I think that Sousa's best piece is "Stars and Stripes
Forever". They used to finish up with that one as the grand finale at Dogwood Dell (park) in Richmond on the 4th of July. Last week the concert was canceled because of the virus, the year before it was canceled because of rain. This time when I called Recreations and Parks I was told that they weren't going to have music. I believe they had the fireworks. But I didn't go. From what I read in the paper some years ago, they were getting to fireworks from Red China. I still would go for the music, and leave after "Stars and Stripes" was played. I told a security guard that it was grotesque to celebrate freedom by buying the products of a totalitarian dictatorship.

Yeah? Reminded me of when I watched a video of Lee Greedwood's song "God Bless the USA" recently and my son asked me why I had tears in my eyes. That song brings me back a couple decades or more when I really thought America had a bright future and real freedom and liberty. When I first heard the song I think I was in my mid-20s. I got my pilots license at 20 and was flying all over California every chance I got. I'd drop in at air shows all over and that song was the soundtrack to Julie Clark's air show routine in her beautiful T-34. I'd watch that routine and feel like I was in the best place in the world. Now: I see news headlines this morning about anti-vaxxers in private Florida school. What the hell happened to America in the last few decades? We are turning into the citizens in Orwell's 1984.

I played the French Horn and I was put in the high school band when I was in the 6th grade. Stayed there through graduation but I turned down a music scholarship to the U. of Texas. Didn't fit my plans Daddy said I couldn't go to that party school He wanted me to go to Rice U. I explained to him 98% of the women in Texas were beautiful and the other 2% went to Rice. I didn't.