The Fourth of July, summer’s high-water mark. Fireworks, right? I used to watch a spectacular display over the Detroit River made all the more riveting for an 8-year-old kid like me by the fact that there was a foreign country on the other side, mysterious Canada.
When we moved to Detroit from Philly one of the great allures was that I was practically moving to a foreign country. Far-flung Michigan was exotic enough but another country right next door? That made it seem all very exotic to someone who’d never been east of the Alleghenies. I mean did Canadians have Fourth of July? Fireworks? Baseball? All I knew was that they were sort of English.
At almost the same time in July, Detroit held its famous Gold Cup Hydroplane Power Boat Races on the river. They had fireworks afterwards, and sometimes unplanned ones during the race. The boats traveled at insane speeds with what always looked like minimum stability on the water. They were loud and reeked of racing fuel and the drivers were known to take chances. It was like the Indy 500 on water. The race was exciting and a ton of fun to watch. And that’s what summers are for—fun.
If anyone asks me what I’m doing for fun this summer I will say a lot of it is taking place right here on Guidepostsmag.com. We’ve had a ball—and a few niggling technical glitches—keeping this interim site going while we build the big one for a fall launch.
We didn’t just want to have one of those pages that said “under construction.” That’s annoying, isn’t it? We wanted a “sandbox” site where we could try things out and you could come and tell us what you like and what you think. What works for you and what doesn’t. And you’ve been great partners so far. But I want to hear more of your comments, personal stories, health tips, spiritual insights, favorite photos and recipes.
This is your site too, so don’t be shy. Have some fun. Summer will be over before you know it.
Edward Grinnan is Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of GUIDEPOSTS Publications.
