Fourth of July Weekend

"The Fourth of July should be celebrated with big hearts." - Camila Alves

family gathers
America celebrates
sparkles for freedom
©CVarsalona, 2024, haiku
 Fourth of July 2024

bursts reverberate
crowd cheers at dazzling sky show

noise scares little baby
until a family shares glow sticks
big hearts joyfully celebrate with one-year-old
©CVarsalona, 2024, cherita

Besides the fireworks, the family weekend was filled with other fun events:
my son's first gig as a standup comedian at a Fourth of July event
our little grandgirls enjoy the community pool and an indoor picnic
an afternoon trip to Middleburg, Virginia for lunch and ice cream with
both sets of grandparents

Now that the weekend is over, I send my Poetry Friday blog to my Floridian friend, Jan Godown Annino, who hosted the post 4th of July Roundup this weekend. She offers an interesting watermelon image from the Monticello, Florida watermelon parade, a link to the PBS 4th of July celebration, and poetry goodness from many Poetry Friday friends. Join me to celebrate with Jan at her blog Bookseedstudio.

SPARKLE ON with Poetry!

Fourth of July 2022 Memories

The 4th of July is always a festive event. Baking, enjoying time with family, having barbecues, and watching fireworks are traditional expectations. This year brought another set of photos and great memories. 

cook ready

hands steady

picnic treats

frosted sweets

outdoor fun

children run

flags waving

songs playing

evening sky

Fourth of July

cheers, applauding

sparklers soaring

celebration

our proud nation

©CVarsalona, 2022

The above poem was written after reading Fran Haraway's poem, The Fourth of July Parade.

The Fourth of July Parade

Stripes and stars,

Antique cars,

Pretty girls,

Baton twirls,

Spangled gowns,

Friendly clowns,

Smiling folks,

Papered spokes,

You can read the rest of the short poem at the Poetry Foundation.

🎆🎆🎆

The following poem was written for Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers. My blog post, Firework Magic, shares more digitized photos of Fireworks 2022 in Reston Virginia.

dazzling fireworks

dart into evening sky

pop, whizz, sizzle

like popcorn kernels bursting

showstopper entertainment

©CVarsalona, 2022

🎆🎆🎆

It is time to join Jan Godown Annino, this week's Poetry Friday host at her blog, Bookseed Studio. Jan is showcasing author Linda Sue Park's book, Tap Dancing on the Roof SIGO (Poems). Jan is also sharing her own sijo poems that include good twister lines. Enjoy the poetic goodness that can be found in the Poetry Friday Roundup.

Firework Magic

There is a magical effect to fireworks shooting into an indigo sky on a warm summer night. I imagine most people have witnessed this on the Fourth of July but let me relive my experience. A soft glow settles over the lake as it prepares for the festivities of an exploding night show. 

Pontoon boats and kayaks circle the lake as the night sky surrounds. With a gentle tug, party lanterns float into the air skyward prior to fireworks exploding with multicolored sensations.  

Excited hoots and applause from viewers follow with each burst of shooting light as a crescent moon nods with delight. Sparkling patterns burst into the darkness from one end of the lake to the other. The brilliance of multicolored patterns emerges.

As darkness covers the sky, sparkly lights go off with a boom, creating a dramatic contrast.

The star of the nighttime show debuts with a puff cloud of brilliant circles of billowy sparkles.

dazzling fireworks

dart into evening sky

pop, whizz, sizzle

like popcorn kernels bursting

showstopper entertainment

©CV, 2022

I hope everyone spent a relaxing day with family and friends on the Fourth of July as I did.

It's Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers and I am grateful for this international meeting of writing friends.

Light the Sky

Each year, Nassau county fires up the fireworks to celebrate America's idependence with family and friends. This year was no exception. Throngs of people gathered to view the dazzling display of techno-color lights on Sunday night, July 2, 2017.

Wondrous popping in the sky-

fragmented sparkles dropping by-

fireworks, 

summer's delight!

©CV, 2017

I wondered how Independence Day started and found some interesting facts online. A UK publication shared these facts:

• The first Independence Day celebrations took place on Rhode Island on July 4, 1977 - the one-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 
• Thirteen gunshots were fired in a salute, one for each of the original colonies. 

Gloria Estafan's song America is an uplifting song for the Fourth of July.

I was feeling patriotic with red, white, and blue brownies.

Enjoy your 4th of July celebrations!

It's Slice of Life Tuesday and I am joining Two Writing Teachers to celebrate the right to write freely!

Celebrate Creative Moments

“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.” 

Jack London

How many times have you been in the zone, ignited the creative spark, and watched the flame flicker and grow stronger? These creative moments are triggered by curiosity and passion. Perseverance pushes the wonderer to discover the magic that causes a flame to burn bright. 

This week was full of creative magic. I watched creative sparks explode as a group of graduate students unleashed their creativity during an ELA Summer Institute at Molloy College.

Images credited to Kent Kristensen (L) and Elizabeth Sherwooed (R)

You can view the Google Slide presentation created by the graduate students here.

Norms and protocols set the stage for an intensive four-day program that focused on the power of writing in a variety of forms to engage learners. 

Teachers who teach writing must be writers was the focal thought. 

With zest for creation, the group collaborated, designed, reflected, and shared authentic work. A slide presentation, Unleashing Creativity: Finding Our Voice, was the  result of concentrated effort to blend art, digital mediums, and technology with poetry. The end product was a thoughtful and vibrant  example of journeying through a process. 

The excitement felt throughout the institute sparked my creative juices, as well. I was inspired by the educators to write and bake, two passions of mind. 

Finding your voice is a vital part of life's journey. To be real one must discover whom he/she is. When voice is found, it is as shiny as a new penny. Then, the real magic of writing with voice begins. Modeling the process for learners is the next step. 

Happy Fourth of July from Long Island, NY to your locale!

Photographed by CVarsalona at Nassau County’s 14th annual Fourth of July fireworks at Eisenhower Park, Long Island. 

I'm celebrating with Ruth Ayres at Celebrate This Week.