New Darbyworld: Happy Independence Day!

Eve with a beautiful flower field we discovered on the hike.

Looking over Provo/Orem and eating cherries grown in WA.

This year my brother Luke was able to come visit us for the weekend. We were so excited to have him here! He was probably bored but he soldiered on and was a great help chasing monkies! We kicked off our celebrations on the 3rd with a hike to Squa Peak. The view from the trailhead parking lot kind of reminds me of the view from Flattop in Anchorage- not the same but still nice. We didn't end up going all the way because we went up the wrong trail that winded forever and the kids were whining about being tired and it was HOT. So we headed back down and ate some snacks as we looked out ove the valley. After we got home we went swimming at the pool behind our house. It was nice to cool off.
The 4th of July started off really early- 6am. We went to the hot air balloon exhibitions at the high school a couple of blocks away. It was really neat to see them all on the ground- and when they took off. Of course, we didn't have the camera with us- but if you look below, you can see one that escaped to float over our houses. Another landed in the park next to our house- one decorated as Tony the Tiger.
The parade started at 9 and we walked around to find a spot to watch. The thing about the Provo parade is that people are insane. THey stake out thier spots two nights before- covering them with shelters and tents and lawn chairs. It's kind of annoying when you are just trying to find a spot to watch at with small children. Ok, the other lame things is that NO ONE throws candy! There was one float sponsored by a local grocery store that had a few people throwing candy- but they didn't do it consistently and our poor children were a little upset they didn't get any. We left early because it was seriously hot and the lack of candy was daunting. That's all I remember as a child- looking forward to the parades because of the massive amounts of candy I could pick up! Ah, the joys of being smacked in the head with peppermints. Next year we are going to my grandparents in Inkom because they throw candy there. Yes, we are motivated by candy. It could be worse like drugs or alcohol or Anime.
That afternoon we went downtown to the Freedom Festival. There were the usual booths but we passed them and went to the entertainment tents (and the shade). The best shows we watched were the Jugglenutz and one with a bunch of huge snakes, lizards and what not that the kids got to pet at the end. The jugglers were great, too. Very entertaining and they even juggled flaming batons and sharp kives. It was nice- but once again, HOT so we went home and feasted on our shrimp salad and hot dogs.

Here are some pics The kids made themselves (with some help from yours truly) Firecracker Hats. Here they are posing with them on the way to the parade.