Allen's Blog - P. Allen Smith Garden Home » u.s. http://www.pallensmith.com/blog P. Allen Smith is an award-winning garden expert, author, and television host. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Happy Independence Day – 10 Things that Inspire Me http://www.pallensmith.com/blog/celebrations/10-things-that-inspire-me http://www.pallensmith.com/blog/celebrations/10-things-that-inspire-me#comments Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:30:56 +0000 P. Allen Smith http://www.pallensmith.com/blog/?p=304 Flag waving at the Garden Home RetreatHappy Independence Day! I hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying their celeb­rat­ions. I’ve just returned from a trip to Great Britain where I visited some amazing estates and gardens. The trip provided a much needed refill for the old creativity tank, but I’m glad to be back on home ground.

When traveling I do a lot of reflecting. It’s really one of the few times when my attention isn’t pulled in 100 directions so there’s space in my mind for thoughts other than “What’s next?” Maybe it’s because it is July 4th or because I was in a foreign country, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I appreciate most here in the U.S. On my flight home I came up with a list of 10 things that I find inspiring about this country.

  • Thomas Jefferson and Monticello
  • Our National Parks System
  • American farmers
  • George Washington and Mt. Vernon
  • Arlington National Cemetery
  • American ingenuity and the free market system
  • Freedom of speech
  • PBS and NPR
  • American armed services
  • Bluegrass music
  • American cuisine (I adore fresh blackberry cobbler and homemade ice cream)
  • Garrison Keillor

What do you find inspirational about the United States?

]]> http://www.pallensmith.com/blog/celebrations/10-things-that-inspire-me/feed 75