Happy Birthday to Us! It's Constitution Day!

That's right, on this day in 1787 the US Constitution was signed in Philadelphia. To learn more about this event that changed the course of history and about the document itself, check out the National Constitution Center site. While you're there, you might like to take the Which Founding Father Are You? quiz. I was rather disappointed with my results - apparently I'm James Madison (snore). Of course, we are the same height (5'3") and both have spouses from Greensboro - so maybe there is a connection . . . still, I'd prefer to be the witty and urbane Ben Franklin or the inventive wordsmith Thomas Jefferson, or, well, enough about that . . .




To celebrate Constitution Day, enjoy this picture of a living flag taken last September 17 at Montpelier (Madison's home in Virginia).

And also this one from 1917 - it's much more professional and was one of a series of 'Living Flag' photographs taken by Arthur S. Mole and John S. Thomas. You can find postcards and photographs of these on eBay. (Also, there was a nice article about these photographs in Martha Stewart Living magazine a few years ago.) The precision is amazing - perhaps one of your ancestors participated in one of these events? How much fun to know your great-grandfather was the fourth red person in the third stripe from the top!

Finally, if you're a fan of P. J. O'Rourke, you must read his essay on Twittering the Constitution. In an effort to make the Consitution accessible to the those who only communicate through social media - he's translated it into 'Twitter-speak'. It's hilarious as you can see from his Preamble:

Pre-A: We the people R the man. Here's how it rolls. Art1: Congress do law. Got Senate/House-o-Reps.

Wishing you the "Blessings of Liberty" (in whichever country you call home).