Every Fourth of July my sister and brother-in-law in New Jersey throw a massive backyard barbecue party - cheeseburgers, hot dogs, steak, chicken, cold macaroni salad, green salad, fresh Jersey corn, watermelon...it seems endless. An indispensable element is her Fourth of July flag cake. Yum yum yum.
Home later today.
We are in Ridgewood, New Jersey, with a crowd of family, from baby to octogenarian, hiding inside from the heat. My sister-in-law noticed two fawns outside the window. Mom was off wangering somewhere, but these two were remarkably calm.
Couldn't resist. Another spiral, maybe better than the last one. Interesting views all over the new Powell Hall.
We're in New Jersey now, visiting my three sibs, their spouses, kids and grandkids. We flew into La Guardia, which is a pretty nice airport these days. When we got in the rental car it was 106 F / 41 C, worse than back home. No outdoor activities here, but we all have AC.
When Powell Symphony Hall reopened almost a year ago, we found an ultra-modern new building surrounding two sides of the old one. It adds a lot of space for the public, but also adequate dressing rooms for the musicians, especially the women, who now make up half of the players. They have a comfortable lounge. There are proper executive offices, a music library, instrument storage and a large public education room. Lots of the inside views are pretty good, too.
Too little is trouble. Too much is trouble. Too hot or cold can be a problem. Yet we can't live without it. We are water based organisms on the water planet. The illustration is snow melt on the street beneath the Arch. See how wet other City Daily Photo members are at https://citydailyphoto.org/2026/06/23/july-theme-water/
