Fourth of July Weekend- Part 1
Fourth of July Weekend has it all! Fascinating historical significance. The excuse to eat insane amounts of barbecue and ice cream. The chance to get as excited as a five year old when the fireworks start going off. Fourth of July Weekend 2010 did not disappoint. It was quite action-packed and fun-filled! To start things off, Mom, Dad, Brad, and Bagel came to visit for the weekend… and about 20 minutes before their arrival, Ryan and I cooked up a plan to BBQ at a local park instead of going out to lunch as was the plan.
In retrospect, it’s hilarious! It was 11:30. Ryan and Marie were an hour (which ended up being longer due to an accident that momentarily shut down the freeway on which they were traveling) away. Mom, Dad, Brad, and Bagel were still on the road. Ryan offered to bring what he had at home: hot dogs, buns, and charcoal. Meanwhile, never one to do something halfway, I started talking a big game about burgers, fruit salad, coleslaw, pasta salad, chips, etc. Now, did I have all the ingredients for said yummy items on hand? Not quite. This lead to some pretty scary running about, scrambling to get everything together, so we could eat somewhat close to lunch time.
Suffice it to say, that it turned out fantastically well! The weather was beautiful. The park was super nice. We even had a picnic pavilion, next to this massive stone grill all to ourselves. You’ll have to take my word that the food was great because though my plate was very photogenic once filled with all the aforementioned goodies, I was too hungry to stop and take a picture of it. But, on to the pictures that we did take!
The Boys
The park had a pretty fountain
and a “fishing” pond that had about 3 fish in it
and this fluffy pine tree that Mom really liked
GrillMaster Ryan was excited about the charcoal—You just set fire to it, bag and all, no lighter fluid required.
Then, because no one had remembered to pack a spatula/tongs for the grill, he made do with a
plastic fork and a stick. Everything turned out great! The sign of a true grilling professional!
After lunch, we played Ladder Ball, Bocce, Frisbee, and Football. The vast amount of tree cover led to some issues with Ladder Ball, as the bolas kept getting caught in the trees. A happy predicament as it led to one of my favorite quotes of the day. In the picture on the left, you see Ryan in a tree, supported by very slim branches. When Marie saw this, she said, in a rather worried-sounding voice, “You’re too big, Buddy!” Now, if any of the rest of us had voiced concern, he would have laughingly ignored us, which is probably why seeing him in that tree didn’t even draw a reaction from the seen-it-before rest of us. But it worked coming from his bride! Grins! As it should!! From then on, they just leaped after the bolas, as evidenced by the picture on the right.
Ladder Ball is loads of fun!
Even the dog enjoyed a hot dog!
After all the fun at the park, we headed off to Sundaes at the Cottage for some frozen deliciousness. Sadly, Dad could not be convinced that Bagel needed a Doggie Sundae, which was billed as the perfect treat for canine companions. Boo.
We headed home, where Kevin went to work on the boards/targets for a Cornhole Game. The boards went together much more easily than the cornbags, let me tell you. The sewing of those bags was all sorts of trouble! But, they’re done now, and that is what matters! Now, all that’s left to do is paint the boards. Any guesses on the design Kevin has in mind? Use the cornbag colors as a hint, if you need one.
Our collection of backyard games just keeps growing!
We rounded out the night with homemade fajitas, refried beans, Mexican rice, guacamole, and tortilla chips. Can you believe that’s only Saturday? Stay tuned for the next post, Sunday was even busier!
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