The security checkpoints weren't so bad where we were at 7th Street. The crowd was late arriving, as were we, and the Mall was gently packed by the time the fireworks started.
Behind us, we could see the Capitol all lit up for the concert there. In front of us, the Washington Monument was slowly enveloped in thick smoke from the fireworks as the oppressive humid air kept it from rising too quick.
The fireworks were terrific, as always, but we were a bit put off by the "peace symbol" fireworks that were part of the display.
Earlier in the day, tgslTakoma and I met other D.C. Chapter members at Morton Blackwell's annual 4th of July picnic at Fort Hunt Park near Mount Vernon. I gave Asa Hutchison a photograph I had taken of him and his fellow House Managers Ed Bryant and Bill McCollum outside the Mayflower Hotel after the trio had interviewed Monica Lewinsky before her testimony in the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton. He signed a couple posters of the "How Would He Vote?" full page ad Free Republic placed in the Washington Times the day before the Senate voted to not convict Clinton. I also gave Hutchison one of Angelwood's buttons that said, "Apologize for Impeachment? NEVER."
After the picnic, we stopped by the Pentagon to tend the memorial for 9-11. The snow fencing put around the memorial trees has allowed the grass around them to return to the point that the grass is overgrown and concealing some of the tributes left there. We spruced it up a little and will do more this weekend.
Even though it was miserably hot today, and the threat of terrorism was never far from our minds, we enjoyed the day and did nothing different than we would in other years.
This we were able to do because of the brave men and women in uniform who stood guard today protecting our Liberty. My thanks to all of them.