Independence Day

This 4th of July could very well be the best one yet! It was the perfect leisurely escape. Matt and I flew to North Canton, OH to spend the holiday with his family. His mom and dad had come up with a truly inspired itinerary of All-American activities that the whole family could enjoy. First, there was the North Canton 4th of July parade down Main St. It wasn't too exciting, but did feature some cool old tractors and Model T Fords. After that, we went back to the house for lawn games. These are fairly new games to me, since I did not grow up with them as Matt did. The games were Corn-hole (not what it sounds like) and Ladder Golf. If you don't know what they are, I highly suggest looking into them if you enjoy spending time outside playing peaceful, not-too-competitive games that do not require too much energy. They are on par with croquet in my book.

My favorite activity of the weekend was the wooden boat race. Matt's dad made us little wooden "boats" out of 2X4's and we decorated them with markers. Little American flags became our sails, then it was off to the stream behind the house for the races. My boat was christened "Bird of Paradise", quite possibly my favorite name ever. Please do not steal it. It had one good run, then became the 2nd vessel to be eliminated. Oh well, it tried its best. Matt's brother's boat "Gunboat" was the winner in the end. It was a very seaworthy ship.

We went to see the town fireworks, which were pretty good. It was all so calm, people so well-behaved. What a difference from the 4th of July debauchery of New York City. It was lovely to watch the fireworks with my sweetheart!

The final day's activity was a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Pretty cool! It wasn't as "rockin'" as it could be, but it was still fun to see all the memorabilia. I got to see a couple outfits Madonna wore on the Blonde Ambition Tour. They were designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, the man responsible for my teenage interest in fashion! Yes, one could say it was that one-piece "undergarment" with the pointy bra that made me want to become a designer. And I actually saw it in person that day. My other faves were Johnny Cash's outfits and the "punk/grunge" area.

Alas, all the idyllic fun had to come to an end, and here I am back in dirty, sticky Brooklyn. I should be at the beach. Or at least in the park playing Ladder Golf.