July 4th

The fourth of July, a day to remember since 1776. Today I commemorated the special day with my lovely cousin and friend Kelly. We woke up around 9 and made eggs over easy and cantelope with Morning Sunshine tea. Then came a long walk with a nostalgic destination in mind. Back in my innocent years I used to go on long walks and long talks with this spiritual boy. We've lost touch in recent years, but I will never forget feeling so moved by the rhythmic pacing and exploring around Ben Avon. Right off "The Knob" past the petroleum pipe, a path leads down until a clearing reveals the naked vulnerability of a developing and festering landscape.

Sadly, a lot of the trees that had previously been there were removed. I just stood there dumbfounded for a moment, realizing that it appeared much different for Kelly. To the outsider, it's just a sparse clearing leading into the woods, but my memories made the destruction meaningful.





Afterwards we went on a voyage to photograph Anthony's from a vantage point (for their web site), then grabbed some cappuccinos at the A. I'm so glad she didn't have to work at her cafe back in Jersey so that she could come visit.

The A closed at 3, so we left and ended up home with the first season of Grey's Anatomy. It's amazing how the show just sucks you in with all of the inner and outer plot dramas. Obviously it takes a lot of self-control to stop watching... we ended up watching a ton of it.

Then came the grand feature of the day - a crazy drive downtown to see the fire works. I love seeing all of the bodies lining the west end bridge and all of the cars pulled over waiting for the grand feature: fire works.

We had to weave around a bunch of cops and ambulance vehicles, and ended up turning around a couple times, but we ended up at the perfect vantage point. So much better than Bellevue :)




On the ride back, I think we both let our inevitable guards down and talked about life issues which most people hide and hide. It's such a powerful gift; sharing. Through opening up a little, you realize that you're not alone.

All in all, today was a great break from the usual grind, and I am tired.