I was sitting with my laptop, on my lap, my eyes on the computer screen. my ears on the strains of music.
I always look forward to PBS’s airing of A Capitol Fourth and enjoy the program; the music, the people, the tributes, and the memories.
I was relishing it all, from military bands to pop stars, my eyes wandering from computer screen to television screen, watching performers and attendees enjoy our national birthday party.
Kenny Loggins came on, first playing Convictions of the Heart, then rolling into Footloose. Not really a song one would expect on Independence Day, but, then, again, why not? We ARE free to dance where we want. Flash Mobs pop up and invade social media, those being “flashed” seem to enjoy them, but, I digress.
My feet always start to move when Loggins’ Footloose comes on, and I did right then; I felt footloose and started dancing around, hoping I didn’t bump into the furniture, knock a lamp over, or bungle my back. Sometimes it is fun to just cut loose.
We saw Kenny Loggins in concert a few years ago. It was a wonderful outdoor concert at the Morton Arboretum. By the time the stars and fireflies came out, even the trees were swaying to Danger Zone.
Kenny’s songs played often and loudly in our house. The House at Pooh Corner was a strong contenders for Katy’s father/daughter wedding dance. James (you know who) won out.
Kenny was singing, my toes were tapping, the Capitol rocked – and my memory wheel started turning back several decades to the year we spent the 4th of July, Independence Day, in Washington D.C. The girls were old enough to appreciate the trip, young enough to go along with all the historical venues (well, most of them).
We spent the entire day, July 4, touring D.C. sites, starting with the reading of the Declaration of Independence in front of the National Archives, and ending with the fireworks display on the Mall. We rode the trolley to Arlington National Cemetery, quietly taking in the rows upon rows of burial markers. We watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and also paid respects at the Kennedy graves, then onward to the Lincoln Memorial, which was full of people, the reflecting pond suddenly coming to life for me where it had been before only in historical photos, Forrest Gump, etc. We spent time at the Smithsonian’s museums and more changing of the guard at the National Archives. We spent time on the Mall, witnessed the Viet Nam Memorial, and listened to a bit of a character expound on why he was running for president . . . let’s just say there have always been characters running for president. This candidate wore a safari outfit, complete with a whip, like Indiana Jones, and he shared his arrest record.
Unplanned and unprepared, we found a spot on the lawn of Mall to wait for the fireworks – after we dined on the worst hot dogs imaginable and lived to tell about it! We sat on our sweatshirts, as we did not have blankets to place on the grass. Religious groups, aging hippies and folks from all walks of life and countries made what appeared like a human blanket on the nation’s lawn. It was really one big block party. I think the four of us will always remember it, though in different ways, with different but valid convictions in our hearts.
I always enjoy reading your wonderful memories, Penny! The small moments woven together with the big memories create the beautiful tapestries of our lives. Oh, I would be dancing around the living room right along with you! 🙂 Watching ‘A Capitol Fourth’ always stirs my soul, too! 💗
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Thank you very much, Dawn. It is always so nice to watch A Capitol Fourth and our one, personal 4th will always be a special memory. Hope you had a good 4th yourself.
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What wonderful memories to have and to share, Penny. It was really quite ambitious to go to D.C. over the 4th! Must have been a crush of people, but how exciting to expose the girls to our nation’s birthday in such an exciting, key place! I love your description of the human blanket on the lawn of the Mall! And by the way, I love Kenny Loggins, too! I would love to see him perform. 🙂
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It really was a great trip, Debra. It took a bit of planning to make sure we were in D.C. on the 4th and it was a crush of people. Amazing. We arrived on the 3rd, stayed right across from the Air and Space Museum/Smithsonian, and saw so much on the 4th. The 5th is Tom’s birthday, so, we slowed down a bit and did the Air and Space where he had his moment in time with the Spirit of St. Louis and spent time in the pool, then, it was off to Mount Vernon, where we ran into people we knew from home.
I might have guessed you were a Kenny Loggins fan. Seeing him at the Arboretum was akin to seeing him at the Huntington. The best of all possible worlds.
Hope you had a good 4th. We had great weather here, which almost never happens. Take the good when it come, eh?
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What beautiful memories Penny. I lived in Washington D.C. for 6 months when I first came to the US in the seventies. This year I was driving on the Autobahn with hundreds of giant trucks from all over Europe. A scary experience, I wish I could have danced with you.
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The ’70s were an interesting era to be in Washington D.C., Gerlinde, and, my-oh-my, you have travelled all over. I can only imagine the Autobahn. Trucks mean goods are moving to and fro, but, we certainly don’t want to driving alongside them – especially on the Autobahn.
I think we would have had a very lively dance together – and then something good to eat.
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Such a tribute to spontaneity and taking advantage of celebrating what matters most in life-family, fun, and memories of another time and place! I am so glad you got to go on this adventure. It’s amazing how music can take us right back to “the day” including our youthful joie de vivre! You aren’t alone in dancing and I could care less who is watching. The folks at the grocery with the piped in music are used to me now-I think. LOL.
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Thank you, Marilyn. I think, at least in this instance, that we did make some pretty good memories. I’m grateful that we were able to take this trip when the girls were just the right age for it. We haven’t traveled much, but, we do pack a lot into the trips taken.
It is amazing, isn’t it, how music can transport us back in time? I think you still have that joie de vivre – especially if you are dancing in the aisles of the grocery store. I think you and I could be quite the attraction in the produce aisle. No, make that the bakery department. haha
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