We wish a very special 4th of July to our great neighbours in Palm Springs, Erna and Marvin, our pool friends, my bookclub buddies, and Jim's scholar friends.
Our good memories of the United States began for both Jim and I very early in life. Since Vancouver is very close to the border, our families often went for day trips and it was always exotic for kids....different chocolate bars, baseball cards, comics, pops,....all the important things in life for a kid.
We've had wonderful experiences travelling just for fun, our year in Eugene doing graduate work, and also Jim's research took us places we probably never would have got to. We met super people and saw many wonderful libraries and art galleries and enjoyed fabulous meals and scenery. And now we have our own little piece of paradise in our beloved Palm Springs.
This anecdote (which I've probably posted before) sums up Americans the best. We had arrived in New York the day before after a very tiring flight and headed out in a raging rain storm to take the bus to Columbia University where Jim was doing research. Of course we didn't have any change for the bus fare. We got on the bus and explained our situation to the bus driver. A woman sitting at the front of the bus took out her bag of change she always travelled with just so she could help people like us. Yeah....you gotta love Americans. Enjoy your day!
