Hot Days of Summer

We have had a lovely spring, with warm, rainy days.  Heavenly, I thought.  But all of that is over.  Our summer, so far, has offered us days filled with hot, hot, let me say, HOT weather!  In the midst of this heat, we celebrated Independence Day, partly at our friends, the Greens, and partly at our friends, the Wintersteens.  Our Boise valley fills with fireworks of all sorts on the 4th of July.  One can choose to visit one site and enjoy fireworks up close, or, as we did, sit in the comfort of the Wintersteen's deck and view them in every direction, from afar.  Either way, it is an inspirational feast.  I love celebrating our Independence!  This area is a patriotic place, so it fits my passions nicely.  Layne and I also watched the movie,  "1776", as we do every year.  I still love it and am tenderized, as always, at the ending, when the miracle of independence is so dramatically portrayed.

Into our long, hot days of summer, son Gerald, Frances, their kids and 5 English students have arrived.  They are here until Thursday, when they head to Utah and scheduled adventures there.  As always, it is wonderful to have family here.  I love the spirit our children bring to us when they come.  Our days with the GF group have been very pleasant, in spite of the heat.  They helped us put up the roof on our pergola/gazebo.  It was quite a project, with many adaptations needed.  Layne has a mind for that, thankfully, and the roof is now up.  Take a look at our group of workers, which include our Taiwanese kids, neighbor Jim, and Layne.

Gerald and Frances always have a full schedule of activities for the kids they bring.  Friday night we drove to an outdoor theater, Starlite, and watched a live production of Beauty and the Beast, performed by college students, for the most part.  They perform in 4 productions all through the summer.  It was lovely to watch them on the outdoor stage, with a full moon overhead.  By the time we got home from that it was after midnight, and the jet-lagged Taiwanese fell asleep like the dead, only arising for a late brunch on Saturday morning.

The GF crowd missed our Independence Day, but we gave them a taste of it Saturday night, with fireworks in the backyard as the sun set.  That doesn't happen until 10 PM, so this activity went on into the night.  But it was fun!  Seth lit the fireworks, we ooohed and ahhhed, then followed with sparklers.  The hose was close by to make sure that no spark escaped and the kids ended the night with a water fight.  Such fun!  Here are the boys, joy jumping before the fireworks began.

Fireworks!

It is Sunday.  Everyone went to Church and now, as it is too hot to go outside, the kids are rumbling upstairs.  The house is full of chasing, charging and laughing.  Its not exactly a quiet Sabbath!