Flashback Friday - Fun on the 4th

Just thinking about the 4th of July makes me nostalgic for childhood.
Our neighborhood while growing up was full of kids and great families. Most afternoons were spent playing Cops and Robbers, Kick the Can, Monopoly or Clue, and eating homemade salsa on our front porch. We loved it! And on the 4th, the neighborhood celebrated together as well. Vivid images that come to mind when I think of those 4th of July days:

* Leslie Ballou (our next door neighbor) in her skinny silver pants.
* Sitting on the curb at dusk, watching the black firework worms grow and crawl on the asphalt.
* Jimmy Farmer's mom making Jello Jigglers (we never had that luxury at home)
* My parents helping out at the Fireworks booth in the Lucky's shopping center for the Boy Scout fundraiser.
* Pancake breakfasts at the church
* Homemade parades with our decorated bikes
* Coming downstairs that morning to patriotic music playing in the house.
* Setting up our blue and yellow stand-up pool in the backyard with Dad.
* Volleyball on the Ballou's front lawn
* Staying up late and watching fireworks up and down the street for hours.

This picture is beyond childhood and into our high school years but here is our street in Santa Ana, where all the fun happened. You can even see Mr. Igarashi's orange Datsun in the background. Awesome. That shirt Camille has on was classic GAP. I always thought it was cute.
This picture is from the same day. Jack Purcell's on Camille (very High School), my favorite white Esprit tennis shoes, and Rachael's red Esprit converse (I think that's her. Who else has such tan legs?) It was definitely the style to wear tennis shoes withOUT socks. We're glad they've invented No-Socks Socks these days since our feet smelled pretty bad after a warm summer day. But we didn't care then.

And this is one of my all-time favorite 4th of July pictures. Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bruce:
As our family grew-up, we celebrated more with relatives than the neighborhood friends. Cousins and Aunts/Uncles drove from hours away to be at our house on the 4th. Uncle Craig made his yummy Shrimp Boil. And Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bruce always made their Berry Flag Cake. They spent hours preparing and decorating the enormous sheet cake. Martha would have been proud. Usually in the afternoon we'd play a round of softball at the local park and then go swimming to cool off. My Uncle Bruce has since passed away which makes this picture all the more endearing to me. I still can't get over those patriotic suspenders. For a quiet man, he made a nice wardrobe statement that day.

Happy 4th of July everyone! I'm thankful for this wonderful country and the amazing men who had the foresight to create greatness:
It's a privilege to call myself "American".