4th of July Weekend and New Addition Pictures

The 4th of July is a big holiday in Long Beach, Washington, and even bigger when the 4th of July is on Friday, as it was this year.  Friday was a good day to stay away from town, although we did make a quick stop at the Farmer’s Market where I bought some radishes.   I wanted to get raspberries but they were sold out even though I got there thirty minutes after the Farmer’s Market opened.

Painted shed and finished utility room addition and deck.

Thursday night, July 3, Dave and I drove onto the beach to watch people setting off their own fireworks.  Between the bonfires and the fireworks, it was quite a show.  Then on Friday, July 4, we decided at 9pm to attempt to drive out on the beach again and see the professional fireworks, as well as more bonfires and amateur fireworks.  By leaving a minute or two before the professional fireworks ended, we were able to make our way back up the crowded Cranberry Road beach access road and back across to Sandridge Road and back home to Safari Park.

Side view of the new addition. 

On July 4, we participated in the Safari Park hot dog BBQ potluck that was held in the lodge and Dave won a door prize—a cute little red, white, and blue flag purse.  I talked him into giving it to me and I happily used it the rest of the weekend. 

Inside view of the new utility room with shelves installed and washer and dryer installed.

After the 1 pm potluck, Dave and I drove over to Warrenton to get one more gallon of paint at Home Depot.  Painting the shed was this week’s goal.  Dave sprayed two coats of yellow and brushed on a third and final coat.  Then on Sunday he painted two coats of white trim.  Now the shed is all done, except for placing shelves inside.

Safari Saturday picnic food buffet:

Saturday was also a special day at Safari.  The second annual picnic was held in the green space common area.  This time the BBQ included hamburgers, hotdogs, and all the trimmings, as well as potluck chips, salads, fruit, and desserts.  I had brought a “star spangled dessert” to Friday’s potluck, so on Saturday I fixed a fruit bowl with watermelon (red), jicama (white), and blueberries (blue).  I got the idea for both of my potluck contributions from the internet.  The picnic was loads of fun with food, games, horseshoes, a raffle, and more food.  

A few of the boats at the Port of Ilwaco while we were waiting for the fireworks to start.

Ilwaco holds its own fireworks show on the first Saturday in July, so we attended that show, too.  The Ilwaco merchants sponsor the fireworks and they are put on by the same group that do the Long Beach fireworks.  Both shows are excellent, but it’s easier to park in Ilwaco, and the crowd is a bit more family-oriented.  I got a kick out of the comments by a girl, perhaps ten years old, who was sitting near us.  She absolutely LOVED the fireworks and said that she had never sat that close to the fireworks and that they looked “animated” and that she wished all of her friends had been there to see those fireworks.  She was right, we were sitting very close and had a great view.

After three nights of fireworks displays, we were happy to sleep in a bit on Sunday morning but then it was off to the paint cans for Dave!

Friday night moon picture:

We are home for a week now and then we’ll be back at Safari for the second of three membership meetings, Long Beach’s sandcastle festival, the rodeo, and looking forward to seeing the Peninsula Players perform “Fiddler on the Roof”!