Friday, July 5, 2013

Country 4th of July Celebration 2013

We hit the ground running yesterday!  They close the roads here at 10:30 am for the parade, so our guests started arriving early - and our younger son's family spent the night here to be ready for the day.  We decorated our gazebo the night before the 4th so it would be ready.  How do you like it?  For our readers in other countries, Americans celebrate the 4th of July to remember their Independence.
We don't have to go far to watch the parade, just 1/3 of a mile or so east of our farm.  The parade used to go right in front of our house, then then switched it to the Historic Columbia River Highway and it's remained there ever since.  Our neighbors were set up across the road and they had a tiny puppy, so she brought her over to show the kids.  The little guys loved her!  The pup doesn't look that happy.. :-)  
And then the parade began!  Our local cheerleaders marched and cheered.
There were lots of classic cars, I love the dark cherry color of this one. 
My favorite part is the horses.
Here is a 1957 Chevy, one of my favorites - I was 8 years old when this came out. :-) 
Boy Scouts from Gresham.
Another family favorite is the classic VW bus - our son had some while attending and driving to and fro to college in Tennessee - and we had a brand new red 1970 VW Campmobile when first married and for years afterward.  Travis and his wife have one now.
LOTS of horses!
A gorgeous 1950s Ford Thunderbird.. Dayle and I have drooled over these for years. 
This float is special - this is an authentic covered wagon owned by our friend Woody Davis who passed away not long ago.  His handmade coffin was transferred to the Mountain View Corbett Pioneer Cemetery inside this wagon.  
 Another beautifully restored classic car of the 1930s.
This little girl's daddy was leading her on this cute little pony.
Our local volunteer fire department heads up the parade and another of their trucks brings up the rear.   
Look at this beautiful antique fire truck from California! 
All the cars and floats threw out wrapped candy which our boys had a blast picking up.   
2 of the horses in this group had "FOR SALE" signs painted on their rumps!  :-) 
These 2 magnificent Percheron draft horses were being ridden, last year they pulled a beautiful white carriage. 
The 4-H group had a cute "float" with a little burro in the back and... 
A Nubian goat in the back.  These are the type of goats we raised while the kids were growing up.  They only had fresh home produced goat milk and we also had fresh eggs from our own chickens.  And we had a Quarter Horse (mine) and my daughter had an Arabian horse - she was in Horse 4-H.  I was the dairy goat 4-H leader for 5 years.  Great memories of county fairs and showing them and getting trophies and ribbons. 
We got a new shade canopy and put it up on the roadside, our older son Shawn and his wife drove their recreational vehicle up and watched the parade from it, and they let their two boys ride their quads up there, too.  There is Kristi in the front, my BIL Steve, on the left and my sister Denise, then Dayle and Travis and all the boys.  Here comes the parade!
Then back to the farmhouse - I finished making the potato salad, sis helping me chop things, and Kristi made a fruit "flag" out of mini marshmallows, HUGE raspberries and some blueberries.  She also made a fruit salad and fruit Ambrosia salad with coconut and whipped cream. 
Almost ready!  We had copious amounts of corn on the cob finishing up on the stove and a big platter of BBQed chicken breasts to put on the table then we all dug in.  Sister Denise brought a new recipe of baked mixed beans which were a hit.  Notice the Shawnee corn "rollers" and corn picks?  You put the butter in the roller, then put your hot corn on it and roll it around.  Works well! 
Travis ran into a high school buddy and invited him over to visit - he brought his very cute 16 year old daughter named Kelsie.  Caleb took an immediate shine to her and flirted up a storm.  He's starting early liking girls! 
What a day we had!  While we adults chatted and prepared for the meal, the bigger boys were racing around the pastures on their quads, the little guys were swinging and sliding and enjoying the play fort.  It was a perfect day!  
Dayle grabbed the camera and went out at dusk and got this nice shot of the gazebo - after it was all cleaned up after the fun day.  Today we're resting!  I need to get off to the pool soon.  I hope you have a GREAT weekend and thank you so much for visiting!!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

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25 comments:

  1. Your gazebo looks awesome all decorated!! Looks like it was a great parade and we share the same loves (horses--my sibling had a white Arabian and palomino that was half Arabian--we had Welsh ponies when we were younger AND classic cars--last week I had the pleasure of seeing a whole lot of them).
    Have a good rest--we're working in the yard today while it is cooler. My DH just reported the tractor is broken--maybe he will reconsider my idea of getting goats :)
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  2. Gorgeous pictures! Looks like a great day. =)

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  3. It looks like you had a wonderful holiday, Teresa! Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun. Your pergola looks so nice decorated that way and the food looks delicious!

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  4. So many fun things about this post Teresa! Your small town parade!! The patriotism, the beautiful classic cars! We are big VW fans here. We had a 77 Volkswagon Camper Bus that we LOVED!!!!!! Wish we still had that gem!!
    The food sounded great. And we needed one of the cob rollers. I brought up my fresh harvested corn on the cob, and forgot holders too!!
    The picture of the new gazebo, pavillion, or whatever it is being called, was just beautiful!!!!
    Happy Weekend!!!
    XO Kris

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  5. Woumy dear friend... your gazebo looks just wonderful and it looks like you had a wonderful day with your family celebrating this great holiday. Miss you!

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  6. The gazebo is special...but that fruit flag really impresses me!
    'bug

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  7. Love how you decorated the gazebo, and the night pic of it is stunning. I say someone needs to call Country Living magazine and do a spread on the Kasner place. My, you leave me completely breathless with all that you do in a weeks time. Girl, do you ever slow down and catch your breath? I have been to many parades in the past, both of my girls were in the band and our oldest was the field commander in senior year of high school. The year before she was the 2nd in command. Every holiday there were parades to attend. It is so good to see people still celebrating the 4th and our independence. Your meal, well, that potato salad would hit the spot with me. The whole thing looks scrumptious. Enjoy your weekend. I bet you are wore out.
    As always, Susanne :)

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  8. Loved your celebration, Teresa! Thanks so much for sharing it with us! I especially liked seeing the horses, and the Nubian goat, and the clever fruit flag Kristi made. Folks came over to celebrate with us yesterday. My newest SIL Gary built a beautiful campfire. A friend brought some yummy gluten and dairy free popcorn and peanut butter treats, and we had hotdogs or hamburgers, chips, watermelon and cherries and salads. We also were honored by the visit of a very large untagged German Shepherd dog unknown to us. He was scared we think, but we managed to coax him out from under a picnic table, gave him water and eventually some food and tethered him out in the front yard where he could be seen while we made calls around to find care for him....a particularly memorable 4th :-) xx, Gracie

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  9. Fabulous pictures, Teresa! I loved the parade, and the gazebo decorations are fantastic! Love the fruit flag too, what a lovely idea.
    Wishing you a happy and relaxing weekend.
    Helen x

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  10. Hi Teresa,Looks like a lot of fun!!!Family and friends together to celebrate Independance!!!Nice!!!Your gazebo looked very proud dressed in flags!!!And a lovely meal too!!!
    Have a happy weekend!!!
    Love
    AMarie

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  11. What a fun day! Thanks so much for sharing with us. The puppy did look as if he wondered where his next breath would come from. And as for Travis!! I think you're right. Just loved the photo of your gazebo both decorated and lit up at night! Joan

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  12. The gazebo is awesome! The horses in a parade are my favorite as well and as much as I enjoyed yours it was the expression on that pup's little face that just cracked me up ...he stole the show, lol! :)

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  13. Wow!!! It could not have gotten any better than that Teresa! What a fabulous day for you all. I too just love seeing old cars in parades....especially that one from the 1930's....it's so "prettia"! I tell you, that poor little puppy looks as if his eyes were crossing from all that hugging it got...it was sweet thought..I can tell the boys just loved it! Your place sure does look nice after dark....I could see your pond all lit up back there.....so pretty! All the food looks so good I could eat it right off my screen and tell Kristi she did a great job making the fruit flag....it's perfect!.............Happy weekend............
    xoxox, Shari!

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  14. Love a good old fashioned parade! Your decorations look so festive!

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  15. Everything is so festive. Y'all must have had a wonderful time!

    Big Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

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  16. Always many beautiful things to see in your posts, Teresa! Love the gazebo decor! What fun memories for those children!!!

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  17. Mrs. Teresa your gazebo looks lovely! I love the pic of it at night! Looks so peaceful and inviting.

    It really looks like you all had a nice 4th. Ours was very rainy. Many activities were cancelled. We spent the day inside watching movies!

    Erin

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  18. Your 4th of July decor is so charming! How lucky you are to have such a wonderful parade nearby, looks like so much fun - thank you so much for sharing it with us.

    Happy summer!

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  19. Your patio looks great! Glad you had a nice day with your family.

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  20. Love the way you decorated the gazebo - the night shot is magical. The parade looked like fun - thanks for taking us along. xoxox

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  21. I just love a 4th of July parade - America at its best! I am now following your blog from MHC :-)

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  22. What a great day for your family and friends, Teresa! I love the way you decorated, loved the parade and the kids and the animals. Perfect Fourth of July.

    I have a dream of owning a classic Thunderbird (made and manufactured in my hometown of Dearborn, Michigan) too. And a VW bus!

    Thanks so much for joining in this week!

    xo
    Claudia

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  23. What an amazing time you all had - the gazebo certainly looked very patriotic!

    Hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

    Helenxx

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  24. What a fabulous celebration, Teresa! I am glad you had such nice get together along with a good cause to gather for :) The gazebo looks charming in fairy lights in the evening. It si also good to see how patriotic people are there, an example for other countries.
    Have a wonderful day ahead!
    Hugs,
    Anna.

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  25. Oh my goodness! What an awesome parade! And your gazebo looks so festive!

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