America - An Australian Experience

Today is the Fourth of July and every year our family has the same discussion. Do we want to do something? And if so, what? Obviously, in Australia this is not an observed holiday - and it is the middle of winter! And yet, it seems wrong for us to ignore it. Sometimes we have invited friends over for hot dogs and apple pie. Sometimes we just go into the backyard with some sparklers. We'd have a baseball game but it would usually turn into a form of cricket!

When I first came to Australia, I 'lost' the fourth of July. I flew out of Houston on the 3rd and arrived in Sydney 22 hours later (in real time) on the 5th. With an additional 15 hour time difference there truly was no 4th of July for me that year. I took it as a 'sign' that perhaps my future would be in this country.

Friends learned the following year that an American group was planning to set off some fireworks on the 4th down at the lake, so we made tracks to enjoy that small spectacle surrounded by eucalypts and Aussie accents!



But the best Fourth of July here in Australia so far was at the American Embassy in 2002, shown in the layout above. I had become involved in an ex-patriot group of Associates to the CLO at the embassy a few years before. US Ambassador Tom Schieffer was in residence at the time and was reknown for his hospitality and love of a great party.

It was the first July 4th since 911 and concerns for security certainly tightened up access, but children were allowed to bring one guest with them (as a small goodwill gesture to the community). From the moment we cleared security their eyes widened and the laughter was shared by all. Schieffer was an owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team and he had turned the grounds into a fun baseball theme park of sorts! There were pitching machines and batting machines and bases to run (clocking running speed). And several national league players wandering around in uniform signing autographs. The kids (and some kids at heart) literally had a ball.

And there were hotdogs and Cracker Jacks, beer and soft drinks, and apple pie and brownies, and bowls filled with American candy. A massive tent was set up for the official party. Red, white & blue balloons filled the ceiling area, and baseball pennants of all the major league teams decorated the walls.

The Whiffenpoofs accapella group from Harvard sang some hilarious pieces for us and then the crowded room of patriots and guests sang national songs like God Bless America and Oh Beautiful (my favourite), and of course the national anthem. It was an incredibly emotional experience. The kids all grabbed a few balloons to add to their party bags and we headed outside for fireworks before heading home with big grins. Isnt' that what the Fourth is all about? Like in the movie Pollyanna? Remember when she was part of the flag? It was the closest I have ever come to it.

Today, though, we are back to a quiet family observance. We are thinking about seeing ToyStory 3 and there will be a lunch/dinner of ... you guessed it ... Hot Dogs and Apple Pie! Mmmm... Sounds like a good day to me.

The kit I used for the layout above is a NEW release from Janet Carr's Little Feet Digital Design called - God Bless America - and is availbe from For the Luv of Art.