Celebrating the Fourth

Since we didn't get to do anything for the Fourth on the Fourth, we had to make up for it by waiting until Friday...and then driving to the Clarksburg area to hear the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and to see fireworks. This was the second time for some of us to hear them, but most had not. After running errands in town, we made our way to the park. The concert was being held on a baseball diamond with the stage behind home plate. Trying to get a close seat near the front, we were stopped by a well-meaning young lad who, though he smiled nicely, informed us that we had to be corporate sponsors or else. Fine. We just headed to the next available spot...on the ground close to the outfield. The music was great--patriotic and all--and we especially liked hearing West Virginia's anthem. The fireworks at the end were just incredible. (Some young people nearby had been setting off some during the concert, and they tried in vain to compete with the real thing, but could not.) It's great to be Americans, to be able to spend an evening together in relative safety--and we're grateful to all of our military personnel who make this happen!