The Long Weekend

Today is the beginning of a four day weekend here in the States,since Monday is the 4th of July. Long lines of traffic will wind their way north from states south of us,making Rt 16 a very slow process.Folks come here to go to their summer homes,go camping,hiking,swimming,and assorted activities.  We have a joke here in NH:"Welcome to NH.Now go home." Tourism is a double edged sword. We love the money that "flatlanders" put into our state treasury. The crowds?Not so much,because it makes it difficult to enjoy our own attractions. Since we already live here,and can venture to any part of NH whenever we want (pretty much,depending on what on the agenda here)we can avoid crowds. We know where not to go,and when not go to our favorite places. You couldn't pay us to go away this weekend. Everything we need is right here at home!

Radishes I picked yesterday. Still a bit small,but tasty nonetheless!

Here at home we have BBQ,quiet places to sit,no traffic,no crowds. We also have our own fireworks. We started buying them after Rick got back from Iraq. He wasn't up to going to see fireworks,what with the explosions and big crowd so we bought our own (it's not illegal here in our town).Now it's a tradition. We tell the neighbors to come on down if they want at dusk to see them. Last year   we had two families come over,chat and enjoy the show. This year, we have something new that we can have fun with: a swimming pool.

Rick levelling the area for the pool.



Brother B ,Spencer,and Rick spreading out the pool.Rick will probably not like this photo ;)



Getting it situated



Ta Da! Waiting to be filled

We've had those smaller pools in the past,but this year we wanted one that Zach could practice his swimming in at his convenience. Plus,I love pools.There's nothing better than working in the hot,humid weather,then cooling off in your own pool! You don't have to bother a friend with a pool,you don't have to pack up and drive to a lake (though that is fun,don't get me wrong.I like my lake time with My Dear Friend Michelle).You just go to your backyard.

So this July 4th,we can add swimming to our list of fun activities.  Since it's going to be hot,that will be a good thing!The Boys also built a new fire pit yesterday,which I haven't taken photos of yet. They used the same kind of beams that was used for our retaining wall and made a square 6ft wide.They then filled it with left over fill,and placed the rock ring on the top of the sand,so the fire ring is higher up. People can put their feet on the wood,their drinks,their smores,whatever...and we don't have to bend down so low to maintain the fire. We are going to break it in tonight.

To my Canadian friends,Happy Canada Day! To my fellow Americans,enjoy your long weekend and Happy Fourth of July!!!