FREEDOM!

July .... I barely knew ye!

On Independence Day we drove "up north" to Salt Lake and met my family at Hogle Zoo.  We have been celebrating the Fourth of July at Hogle Zoo ever since I can remember. My aunts and uncles along with my cousins meet up and walk the zoo together. It was pretty fun to drive by the Village and think about our TEN YEARS in the Student Apartments. As we passed Foothill Village I reminisced about riding my bicycle to Dan's Foods for groceries. 

Good Times. 

We found Grant playing with the bubble guns at the souvenir stand.

This was George's first visit to Hogle Zoo. My parents used to buy us a season pass every year. I'm going to do that kind of thing for my children. Until I revisited the place, I had forgotten how much of my personal history is wrapped up in it.

Here is George gazing into the trunk of an elephant statue. He knew it was going to spray him in the face. In fact, that's exactly what he was waiting for . . . .

. . . . but he was still pretty upset when it happened.

Jack and Creed were there, too. I don't know why I don't have more photos of the rest of my family that was there.

Note: As we were leaving, some of the zoo employees showed up with about 100 hula hoops and turned on some tunes. We discovered that Creed is quite talented with the hula hoop. The boy can shake his hips! Unfortunately, my camera battery decided to die at that very moment.

After the zoo, we headed over to Auntie Kim's house to feast on bar-b-que fare. 

Now I may have to bar-b-que hamburgers for dinner because I am salivating as I think about that delicious meal.

This is the only group shot I have. After we ate we walked up to Jeff and Emily's house. Their house is so cute. I loved it.

My kids loved their rope swing in the back yard.

Stella and Lola

Eddie came to Kim's and he brought his freeboard. This brother of mine has an uncanny sense of balance and he can do anything. Anything I tell ya!!

Georgie and Robert on the walk home.

We enjoyed a festive fireworks display spearheaded by Jack and Creed. My little boys were more involved with the lighting of the fireworks than they have been in the past, and I have to say that I didn't love it. It made me very nervous.

I have no pictures of the fireworks because I don't care enough to do any research about how to get decent pictures of fireworks.

Perhaps my very favorite part of the day was after the fireworks when Jeff broke out his guitar. We sang the night away. John Denver, Johnny Cash, Social Distortion, and Neil Diamond were among the artists whose music we all knew. Seriously, that will be one of the moments I live over and over again.

It reminded me of Stella's favorite poem "Daffodils" by William Wordsworth

I gazed--and--gazed but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood

They flash upon that inward eye 

That is the bliss of solitude.

And then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils.

Of course, the daffodils in this case would be sing-a-longs with my cousins and my children.

Even Jack was willing to pick up the guitar and strum out a few songs for us!