Heat Wave

 Well, I knew it was going to be hot here in Texas, but I didn't expect it to be 100 degrees every day for most of June. The neighbors keep telling me this heat is unusual for this time of year. Of course, now it is July and 100 degree temps are pretty common, so now I am no longer checking the weather app to see if it might cool down or rain in the near future. I figure the weather will be similar until mid September. 

The heat hasn't kept us from getting outside, however, Yesterday, to celebrate the Fourth we gathered with some friends from Guam. They now have several more children, and we have several fewer at home. The pool got a few hours of use, and the kids played a few games of cornhole. We took a break inside to eat, feasting on smoked meats, potato salad, cole slaw, beans, and fruit and brownies and sugar cookies, the usual picnic food, and then played pool, before heading outside just before sunset to light sparklers and set off a few noisemakers and fountains that my husband picked up at one of those roadside fireworks stands.  He was tempted to pick up some Texas-sized rockets, but held off, knowing full well how I'd feel about them. 

And of course, the city had plenty of big fireworks to mark the event. We walked down to the public high school to watch them so we didn't have to drive and fight traffic. This wasn't the best vantage point for viewing, but plenty of people had the same idea, including the Kona Ice guy, so we weren't alone in our search for simplicity.  

The city's fireworks were fine, but I have to admit, we couldn't help comparing it to the celebrations we experienced in Coronado, which were pretty spectacular. Our daughter was in tears after Mass Sunday when she learned that there would be no parade. And she was bored most of the morning while we were cooking and cleaning. I missed having family around, and my husband made the mistake of checking social media and reading about a protest of July Fourth festivities in response to the Dobbs decision.  The day just felt subdued compared to past celebrations. 

We may have still be recovering from the day before, when we celebrated the births of our two July babies. Our oldest daughter turned 20 on the third, but she is spending the rest of the summer in San Diego, so we had to settle for a phone call and being a part of her birthday party by giving her our credit card to buy a cake to share with her friends.  

Then that evening we were able to pull off a little surprise party for our son turning 18 next weekend.  Our middle daughter helped coordinate with friends, who came over and decorated while he was at the gym. The best ruse was one of the friends told our son that he couldn't go to the gym with him because he had to go to a "Celebration of life"!  That same friend gifted our son with his own Lego minifigure with extra long legs. Pretty cute. High schoolers are funny. 

But then I read this morning of the shooting at the Highland Park parade outside of Chicago. That neighborhood was not too far from where we used to live years ago in a town that also had a great Fourth of July parade.  I can't image the trauma.  Where does the violence end?

For consolation here are a few snapshots from our recent celebrations:

Scenes from the life of our July 3rd baby. 

A quick stop at the county park to look for minnows and turtles just for something to do while waiting for friends. 

Luxury sparklers. Stand back!

A new flag.

Pool time fun

One last time

That last post was kind of dreary and anxious, don't you think? Time for happier memories - Fall is perfect for nostalgia. October has arrived with cool evening breezes. We have all the windows open - partly to enjoy those breezes, and partly because I almost burned the house down, and we need to air it out. I left a pan of dry chickpeas boiling on the stove when I took the youngest and her friend to the park. I meant to just bring them to a boil, then turn off the burner and let them soak until dinner time, when I planned to make the panfried curry chickpeas recipe my son made up. Happily, the girls had a wonderful time at the park and played over an hour. Unhappily, my beans were boiling and burning all that time. We returned to a smoking house. Billows of smoke poured forth when I opened the front door.  I removed the charred pan from the stove and took it outside then opened up every window that raised - the scorched pot and charred peas are still sitting out back perhaps tempting racoons and other vermin. After six hours of open windows and high level fans blowing, the house stills smells like old campfire. I may have to wash curtains tomorrow.

Rather than dwell on that misfortune, here are a few more photos from our last month in Coronado. I've got one more batch to share from Dan's change of command/retirement ceremony, before I fast forward to the present again, whenever that might be.

First up: July birthdays, family bdays and country bdays

Our oldest girl turned 19 on the 3rd. Loved having her home for her freshman year of college, even though we are sorry she missed out on that experience. 

She is the party!

Ready for the Fourth of July parade. 

Here come the classic cars

Classic colors on the curb

Bagpipers piping by

Best treats to eat on the Fourth of July

Ready for more fireworks and fun!

Another birthday party

Had to fit in a few last surfing trips at the beach. They did, not me.

Getting glam for something.

A quick trip to a nature center

Another birthday! Fifth son turns 17! His gifts were mostly edible - +cash. What every teenage boy really wants, and what makes sense when you are getting ready to move in a couple weeks.

And just before our time in California expired, I finally was able to visit with blogging friend Gretchen! For years, we've talked online about visiting. We nearly made a visit to her a few years ago when we went north, but we didn't quite get far enough north. Sometimes the imperative of time running out is needed to make these things happen. So thankful we had a time for tea and to meet in person. Our visit could have lasted much longer, and I hope our paths cross again! 

More birthday scenes - a cakeball cake

The last birthday celebration on F Avenue

And then the cousins arrived!

Time for a few last games at the park - family competitions can get heated

Cloudy skies did not prevent beach time.

A last portraits of our home for six years. We never meant to stay this long, but we are so grateful we did. 

And a last glimpse of the front walk

 

July gallops by

Summer, Summer, you are supposed to be a time of rest and slow, sipping days! But you are racing away, trying to steal from me those long days of pool floats and parades. Pause a moment, give us time to be bored, time to mark time with watermelon and sizzling meats and birthday cakes and ice cream. I try to catch on film what trips away all too fast, like the little children who now surprise me in grown up bodies.