Happy Independence Day!

When we hear "Oh beautiful, for spacious skies" and other patriotic odes to America this Independence Day, I hope many of us will be thinking about preserving the spectacular beauty and bountiful natural resources of this nation, as well as its promises of freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In this vein, here's a photo taken at sunset from the Sandia Mountain foothills in Albuquerque by our good friend Victor (Julio) Rodriguez:

(Click on image for larger version)

I think it's also a good day to just BE IN the moment and celebrate life (especially since Family Dog's Chet Helms passed away from complications from a stroke on June 25th):

We're flying our Stars and Stripes out front today, right along side our made-from-hula-hoop-pieces-and-xmas-lights peace sign. How about you? It's OUR flag too!

It's always a good idea to read our Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July, just to remember what, exactly, we're commemorating on this day.

Finally, since our friend Victor is originally from Costa Rica, click to see his native country's flag and check out its national anthem.