Monday, July 6, 2015

4th of July - Country Style

Hello my friends.. did you have a good weekend?  We had a busy and fun time.  Saturday was preparing for the party and BBQ, dusting the piano and living room furniture, spreading red, white and blue table cloths, you know the drill.  Sunday began early as they close the roads out here at 9:30 am for the parade so our guest began arriving before that.  Then we went up to the top of our road and set up a shade canopy for us to sit under and watch.  Would you like to see some of the parade?  Let's begin with one of my very favorites, the white carriage pulled by two shiny black Percheron draft horses.  I want to ride in that!


The parade began with the cars - old ones, new ones, all colors.  Many of them toss candy to the kids, this is Gabriel on the left and Caleb on the right rushing to pick up sweets.


This is a 1962 Corvette convertible, isn't it a beauty?  We live a half mile down that road.


Blue Cobra.


They close off the road for the parade so our road is nice and safe while we're gone as no one is allowed up and down during the parade.  The police woman came over and chatted with us at length, she was a real character.


It got hot on the 4th.. Caleb found that our son Shawn's German Shepherd enjoyed having water squirted into her mouth.  :-)


Here come the pretty horses and ladies!


I shouted a greeting and was rewarded with waves and smiles.


Another Corvette, a Cadillac and a wonderful vintage truck.  Which one do you want?  I want the truck!



Oh I love this old Ford 1946 flatbed truck!



Don't you just love the clip clopping of horses as they go by?  We ride Western style here.. how do your riders ride and dress?



How about this old red bearded farmer and his old tractor (in need of a wash)?


This Army truck is for sale at a local auto dealership.  Can you imagine what the gas mileage would be?



Trucks and more trucks!


From the biggest to the littlest -- this little girl gamely drove her little battery operated utility cart the whole parade route.. so cute.


A beautiful shiny red fire truck.



Here is an early 1920s truck - love it!



Lots of ladies and their beloved horses.


After the parade we returned to the farm for a BBQ and lots of visiting.  Here is my sister Denise and our son Shawn cooling off in the shade of the gazebo.


Kristi stayed home from the parade and did a lot of work setting up for the BBQ.



Dayle BBQed chicken, boneless pork ribs and hotdogs on his pellet smoker/grill.  Kristi put together the orange baked beans and cooked the potatoes and eggs for the potato salad, peeled, chopped the eggs and sliced the celery - when I got home from the parade I added everything she'd prepared and the mayo, mustard, salt and pepper and mixed it up.  Everything was yummy!  (Please excuse the messy presentation.. :-) but BBQ sauce IS not neat.)


Kristi's best friend, her husband and 3 little boys joined us.  That makes for 7 little boys running around having fun! :-)



Kristi filled up a little kiddie pool for the little guys.. how cute are they?  :-)



Travis' best friend Dan and his wife Keturah stopped by for a quick visit, make that 9 little boys and 1 little girl.  :-)


Michael and Gabriel, Shawn's boys, and their two young German Shepherds, Schatzie and Meeka.



I had to show you - I ordered the alpaca from the farm and shop above Hood River on Thursday afternoon and it arrived on Friday!  Now I have it to take with me on the trip so I can work on it - if I ever have the time.  :-)


Every time I get up from my easy chair and then return, look who is there keeping it warm for me?  Oh, we're going to miss this little guy.  I'm so glad that Kristi will be taking good care of him for us.. and the chickens.. and the flowers.. and my houseplants.  :-)



Last night Travis set off some little fireworks for us and let the boys play with some sparklers.


Hayden is making circles with his sparkler. 


Caleb doing the same.  I chastised Dayle for having the 55 Chevy hood up - and told him he knows nothing about staging photos.  :-)  But I'm sure you've figured out by now that I don't do lovely polished magazine worthy photos.. but raw, real and messy.  :-)


The waning moon that I snapped the other night.. love the craters showing on the right side of it.



I play Scrabble on Facebook.. every once and a while I am Number 1!  Woohoo!  My daughter Amy is a touch competitor and puts me down to #2 and 3 often.. but not right now!  For a day or two I might be #1!  I also play Gracie and she's been beating me a lot.  What a challenging game!


I hope you've enjoyed my flotsam and jetsam of photos.. 

Today we are packing our bags for our trip.  Tomorrow we're having our car washed, vacuumed and the inside of the windows washed.  And then, Wednesday morning early (for us) we will be pulling out and driving 8 hours south to Redding, California.  Then we'll spend the night there and the next day head 4 hours up to Lake Tahoe.  Can't wait to see it again!  

I will try to blog while gone and share some of the sights.  What I won't probably have time for is leaving comments on your blogs (for those who blog).  I hope you will understand that we'll have precious little time inside as we'll be driving and sight-seeing a lot.  So.. have a great MONTH!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

24 comments:

  1. Fabulous Teresa and what a spread! That is so nice of you to share all these wonderful family photos with us...what a treat!!! I loved the Shire horses which reminds me of my Dad and Uncle in Somerset UK as they used to breed them and train them for the various farms. We always called them the gentle giants as they are that! Strange they are also called Percherones here in Spain and they are very rare and expensive to keep. Impressive parade so very different but I can see everyone had a wonderful times...so many smiles!!!

    keep well

    Amanda :-)

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  2. Safe trip & take loads of photo's. Can't wait for your postings.

    Sweet Buddy is going to keep your chair warm while you're away. So very happy he'll be in Kristi's good hands while you're traveling. Bon voyage!

    Oh yeah, the "country" parade looked wonderful - so many beautiful auto's.

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  3. Teresa,
    Fantastic photos of the 4th of July, what a gorgeous day, filled with so much sun, fun and blue skies.
    Your hard work paid off for a memory maker Holiday.-yummy food! Have I told you that your barn is adorable, can a barn be adorable? Well it is. hehehe. As for me I'd like to take a spin in the corvette!
    Be safe, have fun and keep us posted!
    Hugs,
    Jemma

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  4. What a glorious parade, such fun to see the variety of vehicles all decked out in their red, white and blue. Hope you have a wonderful holiday, stay safe.

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  5. What a fun day with family and friends! Love all of those old vehicles. My Dad at one time, owned a red vintage fire truck. We never did figure out why he bought it. LOL

    I know you are excited about your trip. Travel safe and hopefully, I'll be talking to before too long.

    Judy

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  6. I had so much fun celebrating the 4th of July with you. Love every single picture. We sat around all day until we went to Neal and Jenny's for grilled hamburgers in the evening. Then home to watch the "Capital 4th" on PBS. It's the first time in years we haven't been at the lake for all of the festivities. About the time you leave on your trip, I'll be at the hospital! I think I'd rather be with you. How wonderful that you have Kristi to look after everything for you. Have fun and see everything!!!
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  7. Oh my, such fun parade pics, Teresa. Thanks so much for sharing them! Looks like your family had a fantabulous 4th! Enjoy your vacation. Will be looking forward to your posts. :)

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  8. Misting canopy. My new love. Neighbor had a Mister kit that she wrapped thru an old canopy. So nice to have misting water on us as we gathered for our 4th.
    Drive safe.

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  9. What a great parade and party, you certainly had a house full Teresa. It's wonderful that you have Kristi looking after your home whilst you are away having a fab holiday.Have fun and I look forward to seeing the photos x

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  10. I LOVE the clip clop of horses hooves too. Have a great vacation! I'll look forward to your posts. Be safe

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  11. Enjoyed the parade with you and your family and friends!!!! Looks like you all had a wonderful time. Have a great and safe trip. Hugs Anne x

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  12. Have a wonderful trip Teresa, and when Kristi has finished looking after your house please can you send her my way, I could do with a hand round here!
    Jillxo

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  13. Great pictures of the parade, and what a lovely celebration you had. So good that Kristi will take care of Buddy and your home and plants while you are away. Wishing you a wonderful trip, and looking forward to seeing your pictures......safe travels and happy trails, dear Teresa!
    Helen xox

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  14. That is a fabulous parade. I adore horses so you know I would like it, plus those vintage cars and trucks. It had everything, and then your shady place to eat at your home. I think I want to visit next year :) Just kidding but really, that is a proper July 4.

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  15. So glad you had a happy 4th! We did too although we did not attend a fun parade like the one you photographed so well in Corbett. We are headed out shortly to attend Hayley's baptism at their pastor's house. Have a safe and fabulous trip! I am imagining you having a wonderful time and being very glad for all you get to see and do, and what a comfort it is to have Kristi, Travis and the boys home to hold down the fort and give loving care to Buddy and the flock and fish! xx ps Now you know you want me to do my best at Scrabble which makes your triumphs all the sweeter, right :)

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  16. That was an all-american 4th celebration for sure. Have a wonderful and safe trip.

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  17. Great photos and wonderful parade and BBQ. Boy, that food looks good! I am a huge fan of summer BBQ and picnics. This post was so nice . . . America and family . . . that's what it's all about.
    How wonderful that your yarn arrived so soon, that is some great service:)
    Have a happy week, I know you'll be busy getting ready for your trip.

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  18. Enjoy your trip! The BBQ looks great. We also had a BBQ on the 4th but just because that's what suited the family. We're still eating left-overs!

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  19. Love the squirting of water in the dog's mouth. :) Looks like it was a grand parade. And a lovely weekend. We are in the midst of a dust storm. Ugh! I'm packing, my least favorite thing to do for long distance travel. I don't take a laptop with me so always find it hard to blog while away. Enjoy your trip. Safe travels. Tammy

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  20. Honk, when you pass Orland....it is about an hour south of Redding, off of I-5...Have a great time on your getaway travels!

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  21. Lovely photos! My favourite was the red bearded farmer and his tractor. Sure looks warm over there :)

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  22. I remember the pictures from last years parade and it seems to be getting bigger each year! Love all your pics. I hope you have a wonderful, safe and fun road trip and will look forward to your posts. xox

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  23. OK .. seem to be having trouble again. Maybe its because I'm on the iPad ??? Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I wish you a wonderful, safe and fun road trip and will look forward to seeing your pics along the way. xox

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