Holiday brought back fond memory
Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2008
So, how was your July 4 holiday ?
First of all, I hope it was a safe one.
And secondly I hope you were able to do everything you hand planned, or at least whatever you did ended up being fun.
As for me and my wife, we came about as close as you can to the all-American holiday.
On Friday, the actual fourth, I began my day by shooting photos of the city's second annual Independence Day Parade.
If you didn't get out and see it, you missed a good one.
I must say, it has been a long time since I saw so much red, white and blue. It was a great event and one that I hope the pictures captured.
Later that day Martha and I attended a cookout at a friend's house. There were the old standbys, hotdogs, hamburgers, potato salad - you name it.
The climax of the evening was the fireworks on Lake Windsor. While it wasn't one of those organized events put on by the city or other "official "group, it was still a great show.
The next day, while my wife was in Rogers shopping, I had the opportunity to meet a true American hero, a man who had spent nearly six months aboard the International Space Station.
Clayton Anderson gave a talk at Bella Vista Community Church, which drew a crowd of several hundred.
Anderson is the son-in-law of Bella Vistans Jack and Mary Harreld.
That night, Martha and I, and another couple, went to a Naturals baseball game. The San Diego Chicken was visiting and put on quite a show. I had never seen him in person. If you get the chance, go. His show is well worth the price of admission.
It was a great weekend. The only thing missing was a piece of apple pie.
Throughout the weekend it seemed that no matter who I talked to, the conversation always turned to what July 4 used to be like - you know, when you were a kid and gas wasn't $ 4 a gallon.
Those thoughts took me back to my home in West Virginia.
We didn't have a car back then, so travel was out of the question. Holidays were always spent at home.
And anytime we gathered in the summer, the old ice cream maker would be pulled out of the closet and put to good use.
My mother would mix the ingredients and my father would get the ice and rock salt ready.
Once the appropriate amount of ice and salt were applied, we covered the entire thing with a throw rug to keep the cold in. And then we cranked, and cranked and cranked.
Many of you know how hard it was. It seemed like it would never end.
But eventually it became increasingly difficult to turn the crank, and about then dad would proclaim it was done.
I don't remember many things about the Fourth of July as a young boy, but I will never forget that ice cream.
I hope your holiday gave you the chance to reflect and perhaps go back to another time when things weren't quite as hectic. And I hope your memories, whatever they were, made you feel as good as mine did me.
I wonder whatever happened to that old ice cream maker ?
Douglas Grant is the managing editor of The Weekly Vista. He has two decades in journalism having worked in Virginia, North Carolina and Florida.
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