Not even Hurricane Arthur could stop some Independence Day fun from happening here this weekend! Morning rain on Friday gave way to blue skies and sunshine by afternoon. So the kids put on their stars and stripes to celebrate America’s 238th birthday.

That night we were invited over to a friend’s bonfire to shoot bottle rockets and small fireworks. This was the first 4th of July in a long time that we didn’t have front row seats to Ohio’s biggest fireworks show at my parents home in Columbus. Songbird was near tears when she realized that “going to see fireworks” this year was not what she had envisioned. But a few sparklers managed to lift her spirits.

The bonfire was epic and reached nearly 30 feet in the air at it’s peak.

The earlier storms brought unusually lovely weather the rest of the weekend. Low humidity and sunny skies had us dining outdoors with Grandma L and learning new jokes.

Plus lots of swimming in the pool with friends.

Our Independence weekend was capped off with a day trip to Colonial Williamsburg. These buildings were the place from which George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Monroe, James Madison, George Wythe, Peyton Randolph, and others molded American democracy. Sometimes the best way to appreciate today’s freedoms is to walk in the footsteps of those who gave them to us.