Have you ever put thumbtacks on a map to pinpoint all the places you’ve been? Kinda fun—Facebook even has an app that allows you to do this virtually—makes you feel like a real world traveler once you look at all the little red pins dotting your map.
My staff are making good map pins this week—we’ve been closed for a little summer vacation, and with a staff who like to travel, I have people scattered all over North America: San Francisco, Quebec, Outer Banks, Jersey Shore, Charleston, Kentucky, Lake Ontario, as well as some of our more local lakes all get a little red pin.
Looking at this mental map automatically leads one to consider a little of the history that makes up the character of each place, whether it be the miners ‘49ers, the fur trappers of Quebec, the pioneers of the Cumberland Plateau, or the colonists of Charleston. A lot of hardy, independent people worked long and hard to establish toeholds on this continent.
King George should have given the ones who wanted a little more representation to go with their taxes just that, huh?
While I plan to fully take advantage of a modern-day Fourth of July celebration this year—hamburgers, hot dogs, a small arsenal of fireworks (Duck, Betsy!), and maybe even a little apple pie—I’ll take a serious moment between lighting Black Cats to thank our forebears for their many sacrifices in gaining us the independence I so take for granted
today.
Happy Independence Day, America!