Fourth of July with Old Folks

The Fourth of July brings back memories of my Uncle Jack's cottage on Lake Michigan with lots of family and fireworks on the beach.  There were splendid fireworks for the 1976 bicentenniel celebration in Lexington, Massachusetts where we were spending a summer housesitting. Thirty years ago, I ignored doctor's orders and left my "bedrest" to see fireworks in Raleigh, NC--just days before Dan was born.   Then there were lesser fireworks but still memorable with our own family in the cul-de-sac.  I can picture Jim lighting the fuse and running back to safety.  A few years ago I watched splendid fireworks set off a barge on the East River from the vantage point of Laura and Michael's 38th floor apartment in Manhattan.

This year fireworks consisted of two hours of constant noise in the neighborhood with nothing to see but the fireflies in our yard!   We agreed that we needed kids around for an incentive to find a firework display.


Our day consisted of a quiet ride to Kalamazoo to take Jim's mom out for ice cream.  At my request, we varied our usual route to ride down lovely country roads with lots of wildflowers along the edges.  After our visit we stopped at a nature preserve in Kalamazoo and walked through forest and meadow and along wetlands.  When we got home, Jim grilled brats and veggies and I made sangria.  The Cubs and the White Sox won.  It was a good day.