The Fourth

Cousin Karin's patriotic bouquet

Michael surprised me with a patriotic bouquet that we have been enjoying all week!

Beginning of the week

End of the week

Mondays we've enjoyed eating outdoors at Stephan and Karen's new-to-them picnic table. The weather, the food and the stimulating conversation are such a blessing! 

The dentist had just adjusted my partial that morning, so I was able to enjoy the meal even more!

 Another plus was the dip in the pool of 90 degree water before the meal! 

Tuesday I had a special visitor. Rebecca and I had so much fun trying to put together a track. I am definitely not the engineer in the family and it took extra long to figure out the layout. We found the instructions after the fact and when abuelo came home he noticed the car needed a battery!

She also practiced reading animal names on vocab cards and I followed up with the interesting facts on the back of each one. Then we went for a walk. Rebecca picked a little bouquet and left it for me on the window sill by my desk, so sweet!

Several times this week I've gone for long walks. Just stepping outside and seeing the smiling blossoms makes me happy.

As I walk along the road, more blooms smile up at me.

Michael continues to enjoy the outdoors on his bicycle, almost 200 miles this week.

And at home he bakes bread, makes cheese, pickled fish, hefty soups, continually experimenting trying to improve the results.

I tend to be the one to deal with the Misfits bi-weekly deliveries.

Another one of the bountiful pleasures of the season--a visit Monday to Spencer Farm to pick red raspberries. We enjoyed the hour spent picking two pints each and finished just in time before the rain that had been threatening the whole time.

Thursday, a non-photographed blessing in disguise--Leah's follow-up visit to her surgeon. We are so grateful for a wonderfully caring and skilled doctor and to learn that the cancer had not spread, though pervasive within the area.

While Michael was out Friday riding with his cycling group, as it was a holiday, I was digging into the 1941 archives of the Brethren Missionary Herald. I found a very interesting WWII story, The Sinking of the ZamZam. It happened before I or most of you were born. I'd be curious to know if anyone ever heard it before. The reason I took notice, was that one of the families on board was related to my uncle Garner.

On the actual Fourth of July, we made the rounds to see each of our kid's families. First we went to Sam's family rummage sale at his shop.

We watched the younger two, Zion and Jude, skate in the bowl.
Next we went to Steph and Karen's to visit and swim in the pool.
And, finally, we ended up in front of Matt and Kayla's facing the big field behind Leah's house, where Jimmy and Skye outdid themselves putting on what has become an annual neighborhood fireworks display.

Kalani not only survived but enjoyed his first Fourth of July celebration; must be in his blood. 

I love that he loves books! :-)

I finished listening to a good book this week, The Library Book by Susan Orlean, that tells the story of the largest library fire in America--the Los Angeles Central Library in 1986. That happened within most reader's lifetime. How many of you heard of it?