Howdy doody pardners and a great big Happy 4th July to all my cousins from across the pond. Just a brief blog this week as Young Ben and I are preparing our firework display for this evening and we have still to finish off our float for the parade. The theme is America's Friends across the Globe. Everyone else seems to be going for Israel so we think we could be on to a winner with our Pakistan themed float which is a model of the compound formerly occupied by a certain Mr Bin Laden although we are having some last minute hitches hiring Blackhawk Helicopters for the day. Young Ben says his contacts at The Mickey Mouse Club have let him down and we may have to improvise with paper aeroplanes
I have never been in The States on 4th July but I have been there at Thanksgiving and to be fair to them they certainly know how to put on a show and have no qualms at expressing their patriotism. I attended Basketball and Ice Hockey matches at Madison Square Gardens in New York and the national anthem was received with vigour by the crowd on both occasions
On one of the occasions I arrived in New York just in time for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Even after witnessing Disney parades in Florida that one was just a bit special
There are not many places in the world I would rather live than Scotland but I have to admit if I won The Lottery I would seriously consider a place on the West Coast of The USA. The time I visited San Francisco I took a day trip down the coast which included visits to Monterey with Cannery Row made famous by John Steinbeck, Carmel which was the setting for the movie Play Misty For Me starring Clint Eastwood, who later went on to be mayor of the town and the wonderful 17 Mile Drive down the Pacific Coast with the spectacular Lone Cypress and which took in Pebble Beach and the famous Golf Course where Graeme McDowell won The US Open in 2010. I think spending the 4th of July anywhere down that way would be very pleasant indeed
I can see Young Ben attaching rockets to the neighbour's dog so I leave you this week with my special 4th Of July USA themed play list
1. Wichita Lineman......................................Glen Campbell
2. Do You Know The Way To San Jose.....Dionne Warwick
3. Ventura Highway.....................................America
4. Nashville Cats...........................................The Lovin' Spoonful
5. Miami.........................................................Will Smith
6. Viva Las Vegas.........................................Elvis Presley
7. An Englishman In New York..................Sting
8. Philadelphia Freedom ............................Elton John
9. San Franciscan Nights............................Eric Burdon
10 Walking In Memphis.............................Marc Cohn
11. LA Woman.............................................The Doors
12. 24 Hours From Tulsa...........................Gene Pitney
13. By The Time I Get To Pheonix..........Glen Campbell
14. City Of New Orleans............................Willie Nelson
15. Atlantic City..........................................Bruce Springsteen (you didn't think I would leave Bruce out did you)?
Altogether now ...'Oh say can you see.........................'
Have A Nice Day!
Good stuff as always, but you could have saved a lot of time by just going for Route 66.
ReplyDeletePersonally, being of a certain generation, my top 5 or 6 would all be San Francisco-related.
And if I were to be picky - yes, all right - then I would suggest Chuck Berry's Memphis Tennessee is a far superior offering than your number 10. Also slightly surprised that Chicago isn't your kinda town.
As a truce, may I suggest Paul Simon's brilliant 'America'.