It was on this day in the 1960s that I realized that summer vacation was slipping away. Not only was summer holiday moving forward rapidly, but so was the year. Although it was hot and muggy, Christmas Bells would soon be ringing. Climbing to the halfway mark of the year was slower than the descent to the conclusion. July was just four weeks away from August, when the back-to-school specials were advertised. It was time to get the new school supplies. I had a desk whose writing surface lifted to reveal a private compartment for your precious and necessary materials. Often the desks had dry inkwells hearkening to a time before. It was hot mid-August when we returned to the classroom. Summer had another month on the calendar. In the blink of an eye, we were making witches and ghosts for the bulletin board. Of course, the rest is simply a hay ride to a turkey dinner and a sleigh ride back home.

Grandma A’s front porch was the perfect spot to view the fireworks at the Starlight Drive-In. First, it was sparklers and illegal firecrackers. Then darkness began to fall. When the streetlights began to warm up, they turned blue at first. Grandma A and Aunt Guelda would say in unison, ‘They are bluing up.’ Yoop from Holland came over for a front-row seat at the Eldorado Fireworks. Yoop was from Holland, and Guelda called her Yoopie. Fireworks were a big event in Eldorado. Cars were parked on the edge of Route 45 for a half mile to catch a glimpse of Old Glory.

So we are just kids. 250 this year. I did not realize how young we were until I visited Europe. They have shoes older than us. We are a Grand Experiment. A Melting Pot. We are an idea.
Freedom of thought and speech. Out of many, we are one. A nation comprised of diversity. A country united on words rather than blood and soil.