“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” –Erma Bombeck

I do love America! And I really love the Fourth of July. I think one of the best inventions ever was the summertime three-day weekend from work. It is the savior of nine-to-fivers nationwide who are yearning for just a few more hours of summertime fun and freedom.

This year the Fourth of July is going to be very special, as my home gets a friendly invasion of out-of-town family, and I’m going to take a few days off to relax and hang out with them, play in the sand, and do a few downward dogs on the beach.

I’ll be kicking the weekend off on Friday with a waterfront yoga class at the Vermilion Boat Club and beach yoga classes at 9:30 am on Friday and Saturday in Huron, Ohio. If your yoga studio is closed on the fourth and you want a special yoga treat, cruise on out to the Firefly Beach Resort in Huron, Ohio, this Monday for a beach yoga class at 9:30 a.m. I’ll be leading both of my outdoor yoga classes on Monday morning and hope to see lots of friendly faces.

Most of my life it has rained for some portion of the Fourth of July weekend, so here’s hoping the holiday weather gods look kindly upon Ohio or wherever you live and bless us with an amazing weekend of food, fun, family, friends, fireworks, beach yoga, and lots of sparklers (sparklers may just be the second best invention ever!).

If you log on to The Daily Downward Dog over the next few days, you won’t find any new posts, as I’ll be officially commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the glorious gift of the federal holiday three-day weekend. Enjoy the fun and I’ll be back at some point next week, sunburned, bloated, and happy.

You can find all of the details about The Daily Downward Dog summer beach yoga classes at http://bit.ly/beachyogarocks.