Happy Independence Day, San Diego!
July 4th is one of my favorite days in San Diego County. There are so darn many festivals, parades, and places to enjoy the fireworks that no one needs to be left out. If you head to just about any beach, you can enjoy it all. As for me, I don’t even leave the block.
We have good friends who come from Park City, Utah to celebrate with us every year. We always start the day with coffee and a good breakfast. Today, it was breakfast burritos from our favorite Mexican fast food joint. Mmmmm!
When our meal has settled, and we can’t take the kids’ begging any longer, we all suit up and head down to the pool for a lazy day in the sun, accompanied by music, snacks and drinks.
Around noon, my son and I start setting things up on the street, including chairs, a table and beach umbrella, along with paper bowls, plastic spoons, and napkins. One of my neighbors surprised me today by setting up a nice large shade structure for all of us. (Thanks, Jim!) I have the greatest neighbors!
Around 2, I bring down the cooler, ice cream scoops, and 2 flavors of homemade ice cream, made the day before. This year’s flavors were chocolate cheesecake and blackberry. My neighbor, Carol, always makes a couple of flavors of her own. She made chocolate and peach this year, and they were both yummy.
Neighbors start showing up right away, and keep filtering in little by little, usually bringing store-bought ice cream in a variety of flavors in addition to root beer, cookies, and toppings. They also brought homegrown fruit, fresh off of their trees to share today.
Just when it seems it’s winding down, a few more always seem to arrive. In addition to the goodies, we all have a great visit. For some of us, it’s the only time we really stop and talk to each other all year. For others, it’s just a great time to catch up.
Around 4:30 or 5, I enlist some help from the family putting everything away. It’s a quick clean-up, and then up to the kitchen to pop a store-bought lasagne into the oven, and back to the pool to swim off a few ice cream calories.
Dinner is served around 7, adding a big salad and garlic bread.
At about 8:30, we all grab blankets and lawn chairs and head up to the top of our hill to wait for the fireworks with the rest of the neighborhood. I brought a radio with me this year, tuned in to KyXy, which synchronized their music to fireworks displays all over the county. It added a solemn note to our celebration, reminding us of those who died for our freedom, interspersing speeches and quotations between the patriotic songs.
About twenty or thirty minutes later, we head back home to put the kids to bed, and hang out with our friends until we’re too exhausted to keep our eyes open.
If you’re wondering how San Diegans spend their Independence Day, I think this is pretty typical, and yet I feel like the luckiest person in the world on July 4th every year. I hope yours was just as wonderful.
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POSTED IN: Events, Recreation
3 opinions for Happy Independence Day, San Diego!
Evelyn
Jul 7, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Wow, and ice cream block party! I love it when they time visual effects to music. I think it’s really great that they interspersed the speeches and quotations in there too. We all too often forget just what it is we’re celebrating. :) Sounds like it was a great 4th in San Diego!
Carole A. Lane
Jul 7, 2007 at 11:58 pm
All that was missing was you, Evelyn!
charles
Jul 11, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I hope that all participants (whatta great idea!!!) were aware or were MADE aware of the principles upon which the U.S. was founded. How about a copy of The Age of Reason (or The Rights of Man) in every hotel room!?
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