I love old pictures–to see faces, clothing, expressions caught in time. I am so grateful that the Library of Congress keeps such a vast archive of Americana.
Plus, I am feeling both under the weather and oddly patriotic in the nostalgic sense. I will spare you the pictures of me in the neighborhood 1976 Independence parade, even though I did win the cutest costume award. And hey, it’s still July.
I am also feeling the need to be positive. So, enjoy a brief interlude of complete positivity. No lynchings, no crooks, just a mini scrapbook of America. Hey, it’s hokey, but I can be hokey. You know this. (and you secretly like it)
Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution
* Kathleen DuVal
Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence
* Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese
Wives of the Signers
* Mary W. Green
Parading Patriotism: Independence Day Celebrations in the Urban Midwest, 1826-1876 (Early American Places)
* Adam Criblez
and, the great man himself, John Steinbeck: East of Eden
(Read this, look at that farming picture every couple of chapters, see if I’m not right)