4th of July, Lake Day

The 4th of July was ah-mazing, according to Josie! I spent Wednesday getting groceries, cleaning out the fridge (gross), doing laundry, cleaning the van, and other post trip chores. We had a great family day. Josie hosted a spa day at Sara’s home where we could soak our feet and get patriotic painted nails. I put on Oklahoma! for some entertainment. Amelia said after I left there were some suggestive scenes the old movie version did not have, well..stupid Broadway version does. Evelyn worked really hard to drag out tables, chairs, benches, condiments, and etc for a patio picnic dinner. Justin grilled BBQ chicken while I made pasta salad, corn, and a yummy strawberry trifle. After dinner we drove down to Kuna for their “Olde Tyme Days” celebration. It was a nuthouse for such a tiny town. I found a parking spot in the church lot a few blocks away from the action. We had 2 hours to burn so we walked over to the action. The chaos was close to county fair level with a Mexican twist. The loud noise was not appealing so we walked back to the van and set out chairs to wait for fireworks. Everett was convinced we would not be able to see well through the trees a block away. As dusk fell families started shooting off their firework stash, which did not lend a good view through the trees. Never fear! Once the real action started we had a great view of the show. I love all the vibes of the 4th of July. After Boston we appreciated our country and the sacrifices it took to bring us where we are today. 

Evelyn finally got her wish to go kayaking at Arrow Rock, we did not go last year which cause unending grief for her. I invited Jennifer Gingerich and her Aunt Rhonda to hang out with us at the lake. We got the van and truck all packed up with the kayaks, sand toys, chairs, plus picnic food. We met up at the top of Lucky Peak then headed in with walkie talkies for communication. I found a partially empty spot on the northern end of the lake. What a lovely day to “Lake.” I wanted to join the kids and Jennifer and Rhonda who left right away to paddle across the lake. I convinced Amelia to let me swim her across the lake on the flamingo floatie! My fins and scuba mask helped me make the crossing, which took for-ev-ver. Justin towed us half the way back! Phillip got his leg stuck in a deep hole he dug out with a shovel. Since he was stuck he covered himself in mud, we all got quite a laugh over the mud monster. Fergus had a love-hate relationship with the water. He barked at the paddles, the shovels, the buckets, the waves, and all the combinations above. Justin found a dog life vest for Fergus. He sort of enjoyed kayaking and swimming. Silly dog.