America, What a Place!

Happy Fourth of July!  I am busy running with my family in the Revolutionary Run, a 5k in Washington Crossing, this morning.  But to help you celebrate, enjoy one of my favorite poems, "The New Colossus," by Emma Lazarus, which is mounted on the side of the Statue of Liberty.

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

You may also recognize it from An American Tail, when it was put to music.  The scene that accompanies that song is when Fievel's ship finally arrives in New York, passing by the in-progress Statue of Liberty.  If you haven't seen this movie, you must.  It is heartbreaking, but the animation, writing, and songs are superb.  Don't worry: there is a very happy ending that includes the title of this post and a shot of the newly finished Statue of Liberty which was built by Henri, the French pigeon.

The images above were taken during our 2nd annual Delaware Canal Tow Path Bikeride.  I'll be back with more pictures and some stories, but until then, eat some cheesedogs, spend some time outside with family and friends, and enjoy the freedoms that we are granted in this great country!