Independence Day in Oz - Part I

To celebrate the fourth of July, I thought I'd post some photos of my only Independence Day spent NOT in the United States of America. Several years ago I spent three weeks backpacking through Australia with my sister (who had previously spent a semester there studying abroad). One of our stops was to visit a college mate of my sister's, Brendan (AKA Nuggy), at his humble abode:


Being a fabulous host, Nuggy decided to throw a fourth of July bash for us in his basement (oh the college days) despite the fact that it is just another day in Oz. He rounded up some of the most American things he could find including

• Red, white, and blue streamers
• A Canadian flag on the dartboard (apparently us Americans despise Canadians...who knew?)
• Sparklers
• A poster of the Hoff (AKA David Hasselhoff) and some Baywatch babes

Thanks, Nuggy, for making us feel right at home on the other side of the world!


You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~Erma Bombeck


P.S. This year is my sister's first year actually living in the land down unda on the fourth. Stay tuned for how her and her husband, Dan decided to celebrate the land of the free and home of the brave...trust me it's VERY American!