7-4-fourth-of-july.jpgToday is dead quiet in Manhattan. Driving down Broadway this morning on our scooter, the grand canyon was totally empty and a nice calm had settled into this mostly noisy city. It is, indeed, a good day for a holiday and for some quiet reflection. Here is some good food for thought:

"Today is Independence Day, celebrating the day in 1776 that the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, and the United States officially broke from the rule of England..." (more)

"It was on this day in 1845 that Henry David Thoreau moved into his cabin on Walden Pond, just outside Concord, Massachusetts. He was not quite 28 years old at the time, and he had decided to try an experiment in simple living. He was inspired in part by the memory of a summer trip he took with his beloved brother John just before his brother had died of lockjaw..." (more)

We will be setting off tonight for a 10 day vacation in Ireland (we'll be collecting posts), where we'll be exploring the greenest of countries for Green Home month. A skilled team of trained professionals will be taking over regular posting for us and we'll see you again on the 16th.

(All excerpts from The Writer's Almanac)

(Pic: Childe Hassam, Fourth of July, 1916)