the fourth

Strange to have the Fourth fall midweek. Ry and I started the day by getting doughnuts, and then we went to the annual neighborhood parade. It's not our neighborhood, but we've gone several years now and we see all the cousins and Sanchez girl families. This year there was an early run for the first time. The parade starts after some patriotic songs are sung. This year there was even a prayer. Usually, the parade is headed by a firetruck, but this year, probably since they were all on fire alert, the parade was led by a patrol car. The kids followed on their bicycles as it drove around the neighborhood. Parents, strollers and dogs followed the children. Then there was a the small block party in the cul de sac, with games, face painting, a jumper, and a dunk tank, along with goodies to eat and a sno-cone machine.

Ry was excited for the Fourth and said he wanted to do two things: the dunk tank and the belly flop contest at the club. So he wore his bathing suit under his shorts and, sure enough, sat on the seat to be dunked as other children threw balls at the target which would unhitch his perch above the water. The boys had red and blue mouths from the sno-cones, and thankfully it was not a hot morning.

We went to the club before noon and found some lounge chairs in the shade, as the cousins and Sanchez girl families arrived to join us. Hamburgers and hot dogs, watermelon and sodas, appeared about 1, after I'd already swam some laps and even ran the cross country course inside the Academy, next door. There were some games along the pool deck and then the belly flop contest. Rylee almost missed it. He got in line with the younger kids. When it was his turn, he got up on the starting platform, jumped off, spreading his arms and legs wide, and landed with a big splash and lots of cheers. The judges pulled him over for the finals, but a bigger kid won the final flop.

For the evening, we went to Pete and Dorie's house for more hamburgers and hot dogs and chicken on the grill, while the kids played all over the backyard, some pickle with the baseball (Rylee got beaned in the noggin' and the seams left a red mark), some skateboarding with Brendon, maybe even some video recording (Jack's favorite creative activity; he talks about it all the time and wants some better equipment and editing software for his birthday). A big storm threatened, bringing a strong refreshing breeze and a drop in the temperature, but the storm cell moved further west. Because of the serious drought and fires, no one got any fireworks this year. After we drove home, Cyndi and the boys sat on the balcony and watched the show from the balloon park.

The monsoon season seems to have arrived. Big cumulus clouds gathering in the afternoons this week. Some heavy showers here and there. Lots of humidity and a bit cooler during the day and at night.