4th of July Memories

It worked!
Doesn't it look pretty on the new platter I purchased at Crate & Barrel?
I hope you noticed that I got out my piping bag and filled it with freshly whipped cream to make the white lines.
The clerk at C & B said she has a Jell-O™ mold of the USA. That sounds to me like a nightmare. Can you imagine trying to get that out of the mold. I'll bet Florida is a problem every time. Come to think of it Florida always seems to be a problem!?

A lovely day. Perfect for eating fajitas outside.

Every year we have the discussion about buying the electric motor for the White Mountain ice cream maker that Mr. D bought me for my birthday about 10 years ago. And, as you can see, every year we decide against it. This year, every time I looked Scott was cranking, but everyone took a turn, I think. I did (for about 2 minutes!)

The unveiling of the ice cream.

Red strawberries, White ice cream, and Blue blueberries. Get it?

We played "Pass the Baby". Everyone who played was a winner. Here's Mom taking her turn. (Note: Although she is a very glamorous mother, the sunglasses are due to recent cataract surgery.)

Carol got a turn.

Mr. D took his turn as Mark ate some ice cream.

An adoring crowd gathered and watched as...

...the Dahlens took on the Dugans in volleyball. I'm not saying who won, but it might have been the Dugans. Note: next year move the net to the middle of the yard.

Will figured out how to spin the dealie on the bottom of the car to make the sounds happen. What a brilliant boy.

Swimming in Lake Minnetonka. Not all of us did that, but that's Katie on Tim's shoulders. Beth is near them and Mindy is on the right. Terry, Chris, and Jeremy were parking the cars.

Red licorice, kettle corn, and Pit. It's an annual event while waiting for the fireworks to begin.

Here's what we look like while glowing.

Here's what we look like while glowing and saying the word "prunes".

The fireworks were lovely as they were shot off a barge in the middle of the bay and reflected on the lake, but we all ran out of batteries for photos. So I will describe them. They were multi-colored. Some fizzled as they came down. Some filled the sky. Some were colorful circles linked together. Others were very sparkly and looked almost like a dandelion gone to seed in the sky. A couple looked like sheaves of wheat. Others looked like a smiley face. One even seemed to have the letter "D" inside it. Then, at the end, there was a magnificent, lengthy, burst of color and sound for about 2 minutes. Amazing.