Memories of the 4th

There are some 4th of Julys that stick out in my memory.

The first one I am recalling today was when my family and I lived in Colorado, so that would have put me somewhere between the ages of 6th grade to my senior year of high school. I don't remember exactly where this memory occurred, and truth be told, I might be combining a church picnic with the 4th of July...

There was a park nearby the community recreation center that had a baseball diamond, basketball courts, a largish gazebo with picnic tables, and a big slanty hill good for spreading a blanket out to watch the fireworks. I remember being with my family and laughing at the collective 'oohs' and 'aahs' of the crowd...

The next one that sticks out was in Michigan when my family lived there -- that would have been when I was in college and grad school. There was a really large park with a beautiful lake that has a great bike trail all around it. On this holiday, we brought our grill and found a spot with a terrific view of the lake and stayed for many hours. The problem with the 4th of July is that there is a definite 'end' to the festivities. People can arrive at their leisure, but when the last of the fireworks drifts out of the sky, people are ready to go...which means a parking nightmare...which means my dad getting so angry at the backup...

Another Michigan memory at Greenfield Village with one of the Army bands and the DSO performing... so many people on the large green...happily walking back to my family with an ice cold Lynchburg Lemonade with the strains of a Sousa march in the air...

Jeff and my first apartment the first summer we lived there, also in Michigan, with a couple friends. Great BBQ and excellent firework viewing from our small balcony in downtown Lansing. That apartment was 640 square feet of good memories...

It's funny how memories can remain, even when nothing especially notable happened. Just nice times with family and friends in the middle of summer.