Happy Birthday to the United States of America!

Happy birthday, America.

Today we celebrate 248 years of this great nation and its people. Aside from a faltering economy and two presidential candidates, one with aging issues and the other struggling with narcissism, I believe we can navigate our way to another 248 years of democracy if we can find a way to get along. It would help the morale of this country if our leaders could model what “getting along” looks like, but I digress.

Before I mix in a bit of last year’s column with this year’s (mostly because I was so excited to have my whole family in town for the first time since Christmas that I almost forgot my deadline), I’d like to salute the community of Oroville and the firefighters who are battling a difficult fire amid intense heat and high winds. Stay safe, everyone. It’s truly disappointing to have to deal with the magnitude of what our neighbors are facing while celebrating the birth of our nation.

Our plan is to go through the incredible 4th of July parade in Los Molinos at 10am this morning and watch small town America put on a show. If you don't have any plans for your morning, grab a lawn chair and head to Highway 99E and Sherwood Boulevard. It's always a big parade, followed by festivities at Mill Creek Park. I've never been to the park on the 4th of July, but I've heard it's a great place for families.

When I was a kid, family traditions included grilling giant oysters and hamburgers by the pool with potato salad and watermelon, with our grandparents, our one cousin, and a few uncles if they were in town. The pool started out as a giant tub of water, and that was just as fun because we would flip it over when the water turned green and start over with ice water, challenging each other to jump in first. A full-blown sibling fight would usually ensue when the strongest middle sibling managed to throw the others in first.

The older members of our extended family had to leave early because my most vivid memories involve my siblings, along with our country neighbours, taking turns to hand-spin the ice cream maker and play Kick the Can late into the night, after all the sparklers and snakes had been spent.

We hid along ditches, in sheds, and behind peach trees, waiting for the coast to clear so we could return to base, which was usually an empty coffee can. Whoever shouted “Slap the can” while giving the Folgers can a quick kick was declared safe and could not be the hunter for the next game.

When our kids were little, we loved taking annual trips to Lake Almanor organized by gracious friends. Sadly, those days ended when the filmmaker made too many appearances at softball all-star games and then traveled to Oregon for the annual Nike End of the Trails tournament during high school basketball games. It seems like the first week of July is all about youth sports tournaments in this beautiful country. To me, it also signals Wimbledon and the very short grass court season for tennis fans.

California is a beautiful part of the United States. I have no idea why people choose to move to Texas or Idaho, but I know many friends and family members who have done just that and claim to be completely happy.

Have you ever spent the winter in Idaho? And what about the ice storm in Texas? I’m pretty sure those people in Texas and Idaho don’t spend the 4th of July on their decks, barbecuing and swimming (a reader said last year that Houston was fabulous, so I’m not including Houston, TX in my analysis). My sister, who recently moved to Idaho, makes friends with the herds of deer and elk that pass through her yard. All her photos are beautiful, but I notice she’s wearing a sweatshirt in most of them. Oh, and she has lovely neighbors; they’re all from Southern California.

Texas has brisket, the Fort Worth Stockyards, and great concert venues. Idaho has lakes, mountains, and potatoes. But nothing beats California, in my humble opinion.

Right here in Tehama County, we have the beautiful Sacramento River. We also have mountains and lakes. In just three hours, we can catch a Giants game (I caught the Dodgers’ bizarre 11-inning win on Saturday) or a solitary A’s game in the Coliseum that was way too big for their final season in the Bay Area. We can see a first-class play or concert. We can feast at some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants or take a short trip to wine country and sample some of the best Cabernets, Pinots, and Merlots around. Mount Shasta, Lassen, the Pacific Coast Highway, the Redwoods—it’s all just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Tehama County.

We also have the safest and freshest food supply. Just a few hours away is the salad bowl of the world, the Salinas Valley. They produce some of the best lettuce, broccoli, kale and artichokes the world has to offer. I often see their produce in New York grocery stores, so I know it must be fresh and safe.

Head northwest on State Route 37 and you’ll find that the happiest cows live in Marin County, not Wisconsin. Along the Marin Headlands, happy cows with indescribable views are busy wagging their tails and churning fabulous milk, butter, and cheese. Point Reyes Station and Tomales Bay are some of my favorite places to hike and buy oysters that taste fresh and tender, unlike the giant ones my dad used to force us to eat on those Fourth of Julys of yore.

Right here in beautiful Tehama County we have the finest beef cattle, almonds and walnuts, prunes, olives, salmon and trout.

America is a beautiful place to live, but for me, California is the cherry on top. I wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July.