From veterans on Veterans Day

One veteran of Vietnam, with tears in his eyes:

"The 60s and 70s were not a very good political time for any of us. To be publicly recognized is huge. It means the world to me. We veterans are basically kind of quiet, we don't bring a lot of attention to ourselves, but to have someone else recognize us means a lot."

One veteran, with her daughter by her side, of more recent conflicts:

"Sometimes, especially in today's generation, we have a tendency to forget the sacrifices made on our behalf. These (Veterans Day) events are building patriotism in a country that feels like it's losing it."

Another veteran, who now serves in Congress:

"I hope we believe in American exceptionalism. There's something extraordinary about this country and you are ignorant of history if you don't believe it. Tens of millions of people throughout the world believe it too. They hope it's true, they want it to be true, because if this world is going to survive, it is because the United States is there to lead it."

Messin' with the moon

It takes more skill than I have or a better camera or both, but here are a few attempts at capturing the eclipse a few weeks ago.

Even if it's hard to replicate in the lens what is seen with the eye, it's fun to try -- and neat to experience!

Finding, making art on Main Street in Bountiful

It was quiet when the sun first hit the buildings of Main Street in Bountiful, Utah, and still when the first painters arrived to begin work on their pieces for the plein air competition.

After a while, music filled the streets as bands and dancers and soloists performed.

It was the Music & Art Festival on Main.

Whether you're creating it or enjoying it, there is art to be found all around.

 

Worth a look

I take a lot of pictures and I'm fortunate in that quite a few make the paper, but often space constraints or topic focus limit which ones get printed. Here are a few that didn't make the cut but that I still want to share -- somewhere!

 

 Tour of Utah fans (above) and photographers (below). 

 

 

 Library patrons surge into the new Kaysville Branch after a ribbon cutting ceremony (above).

 

  Dancers (above) and musicians (below) at Summerfest share their talents.

 

 Night falls on the Davis County Fair.

In front of the camera instead of behind it -- with a Black Hawk -- photo courtesy a member of the 1-171 Utah Air National Guard.



This week - the world comes to Bountiful

Quite a week! Musicians came for Summerfest International, athletes came for the Tour of Utah. A few countries represented: Chile, Thailand, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania. Loads of fun. Loads of great photo ops. Another week where it's great fun to be in the news business!

More ways to celebrate freedom

 

                The fireworks were grand, the parades were fun. And besides all that, the bike races and flag ceremonies and car shows and concerts were well attended and well received.        

All told, it was a grand party – all over Davis County – as we celebrated together, the independence we have enjoyed in the United States of America for a remarkable 239 years.

More than our country’s independence, we were celebrating the independence we have as individuals to think and say and do and believe as we choose. It’s all certainly worth a party. A big one.

I tried to cover as many events as I could last weekend, starting before 7 one morning and ending after 10 one night, and at each one came away grateful for the chance to celebrate something so significant with so many others who recognize its value as well.

Some highlights: a lieutenant colonel in full uniform saluting as a young group of inexperienced scouts posted the colors, loud applause as a truck bearing veterans who had no doubt seen difficult days went by in a parade, homemade T-shirts with various designs of stars and stripes in red, white and blue, worn by family members of all ages and sizes.

My favorite: a dad leaning over to show his young son how to put his hand on his heart when the flag of the United States went by.

But there are other events besides parades and fireworks extravaganzas that bring a sense of pride in what America stands for and other days besides July 4^th that bear testimony to the impact the decisions of those early founders have had all these many years.

These are places the crowds rarely appear – unless in anger. But they are where America’s system can be seen at its best – and sometimes worst -- and places that should be celebrated as much as any others.

It is in the city hall and the county commission chambers and the school board auditorium and the state legislature.

It is where elected officials take on the tasks of keeping the citizens who elected them safe and secure and on good roads and with good schools and with running water that’s clean enough to drink and electricity that stays on even when it’s 100 degrees outside.

I try to cover as many of these meetings as I can, for the same reasons I cover July 4^th events. They are the living proof of the freedoms of self-government. And while they aren’t always pretty, they are always somehow profound.

I was in a city hall last month where elected officials were taken to task by the people who elected them, for proposing to charge a monthly fee to improve roads. I was in a different city hall last year where citizens were angry that their city government was proposing to build a bigger and better police station. I was at the state capitol once when hundreds chanted for better air, again later when others called for more money for education, and yet again when still others called for better health care. I was in the school district auditorium when district officials laid out the need for more schools, and therefore the need for more money from the community.

These officials do not get any more money for proposing to improve conditions in their cities or for their students. They often only get angry residents. But they have seen a need and they are working to meet it.

Our founders didn’t fight taxation, they fought taxation without representation. When our representatives live among us and see our needs and try to meet them, we have the freedom to be angry and often our pleas get heard and plans get changed and other times we get outvoted and things move ahead and we benefit despite our best efforts.

It’s democracy.

We can vote. We can campaign. We can support. We can complain.

It’s freedom. It’s fireworks.

It’s America.