Declaring independence

I was up before 5 this morning and spent most of the day on the road; had to deliver a spare car key to our daughter up in the San Juans, which meant 4 different ferry rides total...

I met my husband in the Skagit Valley somewhere in the middle of that and we went to dinner at a lovely little out-of-the-way restaurant called The Rhododendron Cafe; very tasty food.

And I got to go to LaConner, one of my favorite places to go gallery hopping and get inspiration.

But this image comes from the ship yards of Anacortes (I had an extra hour to spend before catching the second ferry, so I poked around a bit). I didn't have to manipulate it too much before it started looking a bit like a really bizarre flag, so I think of it as my Happy Fourth of July present to you!

We live a short way across the water from an Indian Reservation, so the fireworks are already beginning and my dog is lying as close to my feet as is caninely possible; it may be a long night. But I wish you a very happy Independence Day -- and invite you to think what you most need to declare independence from. I've decided to declare independence from my inner judge; we'll see how that goes! In the meantime,

Happy Fourth!