Sunday, July 3, 2011

RENASCENCE

Internet Photo


All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked the other way,
And saw three islands in a bay.
So with my eyes I traced the line
Of the horizon, thin and fine,
Straight around til I was come
Back to where I’d started from.
---------------------------------------------Millay

I think of this poem whenever I think of the night we watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the window of the top floor of a hotel.  

We’ve already mentioned to each that other Fourth that stands out, even though it was just us two. We were in Georgia to visit the children, and since the one tiny Granddaughter had an early bedtime, and they were packing for Disney World on the morrow, we went back early to our hotel.

We went to our room out of that bright hot day, stripped into just our underwear, and stood in the cool at our top-floor, almost-shoulder-high window, looking down at the crowds parading past in that Georgia heat---trundling baby strollers, wheeled coolers, little red wagons full of children/lawn chairs/beer.

And as the twilight fell, we could look down and just to our right, and see the behind-the-scenes magic of fireworks being shot from the top of a parking garage just below, flying skyward and bursting over the river that flowed almost beneath our feet.    It was like seeing all the magical displays of OZ, and being privy to the behind-the-curtain prestidigitations of such a splendid event, as well.

A scan of the horizon showed nine separate fireworks displays, going off inch-high all at once in every town within sight-range, with their own gatherings of  warm, holidaying crowds fresh from the picnic tables and smoky grills of backyard burgers, gathered in their own home areas for the same enchantments, while we munched drippy, salty boiled peanuts and drank icy Co-Cola in that cool, far-removed room.

No travel agent could have arranged the "Southern experience" better.

And A Happy, Safe Fourth to Everyone!!


7 comments:

  1. Hi Rachel, yes, it is good to be home safe and sound. We did have a flat tire,(blown out tire) on he second day of our trip home. But it was replaced with a spare and on in to home the next night without a hitch.

    I love your story of the day the nights lit up in GA. Smile. Funny how we remember certain fireworks displays more than others. One of my memories is taking a two year old to a fireworks display when I was about to deliver our 2nd child. I remember my two year old screaming and crying from total fear and holding her on my huge belly. The memory was PAIN and not a single fireworks that is in my memory from that night. HA! Your memory is a wonderful one and I do have good ones too. Visiting family is the best memory of all...anytime.

    I read all your posts and smiled all through the Evening in Paris post. Loved it so much and I too remember that sweet bottle of pure heaven.

    We are so busy this is 'grand kids week' Eleven of us for three meals a day for a week. Chaos and loads of fun. I admit to being a bit tired. OK very tired. Smile. Tubing, rafting, sliding rock, swimming and picnics. Six of our grands two of our daughters and one of our sons are here to help with all the activities. They are all teens except one and he will be a teen in October. Oh what a party!!!

    I have to get supper started soon. Chicken and dumplings tonight.
    Love, Jeanne

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  2. What a vivid scene you paint! There really are time that are so magical you can't plan them and could never recreate them but you can remember and smile. Love your blog. Thank for visiting mine
    Your followers are back and now you have one more - me!

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  3. I loved this, Rachel ... reminds me of one of our best-ever anniversary celebrations when we stayed at one of the antebellum bed and breakfasts here in Vicksburg (we lived in Shreveport at the time). We came in late, and the desk clerk told us we could explore the house if we'd like, and, at midnight, I sat down to one of those room-size antebellum pianos and played "Dixie." Like your fireworks memory, it still makes me smile when I think of it.

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  4. Happy Birthday to our great country. Rachel, I hope you have a wonderful celebration with your family and friends. I'll be thinking of you.

    The Fourth of July has become a day of unspoken memories in our family. My father died twenty-five years ago tonight. We could see the fireworks out the hospital window as he was dying. I can smile thinking that he would have liked going "out with a bang".

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  5. What a perfect way to spend the holiday. That is EXACTLY how I want to see the Macy's parade in New York City one day. I love the mental picture of the 'inch-high' displays.

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  6. Jeanne said you could tell a story like no other! I loved this one! What a beautiful experience and at no extra cost! I am new following you here. Happy to meet you and hope your 4th is beauitful. Anne

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