The recent holiday, July 4th, turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever had. I didn’t go more than 10 miles from my house. This was not even a scheduled or planned afternoon and evening.

I have spent this holiday in several different cities and towns. Two of which were at the famous Washington (D.C). Monument with thousands of other people. Several in New York City, Baltimore, St. Louis, and some that are not even worth mentioning.

The July 4th holiday is like many others we celebrate, we often forget why we are celebrating. It should be remembered as one of our country’s most important holidays.

I certainly am not a fan of the horrid loud firecrackers that just make a loud boom. The ones that scare young children, pets, and some adults. I was not surprised that many cities canceled their show because of the economy.

It has always seemed to me that they are not only dangerous, but very costly. This for a few minutes of having your hair stand on end at the loud noises and your ears ring. But many of the pretty ones seem like a true work of art. In the large cities it often takes hours to get to the show, then be surrounded by hundreds of strangers, many of which are acting a bit weird. Then there’s the show that never lasts as long as it took you to get there.

So this year the holiday just seemed to get here so quickly. But every day does at this age. I had not even given any thought to making plans for the holiday.

We had seen our good friends, Lou and Joe Rabel at the animal shelter’s garage sale the day before the holiday.

They live high upon a hill or rather a foot hill overlooking beautiful views. The road going up to their wonderful home is on one of our very “skinny” West Virginia roads. But once up that windy hill, you are really at Almost Heaven West Virginia.

We have had the pleasure of being out to their home several times. It reminds me of why I love being home again. And why John Denver wrote Country Roads.

The Rabels invited us out the next afternoon. I didn’t even think about it being a holiday. It was just going to be another wonderful visit with very nice people and that wonderful view along with the great lack of sounds from cars, planes, sirens, and any other obtrusive sounds.

As I was getting dressed to go out to the hill top, another friend, Elise McIntire, came by. We invited her to go along with us.

We knew the Rabels would welcome her too. Elise gave the invite a moment’s thought, then said, “Sure, why not.”

The drive out there on Whiteman Hill is breathtaking. When you meet another vehicle you just hope they too are natives and know if you run off that skinny road, you’ll never be heard of again.

The foothills are so tall, I doubt if anyone could spot you or even if you knew you were over the long, long roll to the bottom.

As we approached the drive way leading into the Rabel Home, we knew we were at the top of the world. The family greeters, two big loving dogs met us. Their deck would be like a dream to city dwellers, with all its open air, view, and the solitude. Either that or they would have had a heart attack traveling the road out there.

Besides the awesome view, Lou and Joe had prepared heavenly food. They had fresh veggies picked from their gardens, cooked on the grill, homemade ice cream served with a wonderful pineapple cake.

As I enjoyed the solitude of their hot tub, I thought of the many people who had made plans for days for this holiday, traveled a long distance in heavy traffic, and spent a lot of money. I also thought of the many millions of people who lived in war torn countries, real poverty, wondering if they would even be alive the next day.

As I have written several times, I am so at peace being back in my wonderful home state of West Virginia, I once again counted my blessing for my freedom, my friends, and the sheer joy of being home again.