Monday Musings - July 3, 2017

People on the Canaveral Beach
July 2, 2017

1. Happy Independence Day! Enjoy the Fourth. 

Carnaval Cruise Ships Departing Port Canaveral
July 2, 2017

2. Sitting on the balcony of a cruise ship looking at the placid waters of the Caribbean without any land in sight; the ultimate way to spend a vacation.

3. I was amazed at how many people were at the beach yesterday as the ship departed Port Canaveral.

4. I was ready for a front row seat for the Space-X Falcon 9 launch, but it was scrubbed with 9 seconds to go. The ultimate downer.

Waiting in Our Cabin
July 2, 2017

5. There was something nice about being greeted in our cruise ship cabin with a filled bottle of sparkling wine and a bottle of red wine. It made sitting on the balcony yesterday as we pulled out of port that much better.

6. Getting ready for the holiday, The New York Times taste tested hot dogs to find the best. Find the results here.

Headlines

7. Independent Press Is Under Siege as Freedom Rings - The New York Times

Excerpt:

You’re old enough to know that you can’t always have a feel-good birthday. And let’s face it: This Fourth of July just isn’t going to be one of them.

How could it be when one of the pillars of our 241-year-old republic — the First Amendment — is under near-daily assault from the highest levels of the government?

8. Therapy animals are everywhere. Proof that they help is not. - The Washington Post

Quote for the Week

"Our country's greatest asset is not our vast expanse of land and not our abundant resources or our temperate climate. Instead, what will serve America most in the years ahead, our most precious possession, is the genius of our people."

Ronald Reagan

Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the National Medals of Science and Technology, June 25, 1987

-- Bob Doan, writing from aboard The Oasis of the Seas somewhere in the Caribbean Sea