“The best laid schemes of mice and men/Gang aft a-gley.” Robert Burns’s words in “To a Mouse” applies to both the British forces at Yorktown some 200+ years ago and to my plans for today’s 4th of July celebration.

The British expected to quickly subdue the “rabble,” as they deemed the colonists, and found that to be quite impossible. When they surrendered on October 19, 1781 at Yorktown, their schemes had not only gone awry, their world had turned upside down.

” Salute of the States” on Market Square and parade down DOG St to the Capitol. 4th of July.

“Middling folk” in Colonial Williamsburg

My scheme for today was not so lofty, but I had planned to go to Yorktown battlefield, take some pictures, then head to Colonial Williamsburg to see all the attractions and watch my daughter in action as an orientation interpreter. The downfall to my plans came in the form of very bad rainfall–it’s been storming here for the last week–so while I will still meet my family at Christiana Campbell’s

Christiana Campbell’s Tavern

Tavern for dinner, I will not be visiting the milliner’s shop, the royal palace, the shoemaker’s, or the maze. 😦

Maze at the Governor’s Palace

Fortunately, the weather is supposed to start to clear up by about 7pm, so we might get to watch the fireworks!

Anyway, I’ve chosen this year to celebrate the 4th on my blog with a different piece of music. Usually I post Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” but this year I was reminded of one of my favorite composers, whose works embody the spirit of America, Aaron Copeland. Below I’ve posted one of his most famous works, the Hoedown suite from Rodeo,performed last autumn in Blacksburg, VA by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.