Bristol Harbor, in winter
Happy Fourth of July!
With Hugo in town and not yet up for 9-hour drives, we’ll be missing out on the 227th consecutive Independence Day celebration in Bristol, RI (photos above from last year’s parade), but if we can’t be in the “home of the 4th of July”, than Washington, DC is a great second-best!
Military Mom Pays It Forward With Camo Quilts - Bristol-Warren, RI Patch
One Bristol resident has taken it upon herself to find ways to help fund a volunteer organization that makes and ships quilts to members of the military.
Military mom JoAnne Camara has seen her son off on three deployments in the last four years. So when her son Thomas was deployed to Afghanistan for the second time on Jan. 2, 2012, Camara sought to keep his spirits up by sending him a quilt made by volunteers in Wisconsin. They’re not just any quilts, though: these are made from the same material as military uniforms so that the troops can use them out in the open and strap them to the outside of their bags.
“I heard about the organization and was amazed at what they do,” Camara said, noting that the volunteers make the quilts for free and ship them straight to the soldier.
But after Camara placed her order, she couldn’t help but think of the other 25 troops in her son’s group that would gladly welcome a gift from home. Then, when she learned that her son would be working with another group of 26 Navy Seabees, she knew she had to reach out to the organization to see if something could be done for them as well. After an emotional and awe-inspiring experience working with the Camo Quilt Project organizer, Linda Wieck, the organization sent out 52 Camo Quilts to the two groups, including Camara’s son, at no cost to her other than the postage. “You have no idea what a difference something like that can make,” Camara said. “My son called me and said, ‘Ma, you should have seen it. The whole camp was covered with troops in these blankets.’” Now, inspired by the organization’s kindness, Camara has taken it upon herself to find ways to help support Camo Quilt Project’s efforts.
“When I talked to Wieck she said that a lot of people don’t even realize the war is still going on because it’s not really in the mainstream media anymore, so the donations to the group have been very sparse,” Camara said. She said it costs about $25 in material for each of the quilts to be made. In an effort to help the organization continue to deliver the comfort of home overseas, Camara has spent the last month and a half distributing flyers and sending out mass e-mails to friends, family and community members sharing her story and asking for their help to pay it forward.
“A lot of times people don’t know what they can do for our troops,” Camara said. “But this is the perfect opportunity to give them something they can use and can remind them of the love they have back home.” So far, Camara has received donations totaling more than $3,370, which she says is the equivalent to more than 135 quilts.
Way to go, Mrs. Camara — who was named Greatest Person of the Day by Huffington Post today!
Red, white and blue granola for the 4th: my dad’s recipe, with local blueberries, and strawberries and raspberries he picked from his garden a few minutes ago.
Delicious!
When my parents text me photos like this one, I know they’re just trying to make me look forward to visiting them in R.I. this weekend.
But sending this is just not fair, as I’m stuck in a cubicle for the next 4 hours.
(On the other hand, I’m impressed that my mom can now send photos over the phone).
The Best Facial Hair in the Civil War | Smithsonian Magazine
There are some I’m not sure how you can pick anyone other than Ambrose Burnside, who in addition to being a native of my hometown, had the only facial hairstyle named for him (sideburns).
Now, it’s not the best overall Civil War era namesake (that, of course, would be the questionably-factual General Joseph Hooker), but easily the best hairstyle name..
(Thanks to Liz for passing this along).
Any time I think the weather is too hot this summer, I think about what it would be like to wear this outfit in the heat.
(Ferko String Band Drum Major, in 92 degree sunshine, Bristol 4th of July Parade 2010, JA)
