Fourth Of July

Happy Fourth everyone. Late I know, but its the thought that counts. We spent it up in Nebraska with the extended family. Just about everyone seemed to make it for this year which was nice. This was due mostly to everyone who missed the wedding came to meet Tamara and her parents. They also were there and had a great time.

I didn't have much time up there so unfortunately the fireworks was not quite as massive as usual and we didn't fire up the Big Lizard. Also the jeep was in the shop due to a problem with the fuel pump. But that was ok as if either event had been going on I would have had to blow off the reunion and party my parents threw. My parents gave a two hour party for everyone in my home town to come by and meet Tamara and say hi, and then gorge on Root Beer Floats (FYI, you can get Root Beer in a KEG), cake and beer. Everyone had a great time. My In-Laws were a bit thrown off at first because in Ukraine all "parties" that involve "family" are very formal affairs with lots of toasts and hard liquor and sitting down and eating together. This might be the first "American" party they have really been to and once they realized how everything worked ("here's a beer dude, pitch in" is the quote of the weekend, told to my father in law by a guy I knew in High School) they had a great time. The only thing I had a bit of an issue with was that the weather was overcast and just cold enough to make you want to have jeans on, so no swimming or river walking.

Stories for this year are the Saturn Missile Battery that nearly went off in my face (everyone on the beach heard my "OH S#@^" when it tipped over facing me), and the pack of bottle rockets that literally flew in opposite directions from where you aimed. I even managed to avoid any major arguments over politics (although it came close when someone made a comparision of the Iranian militia that crushed the demonstrations to the US National Guard because of Kent State).

Happy Fourth to everyone!