Stars and Stripes Forever

Each year for the past couple of dozen, my family have gathered at my sister's house to celebrate the 4th of July holiday.  Everyone arrives early afternoon, and some years close friends will join in the fun, too.  We visit, play games, barbecue, and have dinner.  The view from my sister's living room window is spectacular as it spans the skyline from Napa to Oakland to San Francisco.  Once the sun sets, fireworks begin all across the Bay Area and we watch them all in peaceful awe. 

In years when the holiday falls in the middle of the week, since everyone heads to work the next day, our evenings end earlier than it does when the holiday falls on a weekend.  When that's the case, I don't want the holiday celebration to end too early so the first thing I do when I arrive home is turn on the television to watch a tradition I enjoy very much:  The Boston Pops.  I love hearing them play everything from the "1812 Overture" to "Coming to America."  Here they are playing "Stars and Stripes Forever" on Independence Day, 2007. 

Happy 4th of July!