Independence Day

Let’s Celebrate Safely.

Happy Independence Day.

 

Hope you have a great day, even if your country doesn’t celebrate the 4^th of July.

Independence Day

Lucky 7

Here's a picture of the bird feeder I mentioned in the previous post, it hangs from the SE corner of the house, in the back.

I was going through my old CDs, the ones with my pictures on them, and found some interesting photos. You'll see them show up here and there over the next little while. But the other picture here is one with a good story. For several years, I got to take our students to the Utah State Math Contest, where students from all the secondary schools get to compete with each other. We're allowed up to 4 students per grade, so the most I ever had to deal with was 12 Jr. High kids. This time the contest was up in Logan at the Utah State University. Pretty much it consists of us escorting the students up there, getting them to the testing area, socializing with the other teachers for a couple hours, and then just making sure all the kids get back. Not hard work. Anyway, to the picture. When the test was over and we headed back to the bus, this CSI truck was in the parking lot, so I decided to have a student get a picture of me standing next to it. You can see the kids walking by, and one of them asked what CSI stood for (this was several years ago, before the CSI series were as well known as they are now). So I told them, Crime Scene Investigation. So they asked what crime I was investigating. (Ok, if your immediate reaction is that I corrected them and let them know I was a teacher, you get no blog karma points. Go away, or I shall have to taunt you a second time...) Yeah, I told them there was a murder on campus, and when they asked me what happened I simply told them that I couldn't say anything about it because it's an open investigation. I heard them walking away mumbling 'murder' and 'cool'. Yeah, I'm bad.

Lucky 7. I just got the Battlecruiser registered and as I was sticking the 7 (for July) on the plate it occurred to me that all 3 of my LTD's registrations are now due in July. Good think it's in the summer when I have the time to get them all inspected, and to get a part time job to raise the money to pay for them all......

My yard and I survived another 4th!

I live 2 blocks away for the park that holds one of the biggest fireworks displays in Salt Lake. With the Sugarhouse Arts Festival ans other things going on, people are showing up all day for the event, but almost everybody leaves about the same time. Being on a main street, a lot of them pass my house, and too many of them have no respect for the plants I have in my parking strip (that little piece of ground between the sidewalk and the road.) But this year doesn't seem to have been too bad. The little plant I put in earlier this season was obviously stepped on, but looks like it will survive. A bunch of the rocks holding down the drip lines were kicked all over the place, but nothing was broken and it only took 5 minutes to put everything back. I found one straw and a light sabre as the only trash in my yard, much better than previous years.

I don't go down to the park for the fireworks anymore, too many people and all the gang assholes have to come out and flex their muscles. Annoying. So, I just watch them through the top of my pine trees, from the comfort of my own back yard. They don't look too bad, all the colors coming through the green tree. The best part of the evening, though, was sitting in the neighbor's front yard, with a few other neighbors, watching the people trying to get home.

Earlier in the afternoon, I did go down to the Arts Festival, which they had closed off 11th East for. It was ok. I did get a look at the development for that corner, what it's going to look like and have. Residential, commercial and retail spaces, with pedestrian open spaces. Not bad. It's kind of sad to have lost the old historic buildings in that area, but the good thing about where I live is that they try to discourage the strip-mall look, with huge parking lots in front of the buildings. Sugarhouse likes the buildings out front to hide the parking lots behind them. Much more inviting, if you ask me. There was a big group of religious fanatics in the park for the event (see picture of sign). They had a half dozen police officers hanging around to make sure it remained a peaceful demonstration. All I'm going to say about them is, looking at their sign, they sure hate a lot of people. Must take a shitload of energy. I also was surprised at how many people either stopped or ducked so they wouldn't get in the way of my pictures. Well, if you want to see the rest of the pictures I took, then just clock HERE. Hope you had a great 4th!

Happy 4th of July.

Do they have a 4th of July in other countries?
Of course, they just don't celebrate it.