A Secondhand Fourth

I don't mean that headline to read as snide. Actually, it's a tribute to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, by this time the only department store that remains in our downtown. Not only did the store have a great selection of patriotic tschokes, but its windows were thoroughly decked out for the holiday.

Above, picnic gear; below, a patriotic touch added to the flamingo wheelbarrow always outside the Sal's antique boutique.

Inside the store, a variety of flags -- and a themed tshirt or two.

Neat cup, candle holder and big bread basket.

Plus a rather sober-sided, British-looking Uncle Sam.

Finally, my special pot for the Fourth -- red/white dianthus, white alyssum and blue lobelia with white eyes. Now I'm going to watch the fireworks at the resort/casino out my front windows. I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth!

Cool Links: Warren of Touch Wind came up from Tucson to visit Prescott recently and did three posts about our town you should see, especially the creekside dragon (scroll down). For a very different series of posts, visit Wasilla Alaska by 300, where photo-journalist Bill Hess details a Nalukatak (successful whale hunting celebration) in a 10-part series with wonderful pictures. Closer to home, Always an Adventure is a family blog that also includes posts about gold prospecting in the Bradshaws. And Susie of Arabia, currently on vacation in Arizona, has recovered her driving muscles and thrown off the black abaya for the duration. This just in: Rich has posted a bunch of pictures of the Fourth of July parade and Meggie has pictures of several English owls.

Starred & Striped for the 4th

If I hadn't eaten well at a neighbor's BBQ a couple of hours ago, I would be revving up to eat my words. My Memorial Day post included pictures of people on the Square in shirts and shorts patterned with the American flag. I wondered whether that symbolic expression should be read as patriotic -- or ironic, a la the late 1960s. "I confess to being somewhat disquieted by the lack of respect to the national symbols I saw this afternoon. Must be my age showing!" So I wrote at the time.

Obviously that's the problem -- my age has caught up with me. All the stars and stripes I saw worn today, the country's birthday, were obviously worn out of affection, not irony. Take our waitresses this morning (above) or one of my breakfast companions out of a group who generally score in the conservative quadrant (below.)

At the Square, where the Bucky O'Neill Memorial statue was rededicated this noon, I had to keep clicking the shutter there were so many variations on the red, white and blue.

These are just not the sort of folks who engage in irony.

Which leaves me wondering just what has changed. Perhaps it is a new style of dressing to the holiday that had its start with pretty Christmas themed sweaters and sweats. In our world of cheap, cheap clothing, an extra shirt or T to be worn only once or twice a year on a particular holiday is no big deal (aside from the closet space required.)

And, while everyday people may eschew irony, they are, in most cases, equally put off by too many rules or the stiff formality required of a patriotic display in earlier times. Today they literally wear their hearts on Tshirts. I'm sure that 30 or 40 years ago, these same people would have tsk, tsked at such clothing! At the very least.

A good trend -- or a bad trend? I can't say right now. I'm too busy choosing the right sauce for my May 28 words. In the meantime, happy birthday, America!

Rodeo: the Town Is Crazy

Don't usually venture into town during rodeo week. Plenty going on. Loads of tourons. Crowds. Hoopla. Crowds. However, I had an errand of mercy to attend to at one of the banks. So I took in the local color yesterday.

Some folks in appropriate costumes. More or less.

Of course, the grand finale of the rodeo lands on the 4th of July; this year, the city is absolutely awash in flags, bunting and other red, white and blue, such as the quilt I saw at the bank (below).

Accompanying the rodeo, an arts, crafts & stuff show on the Square; running time, 5 days. The stuff included everything from soup (mix) to nuts-- and, if you weren't dressed appropriately, you could even buy a buckskin jacket.

While I had coffee at a sidewalk table, the horse carriers
went parading by. Not the plain everyday carriers that you see out in the countryside, but elaborate wagons with quarters for crew plus several horses. Definitely rodeo pros.

Did I mention that the day was H.O.T? That it was hotter today and tomorrow should top today? So I fess up -- I got a ride downtown, I didn't walk there. No way. There was the one hopeful sign: the contrails are becoming fatter and they last longer. Maybe our 4% humidity days are numbered. We might even have a storm or two this weekend. First the rodeo and the fireworks, then the rainy season. If we're lucky.

Note: Gadget took pictures of the rodeo parade; the Courier offers several videos of the parade, the rodeo, the boot race and more. Also: she of little brain and JuliaR have each posted their eight fascinating facts, for a total of 16 fascinating facts so far.

Happy Birthday, USA

I suspect that if I were out at night, this eagle-bedecked flag would light up, just like the little flag around the corner, below. It would seem that colored electric lights are starting to take the place of old-fashioned bunting for the new-fangled celebration of July 4th.



The electric flag above spans most of the front porch on this house. I mean, it's big! But then this house over on Park Ave. is dolled up for many holiday occasions -- Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween. All with lights; sorry that my St. Pat's photo was taken in the daylight. Note the string of lights at the bottom.