Happy Independence Day

This will be my 23rd Fourth-of-July. It's a particularly nostalgic holiday, for I associate with it many wonderful memories from childhood: foot-long hot-dogs, lightning bugs, Bomb Pops, games of catch, writing our names in the dark with sparklers. The older I've gotten I find myself looking forward to nothing in particular about the 4th, but the colors red, white, and blue remain an appealing combination, regardless of their patriotic usage. Check out this flower, Aechmea cultivar (photo taken by Stan Zimmy), to see what I mean: