It's never anything fancy. Hot dogs, hamburgers, Italian sausage (well, there was the crazy rib feast one year -- we ate ribs for a week!), corn on the cob...tons of food basically all finished off with root beer floats. In the beginning we could watch the fireworks right from our balcony, but now the trees around the house are so tall we can't really see much in the way of fireworks anymore. But that wall of trees is its own delight.
Do you have a summer holiday tradition?
¡Feliz 4 de Julio! Just thinking about all those burgers and hotdogs makes me hungry.
ReplyDeleteIn Laredo, where I live now, the most important holiday of the summer, is the Battle of Flowers. I leave couple of links with pictures Laredo and floats covered with flowers like the first picture.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/13295734@N08/5804035021/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/martius/7913589440/in/photostream/
Battle of the Flowers. Wow. Just the title alone is wonderful!
DeleteHappy 4th to you, Josh. I hope you and your SO have a great time today continuing your family tradition. The idea of Italian sausage sounds especially good. Here in NYC all should be OK as long as Arthur stays well off shore! :)
ReplyDeleteThe SO bought a "disco ball" for the pool, which cast these surprisingly pretty underwater shadows. It was a big hit -- although I laughed mercilessly when he brought it home.
DeleteI hope your family get-together was once again a delight and a success. :-) Traditions like that are so heartwarming. There are never too many occasions for celebration and spending time with family and friends. And these cosy, not so fancy celebrations with loved ones are certainly the best kind. There is also something very reassuring and comforting about traditions like you described.
ReplyDeleteOur dearest summer tradition is the Midsummer celebration. As long as I can remember I've spent Midsummer at our summer cottage with family and friends. Everyone leaves cities for the long Midsummer weekend and celebrates it by lakes or sea. It's a laid-back, joyful party with BBQ, games and, of course, sauna. :-)
Enjoy your summer weekend, everyone!
I love your Midsummer reports. :-)
DeleteYour celebration sounds amazing, and a reminder of the 4th of July celebrations of my youth. We used to sit on the roof of our house, and on blankets in the grass, and watch my brother and his friends would send up boxes of different displays. I loved Roman candles. (luckily, we lived in the country) When my children were young, my husband worked security at the huge fireworks display downtown. We would get to sit, almost literally, under the huge bursts. That was amazing. My holiday this year was much quieter. I did get to watch some neighborhood fireworks and visit my children and grandchildren, but mostly for me this year, it was the old dog on my lap while 'we' watched Chopped. :) I hope your entire weekend shines, with or without the fireworks visible.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good evening. And we are still dining off the leftovers.
DeleteLess fireworks than some years, but in a way that was a relief because we are so close to fire areas and I don't think my nerves can take a big fire alarm right now. :-)
My favorite tradition for the fourth of July is home made ice cream. Yum!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had homemade ice cream in years!
DeleteMy nephew and his wife and my niece have taken over hosting July 4th family gatherings. They love to grill and have a pleasant patio. As a child this nephew was so frightened of fireworks that he watched from our picture window when we set them off in the street (a small quiet street with little traffic). Later he became quite the pyro. They served ribs, grilled corn on the cob, a pasta and beet salad, and some Portuguese fried rice ball dish, watermelon, and home made blackberry ice cream. It was a small group, but lively conversation. We had to leave before dark to pick up house guests from the airport. There's an annual July 4th weekend tango marathon (meaning hours and hours of dancing) held here and dancers come from around the country. So while the bombardment continued outside, we found ourselves dancing inside a large warehouse building until 2:00am with a big screen flashing a fireworks loop. Good friends and good times shared, but I'm ambivalent, nostalgic for the big family events of the past.
ReplyDeleteGood friends and good times shared, but I'm ambivalent, nostalgic for the big family events of the past.
ReplyDeleteYes. I know exactly what you mean. Nothing can stay the same forever and the present is wonderful. And yet...