Happy July 4TH

It's quite a nice morning and so quiet! That was not the case last night and I know it will not be so later today. Fireworks and noise. It does take me back to the days when the girls were little and the neighborhood was filled with young families. Jim's brother had a fireworks company in the midwest and he gifted us with a box of goodies every year! Jim was the hit in the neighborhood. Everyone would share their fireworks in the street and it was a grand show! It would take the adults an hour or so to clean up all the paper that was left after shooting everything off. All those kids are now in their 30's...seems so long ago.

I was thinking of the 4th when I was a kid-I won't even say how long many years that goes back.

My dad worked for Woolworth and always took his vacation around the 4th of July to get that extra day. As both sets of my grandparents lived in Yakima, Washington, we made the trip north for our annual visit. Dad was transfered to California from Washington and we traveled "home" for the five years we were there until we moved to Oregon in 1960. After that promotion to open the Lloyd Center store, we never had to move again! I think my mom was happy as it was hard to move every 2-2 1/2 years with children, especially once we were in school.

I was thinking of those vacations. My mom's dad-Grandpa Ted-would always have ice cream and frozen strawberries for us. He would take me out to some orchard to pick up a big bag of bing cherries that would always be at their best over the 4th. Yummmmm. My dad's dad-Grandpa Carl, would take us to get soft ice cream and a can of Hershey's chocolate for our treat. It would be very hot when we would visit and Popsicles we the big thing to cool you down in the shade...banana, rootbeer and cherry were my favorites! We often went to the Safeway company picnic with dad's side as Grandpa Carl drove truck for Safeway.

I loved how the wind would come up at night...that warm summer wind. Ah...memories.

Happy 4th of July. Take a few minutes to be thankful for the freedom we are allowed to enjoy in the USA and take some time to remember what it was like to be a kid in the summer.