Independence Day

Happy 4th !! This is a picture that I took of one of the Bald Eagles that lives at the Oregon Zoo. I can't remember her name. Dang. The other picture is an oil pastel I did last year of my pups for the Fourth of July. No one usually gets to see it because it looks like the dogs are flipping off the flag. THAT WAS NOT MY INTENT. But because of that, it never gets put into the folder when I show my stuff to sell. Independence Day is one of my all time fav movies. It has the flavor of the old sci fi movies, but with all the bells and whistles of the newer movies. It's also the movie where I decided that Will Smith was ok. Vancouver Washington is insane on the Fourth. I've never lived anywhere that goes absolutely bonkers on this day. For weeks now, every spare space on the side of the road has a fireworks stand. Every night there has been fireworks. Tonight the entire city will be on detour, people will be walking on your lawn with fireworks, you won't be able to cross the Columbia River until the early morning hours, and the sky will scream. Then, tomorrow, the fireworks will be on sale and you will hear them for another week. In California, it was illegal to even have sparklers. Here, on the streets, I see young children with fireworks that could blow their limbs off. I will have to mow the lawn today and soak it with the hose to make sure my lawn doesn't catch fire tonight. Of course, this sounds like I'm complaining. However, I really do love the Fourth of July in Vancouver. We live a bit out of town now so we don't get the full affects anymore. When I lived closer to the river and the center of town, it really was like having an apartment on the parade route. Happy Fourth !