Happy Birthday America
Happy Birthday America. You are facing many challenges today but you’ve seen worse since your birth. You have survived the murders of 4 of your presidents. Abraham Lincoln was the first.
A shocking act that couldn’t have come at a worse time. Honest Abe’s death left you in a turmoil, carpetbaggers and reconstruction fanned the flames of hatred between North and South. Lincoln never had the chance to “bind up the nation’s wounds”. But you survived.
A lesser known President
Not as well known as Lincoln, your 2nd president to die from gunshot was James A. Garfield. Only 4 months into office he was shot for revenge. Who knows what he could have done had he lived.
And then there were three
William McKinley had led you to prosperity, added territory in the form of Puerto Rico and the Philippines. He should have been well loved but a disturbed individual who adhered to the doctrine of anarchy took his life as he reigned triumphant in his 2nd term! 
And John Makes Four
John F Kennedy was the fourth successful assassination. Kennedy had guided us to the moon and prevented a third world war with nerve wracking brinkmanship over the Bay of Pigs. And then he was gone. War raged in Vietnam and our commander in chief was dead. And yet, you survived.
Today is an uncertain world
I am no historian but in my 60 plus years I do not remember a time when we were more divided. Can our polarizing president overcome today’s divisions and, to borrow from Abraham Lincoln, “bind up the nations’s wounds?” Only time will tell.
The best country in the world
You have hard times ahead I’m afraid. America , you have been through worse. This too shall pass and you will be stronger for it. Happy Birthday America. Celebrate!
A blue jay landed on the porch railing this morning so I’m going to take that as a sign. I picked another “scenic drive” and headed off.
The first one, Noyes Overlook, had a nice panoramic shot but the black flies were nasty even with bug spray. Maybe because of the thunder storm earlier. I’m sure it rained somewhere.
down the trail and got some pictures of the brook that bubbled nearby. I was surprised that even that little bit gave me a thrill.
Moose are active morning and late afternoon and according to the locals from noon to 2 pm as well. I set my camera ISO to 800, lowered my F stop and reduced my shutter speed to compensate for the low light. With a feeling of expectation I headed out to drive route 17, a so called Moose hot spot.
They seem to think it’s their own private way. I was surprised that the speed limit most of the way was 50 miles per hour. No wonder this is a “High Hit Area”. Who can stop fast at that speed? I trundled along at about 35-40 miles per hour pulling over to let the locals pass when I saw them barreling down on me. If you come for a visit do not expect the locals to obey the speed limits. They pass on double lines, drive 75-80 in a 50 mph zone and tail gate. Scary stuff.
I didn’t get to Rumford. When I reached 
could build my own little place this would be perfect. There’s a lovely front porch with 2 Adirondack chairs. They are much more comfortable as an adult than when I was a kid. There’s also a picnic table for eating outside. The decorative touches are wonderful from moose coat hangers to a vintage rotary phone.
My cabin is set back into a little bit of woods. It’s private but not isolated. There are other cabins nearby.