Reed and Dorothy

Finally, after some 70 years, I occasionally enjoy having stretches of time spent alone, or mostly alone.  But I still love having people in my space.  That is a good thing because this summer has been spent with just that.  We had most of the weekend to prepare for a visit from son Reed and his family.  They arrived Monday night.  We had 5 days filled with activity and bonding.  My dream was to have some private moments with Reed and Dorothy and those moments made some brief appearances.  With 6 children in tow, things were still pretty busy.

I had a dream of an Independence day celebration that would beat any we had in California, as my friend Pat Green filled me with celebratory ideas.  We began the day by going to Boise to watch a parade.  We arrived early to be sure to find a seat among the masses that surely were expected.  I had visions of marching bands and flag waving that would fill our heads and hearts with patriotic fever.  I cannot find the words to describe my disappointment at the actual parade.  No marching bands.  No music of any kind.  Just various groups of people walking down the middle of the road promoting their various interests, many of which had nothing to do with patriotism.  Our front row seats brought not one minute of euphoric spirit; just a wish for it all to end.  The crowd thinned well before the parade ended.  What a disappointment.

Our family all set up for the underwhelming Boise parade.

We then went to the Greens for a BBQ and various games.  That was fun but we left early to put the babies to bed.  The most fun came when we brought out the fireworks.  We gathered in our darkening back yard and light them up.  We all had a great time!  It reminded me of the fireworks celebrations we used to have in our Fremont home before they all became forbidden.  What a surprise to discover that fireworks shows were all around us.  From our yard we could see them in every direction, but they were especially close and beautiful when we faced the little town of Star.  Our own small country town put on a show that rivaled any we have seen anywhere.  Wow, we loved it!  So now we know how to celebrate Independence Day in Idaho!

Fireworks at home!  Our gang gathered around a sample.

Sparklers!  They are a little different than those we used to have.
The kids are using one to light up many.  These are red!

Of course included in our celebration was our annual viewing of the movie, 1776.  I'm happy to report that Reed and Dorothy are addicted to it as well as we are.  The more I see it the more I love it.  I have such tender and emotional feelings about this country and the men who sacrificed and took a big leap of faith in creating the groundwork for our freedom and way of life.  I am so grateful!

Reed, Dorothy and older boys went up in a hot air balloon on Friday.  That is getting to be a regular event for us, it seems.  We are out of balloon tickets now, so maybe we will move on to other activities.  Our time with the kids was nice.  There is a lot to be said for spending time with one family at a time.  We've not done that much in California because so many of us were there.  We tended to gather in bunches.  Reed prefers smaller gatherings for the intimacy it promotes. I can see what he means.  Maybe that is one of the blessings of being here.

Our R & D family.  Back:  Bruce, James, Reed, Scott.
Front:  Vincent, Dorothy holding foster daughter Mari, Timothy

But tomorrow we head out to California for the mother of family gatherings, the family reunion.  Audrey and Cliff are in charge.  It promises to be a week of beaching and, hopefully, bonding.  We'll soon see what this brings to the family dynamic.