A parade, a beach club, a sister’s barbecue, fireworks that take me straight back to childhood, and a full week of beautiful things to share
Happy 4th of July, friends. America turns 250 today, and I think that is worth pausing over for a moment before we get to the fun parts.
The first colonists arrived in the 1600s as British subjects, proud of their English heritage, and for more than a century they were content to be exactly that. It was taxation without consent, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, that changed things. Even then, the initial goal was simply to secure their rights as Englishmen, not to found a new country. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense changed that. And on July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and the United States of America was born.
I have a personal connection to this history that I have always loved. I lived in southeastern Virginia for thirteen years, and the Thoroughgood family was one of the founding families of that region. Captain Adam Thoroughgood arrived on the ship Charles in 1621, worked off his indenture, rose to prominence and eventually accumulated over 7,000 acres in what is now Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake. His sixth-generation descendant, Colonel John Thoroughgood Jr., represented Princess Anne County at the Virginia Convention of 1776, the very convention that voted for independence from Britain. He later served in the inaugural session of the Virginia House of Delegates.
And here we are, 250 years later. I am old enough to remember the 200th anniversary, which tells you something. Last night we watched the first of the weekend fireworks. There is something about fireworks that takes me straight back to childhood, one of my all-time favorite memories. This morning we are off to the village parade, then a few hours at the beach club, then a barbecue at my sister’s. I was in charge of desserts: angel food cake with berries and cream, all-American brownies with hot fudge and ice cream, and my favorite no-bake cheesecake. After dark, round two of the fireworks. The only thing missing is my mom, but she will be here in two weeks.
Juliet is off this week so Kim and I are holding down the fort. We have lots to share. Let’s meander.
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Weekend Home Tours
Three this week and each one completely different from the last.
Le Farmhouse Provence is an account that I recently discovered. David and Dave are two Americans who left corporate careers to restore an 18th-century Provencal farmhouse in the heart of Provence. Sun-filled kitchen, cozy living spaces, olive groves, and a garden that makes you want to sit down and never leave. They share the restoration, the seasonal cooking, the local markets and the slower rhythms of life in the French countryside. If you love France and farmhouses and the idea of a life built around beauty and nature, subscribe immediately.
At Home with Sophie Hicks on Homing is the one I watched twice. Sophie Hicks is one of Britain’s most respected architects, known for designing spaces for Paul Smith, Yohji Yamamoto and Acne Studios. But before all of that she worked alongside Grace Coddington and Azzedine Alaia, styled shoots for Vogue and Tatler, and appeared on the cover of i-D magazine photographed by David Bailey. This conversation explores her childhood between London and Sussex, why she pivoted from fashion to architecture, and her belief that spaces should do as little as possible while meaning as much as possible. It is a beautiful hour.
At the Cinema
The Debut, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg and starring Julianne Moore, Jesse Eisenberg and Paul Giamatti, is at the top of my list. Three actors I would watch in anything.
Climbing Into Life is the documentary I cannot wait to see. Dierdre Wolownick is the mother of Alex Honnold, the free solo climber, and this film tells her story, not his. How she went from a completely consumed mother and professor to climbing the wall of El Capitan at 71. She confronts fear and ageism and the assumption that retirement means slowing down, and finds an entirely new community and version of herself in the outdoors. This one is for every woman who has been told her best years are behind her.
Late Fame stars Willem Dafoe as a legendary New York poet whose forgotten work suddenly captivates an eccentric group of young creatives, reigniting everything he thought was finished. With Greta Lee and directed by Kent Jones. Dafoe can do no wrong as far as I am concerned and this one looks extraordinary.
A Little Perspective
This short film from The Met is part of their Meet Me at the Met series, and it features writer Ann Patchett and her dear friend Marti Fischer walking through the European Paintings galleries together. Ann and Marti began coming to The Met when they were students at Sarah Lawrence College, and Ann says she thought: this is the grown-up world, the beautiful world of my future. In this visit, Marti helped Ann choose which painting from the collection to include in her latest novel Whistler. They look at a Rousseau and a Monet. It is warm and funny and the kind of thing that makes you want to call your oldest friend and make a plan. You can find more films in the Meet Me at the Met series here.
Happy Independence Day, friends. Tell me: what are your 4th of July traditions? And do fireworks still give you that childhood feeling, or is it just me? Leave a note in the comments.
Don’t forget to visit Kim at Northern California Style. We always have lots to share.
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Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend, friends.
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