Happy Belated Birthday, America!  I couldn't find this image last week in order to do a July 4th post.  I took this photo from a ferry boat in New York Harbor in June 2004.  It is one of my favorite photos! 

I finally found the digital photo yesterday in a folder of transferred files from my old PC.

Visiting the Statue of Liberty, a universal symbol of freedom and democracy, is a must for all Americans.  The idea for a national monument for the U.S. was proposed by Frenchman Edouard de Laboulaye in 1865.  "Ten years later, with the help of friend and sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, Laboulaye turned his proposal into a reality. In September 1875, he announced the project and the formation of the Franco-American Union as its fundraising arm. With the announcement, the statue was given a name, Liberty Enlightening the World. The French people would finance the statue; the American people would be expected to pay for the pedestal."  http://www.nps.gov/stli/historyculture/edouard-de-laboulaye.htm.

Many people think the Statue is located on Ellis Island; it is not.  The Statue is on Liberty Island, thus you have to take a ferry to and from each.  Visiting the Ellis Island Immigration Museum is a humbling experience, envisioning the millions who came to our country seeking the American Dream.  If you have not already made this visit, the operating hours are listed here:  http://www.nps.gov/elis/planyourvisit/hours.htm.  And did you know that Irving Berlin, who wrote our unofficial national anthem, "God Bless America," was an immigrant who left his home in Siberia when he was only 5 years old?  "Stand beside her and guide her  ...." ♥