The 4th Weekend

What a beautiful Fourth of July we had! I truly love this holiday. It's pure celebration and patriotism (naturally). This weekend we did it up with a bang. Nathan had Friday off so we had an all day date. It was fantastic. We played tennis or rather hit the ball or rather tried to hit the ball (me). Still enjoyable though. Then drove in to Boston to see the Chihuly exhibit at the MFA which Nathan proclaimed the best special exhibit ever. A very leisurely lunch at Pasta Beach - including wine and two lunches by Nathan. Then we ran out of time to look at some art galleries so stopped to have ice cream before heading home. Just what we needed! Though I did forget to mention that he tweaked his back on his morning ride. So maybe the enjoyment of the date was tempered by his prescription drugs (or perhaps that's enhanced).

Saturday we drove up to York, Maine to see our friends, the Atris, new house. A view of the craggy Maine coast is amazing and relaxing, especially so if you are on painkillers. Nathan in his dark wrap around sunglasses shared with me that he dozed off a few times during conversation on the deck in the comfy chairs! The kids loved exploring the rocks and swimming in the frigid water. I swear my kids are going to be sturdy little swimmers being exposed to this cold water in pools and the ocean. We had dinner in town before driving home, a short hour and a half. I don't know why I didn't take pictures.

Sunday it was off to Beverly on the North Shore to the Brownes' house. Unfortunately, Nathan overdid it on Saturday so it was just me and the kids. We had a blast. Goodbye craggy Maine coast, hello soft sand. I was even able to sit and tuck my toes into the sand as Gabriel stayed close by. He had an amazing time playing with Josh, who was so patient and such a good teacher to him. They threw balls, batted balls, dug themselves into the sand, all good boy activities.

Maddie, Ashley and Rachel - We tried to get the girls to put on a play. It was tough with three directors.

I was very sorry that Nathan couldn't join us. The dads played bocce on the beach and would have loved another guy. I did discover a new favorite drink - The Dark and Stormy. Yummy gingerness.

Still prone, it was Mama and kids on the 4th. We went over to Needham for a parade. Over 2 hours later, we finished. It was quite impressive. I think they had every emergency vehicle from every town within 20 miles in the parade.

I'd read about Mr. Muzi and was intrigued to finally see him in action. Since the 50s, he's painted himself red, pulled on his loin cloth and patriotic headdress, hopped on his horse and rode in the parade saying "how." No joke. You can imagine the response.

Everyone napped (fireworks are such a good bribe) so we went to swim at the Windsor Club before my somewhat pathetic attempt at a bbq (indoor made). Nathan was able to join us and we ate outside and did a 4th of July ceremony that my dad had found to help the kids understand what we were celebrating. And then, the excitement! My mom had mailed sparklers, which we thought were illegal to send through the mail but they aren't. The kids LOVED them. Really, who doesn't love sparklers?

And then it was in to Boston for 10:30 fireworks! Nathan's office has a perfect view of the fireworks and they are moving in the fall so we had to see them this year. Now I love fireworks and this was one of the most amazing displays that I've seen. They were exploding right at eye level. The kids were in awe. It was such a fantastic end to an amazing weekend (of course it would have been perfect with Nathan feeling better). Happy 4th!