Fireworks. Parades. Barbecues. Family gatherings. Baseball. These icons we've chosen to honor hundreds of years of freedom. Each family gathers its own way, some are more fortunate when it comes to proximity, and this year found Milo on a great escape from Manhattan early Saturday morning, to the shade of mama's childhood home where chipmunks ran along the patio, grandparents entertained all day, and fireflies danced all night.

And Milo celebrated his own independence, kicking up the salt water all over his mama, sitting in his papa's beach chair, and tasting his first bit of sand.