So Far From Home

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Today is the birthday of the United States.

It marks the day the Declaration of Independence was presented in public for the first time (it was actually signed on July 2^nd).

I deliberately chose to take this day off.

I left my accommodations only to buy food.





I need to talk about Mount Rushmore today.

It seems obvious that such a patriotic site would have a huge July 4^th celebration.

They used to, ending with a giant fireworks display over the monument.

They have cancelled it the last two years.

The official reason is that pine beetle damage in the surrounding forest (see Sacred Peaks) makes anything fire related too dangerous.

Many locals suspect the real reason is that park management felt the hordes of people that descended on the site and the resulting notorious parking headaches were too disrespectful to a hallowed monument to our nation’s ideals.





Something happened tonight where I felt really homesick for the first time.

The Boston Pops puts on a famous July 4th concert every year, followed by fireworks.

The last third or so is televised nationally.

The event is a really big deal at home, and people will camp out all day on the Charles River Esplanade to get the best view.

I’m part of a multi-generation group of MIT graduates who have done this basically since the event started.

This is the first July 4^th I’ve missed in over a decade.

Watching it on television, I really missed the catching up, camaraderie, and just having fun with people I otherwise rarely get a chance to see.

I also noticed how small it all felt on the screen, versus the overwhelming thrill in real life.



A taste of the show:

The fireworks live:

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