Saturday, Fourth of July, I am returning home from a hike in the Marble Hill Natural Resource Area, a Warren County preserve just north of Phillipsburg along the Delaware River.  This is a beautiful 288 acre preserve.  My intent was to take some photos from a scenic overlook above the river and that was going to be my Photo of the Week article.  What I didn’t realize until reaching the overlook and then later reading about the preserve ***This is a seasonal overlook!!!***  I am now heading back home and pass this tractor trailer with it bed raised and a large American Flag draped from it, I turn around and take the photo.  Suddenly I am getting more and more into the Fourth of July Spirit – HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!  I believe I have my Photo of the Week article!!

Going through my photo collections over the years, I have been struck, just how many times, Old Glory – Our American Flag, was ever present in the photos!!

All sizes, from the largest free hanging flag in the world, hanging from the George Washington Bridge to a little stick pin flag, for handouts at events!!  I soon began to ponder, what a wonderful recurring theme for displaying my photos celebrating Our Natural, Historic Sites or Cultural Heritage Events!!  I began to create a series of albums named ‘Old Glory – Our American Flag’ and have been following up on this theme!  So far I have three albums on my Flickr site showing off Old Glory & Celebrating Everyday Life Events and Interesting Places!!   I can’t think of a better time to send out some photos of Old Glory than a Fourth of July weekend – HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!! 

Please consider these concepts before reviewing the photos linked below!

• There are many pictures within each panorama!!
• Every photo has an American Flag in it, there are several with facsimiles.
• Old Glory is ever present, flying over the multitudes at major events or proudly showing the colors in respect, at a remote almost forgotten site or old cemetery.

Please go to my Flickr site and watch us in action, with Old Glory ever in our presence!

Do three actions looking at each photo:

• find the flag
• look at the photo subject and activity
• identify the location!! 

Old Glory #1

Old Glory #2

Old Glory #3

NOTE:  The photos in my Flickr albums are not exclusively photos inside Warren County but I figure for America’s Birthday, we can expand the envelope!!

Hope you had a Great Fourth of July!!

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran

Charlie Fineran is Allamuchy’s Director of Open Space, Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission Chairman and Allamuchy Historical Society President.