Abraham Lincoln Versus A Balrog Of Moria

"No, Benjamin, I don't think we can include the right to cuddling with French baronesses in the Declaration of Independence." ~ John Adams, June 24th, 1776

"Four score and seven days ago, I fought a Balrog of Moria, a demon of the ancient world. And let me tell you, dispatching that shadow and flame monster wasn't all that hard." ~ Abraham Lincoln, February 20th, 1865

Today is the Fourth of July for my American mates. Before getting into anything, some links to point out. Norma writes about Minions at her blog, and is starting up a weekly photoblog there as well. Head over to Shelly's blog and show her some support, as one of her two dogs doesn't have much time left.

As with my Canada Day post, it has become my habit to feature places in America I have been to, or would like to see. Since there are fifty states, I feature half of them in a year, with the other half the following year. These pics are not mine, but drawn from the web. Happy Independence Day! Don't trust anyone with fireworks who says "Hey, wanna watch something hilarious?"

Bowdoin College, Maine

Bunker Hill National Historical Park, Massachusetts

Mount Eisenhower, New Hampshire

Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Pennsylvania

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware

Nantahala Gorge, North Carolina

Biscayne National Park, Florida

St. Simons Island, Georgia

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Alabama

Perryville Battlefield, Kentucky

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Battlefield, Virginia

Kimmswick, Missouri

U.S. Grant Home, Galena, Illinois

Mackinac Island, Michigan

Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Pompey's Pillar, Montana

Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Zion Canyon National Park, Utah

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Redwood National Park, California

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska