Happy Fourth of July! I always love splashing a bit of red, white and blue about.
I’ve said it before this is truly my favorite part of the summer.
If I travel in summer, I always have to be home by the fourth. I’ve only ever missed it once.
I have so many good memories of my California childhood and many involve summer.
The older I get the more I appreciate the simple joys of those times!
Just a few…
Backyard barbecues
Fresca and Funyuns
Swimming in the pool until we couldn’t stop shaking
Missles, fudgsicle, push-ups, and creamsicle popsicles
grandma’s strawberry shortcake
riding bikes at night
sparklers and buying fireworks from corner stands
eating apricots from the tree and buying fruit from the orchard on the corner
tomatoes from the yard
shucking corn on the cob
Smokey Joe and Piccolo Pete fireworks
watching Wimbledon and playing badminton in the yard
ping-pong on the porch
staying up late and reading Little House books
riding my bike to the little library around the corner
washing dogs on the lawn
floating on rafts
tanning with Coppertone and way too much sun
eating bowls of cherries until we were sick
laughing
mom’s potato salad
water balloon fights
Lake Tahoe
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
salt-water taffy
making ice tea and chef’s salad with grandma
lip-syncing with cousins
using racquets as air guitars
tennis, tennis and night tennis
I hope my kids will have some of the same memories.
Thanks to my parents, they have many years of going to the huge parade in their neighborhood and dressing their bikes up, getting hotdogs in the park, and swimming at my parents.
It’s surprising once you look about how much red & blue you can pull together.
I have so many precious pictures of my guys from when they could barely ride on their colorful bikes.
This year we are barbecuing with friends with street fireworks later. Swimming of course. My boys still love that.
I miss my mom so much and each holiday reminds me how fun she made it for us all. I am grateful for the memories!
Wishing you all a fun fourth. Remember it’s the little things that make life special!
xo
Kim
photos Northerncalstyle
