Independence Day

Happy 4th everyone!

Whenever we used to drive into Lodi, or to the waterfront, I always envied the people who were on their porch BBQ'ing as we parked in front of their house 3-4 hours before the show and hiked to some grassy area where we had to compete for territory. Then after the show we had to hike back to our car (often with sleeping kids on our shoulders) only to enjoy bumper-to-bumper conditions with horn honking, and if we were lucky enough to wake a tired baby (-ies), lots of crying. Loud crying.

There are good things about the social aspect of hanging out with the community as we celebrate our nation's birth, and reflect upon the constitution, etc..., but it can also be a bit "community swiming pool" at times. (After growing up with our own pool, I still have a hard time sharing a swimming pool with strangers.) What is my point? Well, this year for the first time ever we didn't have to drive anywhere! We stayed home until 9pm, grabbed some ice cream and chairs, and went to the green space across the street to watch the fireworks that started ~9:30pm. (We could have sat in our driveway or front lawn, but we didn't want to be completely anti-social, right?) Forgot something at home (e.g. camera)? No problem.

We live <1 style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">feel the sound from the fireworks. It was a lot of fun, and very hassle-free coming home. Here are some pictures from our tranquil fireworks show. We hope you all had a great 4th too!