Memories of July 4th

Reflections While it Rains on Independence Day

There was one Fourth of July in my childhood that I remember more clearly than the others. I kept asking the adults how old America was and never got a clear answer. The whole family was over at grandma’s house and we stayed late watching Jason and the Argonauts on the small television set in the back room. To this day I remember seeing the skeletons sprouting from the dropped hydra’s teeth and the excitement when they moved and attacked. It’s still one of my favorite movie scenes.

I don’t remember fireworks that night. Most likely it was during the Giuliani years when the NYPD cracked down on fireworks in the city and only a handful of people in the neighborhood risked setting them off.

This year the morning was rainy and they canceled the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest. It barely felt like a holiday. Then in the afternoon the sun came out, Joey Chestnut won another mustard belt, and at night the streets erupted with sound and light just like the long last days.