4th of July Shenanigans

“May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely,

than this our own country!”

– Daniel Webster

~ ☼ ~

Independence day, 4th of July, National U.S.A. day, BBQ dedication day, or what ever you like to call it, is my favorite day of the year. Growing up, my family celebrated the 4th of July with BBQ gatherings. Of course, my parents are divorced, so some years, I got to have two different family gatherings! In any case, both sides of my family celebrate the same way. These celebrations are filled with laughter, BBQ, beer, and an over abundance of happiness. As an adult I can join in the entire plate of fun, except the small fact that I’m hundreds of miles away from all of my family members.

My friend Jonathan decided to invite us to join his family for a little BBQ fun. We packed up the jeep, and promptly drove to the little town of Chaska. We were early, so we decided to cruise around in the jeep for a while, then drove to the river to check out this years flooding. The main road that goes through the city of Chaska (CR 41) goes over the river. Almost every year, when it rains (it’s rained a lot this year), the river will often flood over the bridge, resulting in its closing.

Joining Jonathan, we found potato salad, burgers, and an assortment of fresh fruit waiting for us on his parents’ deck. It was a small, simple little get together, but it was so nice to have a little taste of family and happiness. After the lovely dinner and some soaking up the sun, we joined the neighbors in the street for some small firework fun.

Eventually, we packed the jeep up again, and off we went to see the Chaska fireworks! We chose a nice little spot, put our picnic blanket down, got out the spray bottle (filled with my homemade bug spray), and popped open some hard cider.

After a fun-filled day of cruising in the jeep, eating with friends, and fireworks, we made our way home for a well deserved rest!