Sorry, John, But Naming The Country After Yourself Just Can't Be Done

"Doctor Franklin, I appreciate your sentiments most deeply, but I don't believe we can get away with adding chocolate as something we have an unalienable right to." ~ Thomas Jefferson, June 30th, 1776

"Benjamin, are you a betting man? I'll bet you that when we bring out the document for signing, that bloody idiot Hancock will have the biggest signature of everyone in the room. The dimwit is so full of himself, after all. If it was up to him, he'd name this new country we're creating the United States of Hancock." ~ John Adams, June 30th, 1776

Well, it's Independence Day tomorrow in the United States, and so it seems entirely appropriate to do today what I did in my blog for Canada Day, namely a photo blog of places Before I get into that, yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, and Norma reminded me of a blog I did a long while back. So I'll leave the link for Amelia Earhart's lost diary with you. Just don't read that blog if you're a member of the Earhart or Noonan clans. You'll probably want to have me killed.

The other Corps of Discovery

To the business at hand, then. Check out Norma's Fourth of July blog too, where fireworks are the order of the day. And since there are fifty states (and one District), I thought I'd take half, and run with the same theme next year. I've left some easy ones for next year (though Arkansas might be a nuisance; the first thing that comes to mind would be the sleazy motel where Bill Clinton took whichever intern caught his eye that week, and who wants to see that? Not me).

And so I'll take you on a tour now, across America, to some places I've been, and others that I'd love to see for myself. Happy Fourth of July, my Yankee friends!

Acadia National Park, Maine

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Mount Washington, New Hampshire

Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania

Arlington National Military Cemetery, Virginia

Murderkill River, Delaware

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

A friendly fellow, Everglades National Park, Florida

Stone Mountain, Georgia

Russell Cave, Alabama

Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

Mark Twain childhood home, Hannibal, Missouri

Abraham Lincoln home, Springfield, Illinois

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

Chimney Rock, Nebraska

Fort Mandan National Historic Site, North Dakota

White Cliffs of the Missouri River, Montana

Lower Yellowstone Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Kilauea, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

Yosemite National Park, California

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington

Denali (Mount McKinley), Denali National Park, Alaska