Happy 5th Of July! The Day After Independence Day.

Yesterday was so full of things I simply did not have time to blog about them all.   However!  I now have time on the day after.   I took a lot of pics, but I doubt many of them will make it to the blog.  But I shall do my best.   Because.... The blog demands nothing less!  

So, first things first!  Cheryl ran the Firecracker run in Davenport.   She came in 2nd in her age group.. and Got a trophy... Again!  Too bad I could not be there.   She told me that She missed me and wished I was there.  Which is kind of a nice thing to say.  That made me feel rather important. 

Here in Kenosha,  Dave and I decided to go to the local Parade.   Apparently,  Dave got invited to a parade party ( being a Pastor has its Perks!)  where there was chalk, hot dogs, hamburgers,  And BEER!   Luckily,  I  was able to tag along.  

The food was awesome, the people were awesome.... And then there was the actual Parade!   

Did I mention there was a run before the parade?   I initially thought we both would run in it, but after that humbling Crossfit session,  Both of us decided against it.   And who wants to run after drinking beer?

I had forgotten just how fun Parades are.   We used to see them every year in Dorr Michigan... where My uncles and aunts and cousins were actually IN the parade.  VFW, Fire Department, Band, Or some other society, they would stand on wagons and throw candy at us.  

Ah the joy of free candy!   But, this parade was even better!  And NOT  just because there were no relatives in the crowd...  This parade was handing out Chocolate!   

And Shirts!  

And Cozies!  I think they are called cozies.   Not very cozy... I think it is for beer. 

They even threw Corn and onions at us!   Dave was very possessive of the corn. 

I got to pose with several Mascots..  Which is always a good thing.    

And finally,  there were all the people who knew Dave... Including one of the Sheriff hopefuls. Dave also knew a bunch of the Firemen and EMT people.  ( I think... I lose track of all the people he knows.) 

 We finally finished as the last vehicle drove down the road.   It began to sprinkle ever so slightly.   We were fortunate that the rain held off until then,   And even then, it was not a downpour.  

 

But then there were the fireworks!   Another one of Dave's friends invited us  to watch the fireworks from his camping area near the watch area.   They also had a bunch of food...  Hamburgers, BBQ, hotdogs, And Potato salad with chips.    And BEER!    Yes, more beer to kick off an American Holiday right!  ( Or Irish?  German?   Who else would drink beer? )   

The conversation was great and the food was excellent.   We watched the Fireworks for a little while, but decided to beat traffic by heading out early. And it was a good thing we did.   Because on the way back, the rain began. It was a full blown thunderstorm!  I wonder if they were able to finish the fireworks before the rain got too bad.   Or maybe they just fired them off despite the rain. We will never know because we managed to get inside just as the rain became a downpour. 

So that was it.  Fun day for everyone!  I had forgotten the cook outs and the conversations with people that the 4th of July used to be known for.   

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend and had a wonderful 4th.   It was a great time that I  i had not enjoyed in a very long time.   Well, not in the same way as I did this year anyway.   But that is why we try new things... even if they end up not being as unfamiliar as they might seem.  ( Yes, That is a double negative...  But I figure most of the readers can figure it out. So I'm leaving it in place. )  

Thanks for stopping in.