Maine Minutiae : Eastport 4th

As many of you know, my family and I just returned from a short vacation to Eastport for the Independence Day Weekend. We visited her family and saw many of her old friends while we were there. Mainly (no pun intended), we spent the vast majority of our time downtown soaking up the atmosphere. As we walked into town, guys were putting one final spitshine on their classic cars. These oldies but goodies brought back many memories of my Dad and his love of older cars and hot rods. At the other end of town, Isabella (here with her cupcake decorating ribbon) and I took a guided tour of the U S Navy FFG DeWert. Lt. Tatel showed and told us how the crew went about their daily lives and gave us a verbal thumbnail sketch of what it's like in a combat zone. A few minutes after the tour of the ship, Bailey was in the "bouncy house", well, bouncin'. The parade included a visit from Tigger and, my personal favorite, Spongebob Squarepants ! The Grand Finale was a tremondous fireworks display over the bay. As usual, I had a great time celebrating the 4th of July in Eastport with my wife and kids and the in-laws and thousands of other patriotic Americans.

Happy Birthday, USA !

Posting on Three States Plus One will be sporadic, at best, for the next week. I will be out of town with my family visiting my wife's clan for the 4th of July Weekend. I'll take my laptop with me, but time online will be limited because of the many holiday activities going on in Eastport. I wish you all a happy and safe Independence Day. Thanks for such a successful launch to the blog. I am humbled and grateful. God bless you and may God continue to bless America.

Texas Tidbits : July Festivals

As Texans, we seldom need a reason to celebrate something - "Hey, Jim Bob just ate a chili cheeseburger ! Let's have a party ! " The month of July offers Texans myriad reasons to socialize. From the Great Mosquito Festival  July 29 - 31 in Clute to the What A Melon Festival July 9 & 10 in Center. Here's a partial list of  Independence Day activities in the DFW Metroplex. If you'd like to take a road trip to an event you've never before been to, this list may hold something of interest to you.
If I'm not mistaken, my friend Ana lives in Granbury where they've got their annual 4th of July shindig. Houston, San Antonio, Colorado City and Luckenbach are all having big to-do's this week. Find out more about them.
I could write a post a mile long and still not even scratch the surface of all the things going on this Independence Day Weekend and throughout the month of July in the Lone Star State. I hope that some of the information I provided here today will be useful to you. If not, make up a reason to celebrate ! After all, we are Texans and we don't need a helluva lot of incentive to throw a party. Have a safe and fun 4th of July Weekend, y'all !

Maine Minutiae : Independence Day in Maine

It's the time of year again when Americans gather to celebrate our Nation's independence with cookouts, parades, the flying of Old Glory and the freedoms that are unique to America and Americans. I will be attending the largest 4th of July Festival in the state again this year. It takes place in one of Maine's smallest cities, Eastport. The wife, kids and I will be visiting my in-laws and spending many hours in downtown Eastport eating fried dough, greasy-ass pizza and Rose's Hot Dogs! It's always a hoot and I expect this year to be no different.
The whole state will be lit up with fireworks and other festivities during the holiday weekend. From Bath to Bangor and Ogunquit to Old Orchard Beach,The Pine Tree State is loaded with Patriotic Americans of all shapes, sizes and colors. Maine holds the prestige of having more military personnel (currently serving/have served) per capita than any other state in the Union. Something to truly be proud of. Here's  a big list of 4th of July stuff going on all over Maine. If you Mainers have no plans or just haven't decided what to do on the 4th, I'm certain something on the list will be right up your alley.