away from the waves with one's dad and dog; the kite strings were tangled and were never up in the air for long but who cares when you are working with Grandpa? And Aunt Kathy knows the best sites to go to to learn the ABCs.
  
  
• Today in on-line church the pastor talked about church camp and outdoor ministry. It made me recall all the happy memories of attending church camp as a teenager. Some of my happiest memories were from those experiences and I am still friends with many of the folks I met there: Gerry, Andy, Ken, Rita, Lael, Tami, Greg, and Paul to name a few.
• The Broadway musical "Hamilton" is available now on Disney Plus. We watched it the first night it was available. We were lucky to see the musical on stage when we were in London last year. Seeing it through the eyes of Brits was a fun experience. But last night we loved seeing the original cast which included Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hamilton, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr.
• We also enjoyed watching the silly but fun new film: "Euorvision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga". I liked it so much I watched it twice in one week.
• We stopped for a wine tasting at the Westport Winery on the way home from the beach and swooned over their Almond Sparkling wine. The Washington Coast is known for its cranberries so it is expected that they would have a lovely cranberry wine. They had two. See offerings list here.
• I only finished one of the seven books this past week but I made progress on the other six. Stay tuned for updates in the future.

• From the B.E.T. Awards show. We are so glad we caught it. It was a perfect show to watch right now:
• Alicia Keys "Perfect Way to Die" (Be prepared to have your heart broken)
• Kane Brown "Worldwide Beautiful"
• Jennifer Hudson "Young, Gifted, and Black"
• John Legend "Never Break"
• All the performances (You pick)

Good news:

• I am not an Alabama Football fan, but I admire this video and that statement that Coach Saban made by filming it. "All lives can't matter unless black lives matter!"

“In this moment in history, we can’t be silent.” pic.twitter.com/YF4ndJSpa0

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) June 25, 2020

• Minnesota is suing Exxon and Koch Industries for a "30 year campaign of deception" on climate change. Finally. It is time to hold the fossil fuel industries accountable. (RollingStone),
• Two very funny guys, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, discuss a very serious subject: the upcoming election. Jon Stewart has some important things to say about Biden and his humility. The video is about 6 minutes long. If you want to get to the part I mentioned, skip ahead to about 3 minutes. Link provided, or read transcript below. (Colbert Show)

• Stewart: "Biden was not my guy. ... I was more of a Sanders, Warren [guy]..."
  "I feel [the "Uncle Joe" shtick] is not the core of who that guy really is. ... We are a country in terrible anguish right now. ... We are fearful, and we are angry, and we are in pain. And when I see Biden past the shtick, I see a guy who knows what loss is."
  Steven Colbert: "That's it."
  Stewart: "Knows grief."
  Colbert: "That's it."
  Stewart: "And I think that that kind of grief humbles you. ...[It] brings about a caring that can't be faked, and it can't be contrived. And what I think in this moment this country needs is a leader of humility, that understands that he doesn't understand... Maybe he is the man of the moment. ... I'm not just making the negative case for Biden, it's not just 'Well, we gotta get rid of that [bleep] guy' [referring to Trump]. I actually believe that something in his life experience can benefit this country at a moment when it desperately needs it."

• The two largest universities in Oregon (where I'm from) will stop calling their football rivalry the 'Civil War' game. The change comes amid a larger re-examination of the country's history. (Willamette Week) 
• Tiny forests are springing up all over Europe to encourage biodiversity. It is inspired by a Japanese project and uses native species planted very densely in urban areas. (GNN)

Adorable artwork created by children shows up in Times Square to thank essential workers. (GNN)

• Two Republican Senators introduce legislation to get rid of Columbus Day as a holiday and make Juneteenth a federal holiday. (Daily Caller)
• Proof that wearing face masks actually works: Hair stylists infected with COVID-19 were wearing masks and so were with their 140 clients—tests prove no one got sick. (WaPo)
• This guy puts a whole new spin on what is happening today with Black Lives Matter, the Confederate flag coming down, and Donald Trump. This isn't anything I've heard before, but he makes a lot of sense. His video is seven minutes long. I urge you to take the time to listen and to embrace some new thoughts. (Youtube) (Fifth Column)



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• Joe's vision for America: Over 100 progressive bills will be lined up ready for the House to consider the minute he becomes President. (JoeBiden)

On the lighter side...
1. This Chinese grandfather and his cute granddaughters dance to 'Staying Alive' by the BeeGees. Good advise for all of us today. I can't get enough of this short video and have watched it like twelve times. It makes me so happy. This grandpa gets extra credit points for sure. (YouTube)

 


2. Sticking with the Hamilton theme of the week, here is a parody about wearing masks:

 


3.

4.  You just know something bad is going to happen to the guy in red.

5.

6.

7. From polls taken last week. I am not alone in my estimation of Trump's leadership.

And finally this. Make sure you are looking at the right thing.

Instead of a cat photo. This week I am featuring the daughter of our friends. She clearly believes everyone should wear masks.

American Girls! Photo credit: W. Shoemaker. Used with permission.

And a late addition sent via my sister in Boise. I think this is true:

Please leave me a comment so I know you were here. Have a good week!
-Anne