Several years ago on the Fourth of July, my son was traveling in the Netherlands. He walked past the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. Overcome with patriotism, he took this picture of the American flag waving proudly above the outpost of U.S. diplomacy. He wanted another picture, one with the Stars and Stripes unfurled to greater dramatic effect. So he loitered across the street from the embassy, waiting for the breeze to catch the flag.
The Dutch police decided he was a threat. They pulled him aside and questioned him. He was apparently able to convince the local authorities that he was not a terrorist (though he does sport a beard),and was merely a homesick American celebrating his nation’s birthday. At least, I assume he was persuasive—he never called me from a Dutch jail.
What are some of your memorable Fourth of July celebrations?
Theresa is the award-winning author of historical fiction about settling the American West. Before she turned to writing, Theresa was an attorney, mediator, and human resources executive.
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I was in Beijing a few years ago and wanted a photo of Mao’s mausoleum. Unfortunately, there was a guard who kept getting in the way. Finally, i took a photo with the guard in it. He glared at me. I thought I was going to lose my camera, but he just yelled and turned away. I got the gist of his message. Chinese jail? No! No!