4th of July weekend

Our July 4th weekend was quiet and homey. We accomplished some much needed home chores -- getting both of the cars cleaned inside and out; doing loads of laundry; buying groceries, cleaning up the garage. Of course, there was the usual post-trip unpacking and cleaning of the camping and kayaking gear. Liesl and I visited the plant nursery and bought flowering pants for the front steps and back balcony; we got new trowels and gardening gloves and sharp clippers, and had a grand time snipping the encroaching blackberry thornbushes. Steve installed new showerheads in all three bathrooms, found new hardware runners for our (broken) kitchen drawers, and got us prepared for the expected future wildfire smoke (buying filters for our air purifiers and AC system, and purchasing heavy duty masks). 

I specifically looked for plants that were meant for high sun and are drought tolerant. Also, we rigged a hose from the faucet outside of Seb's room up onto the balcony, so we can more easily water these beauties. Still, we'll see! It gets so hot on the balcony and my plants often just fry up.

On Sunday afternoon we had a round of family Olympics: basketball knockout (I lost, Steve won); downball game (no clear winner); soccer shooting contest (Steve won); disc golf contest (I won the first hole, Seb won the second); cartwheel and monkey bar competition (Liesl, obviously).

 

And since it's the Avery-Raabs, there was feasting: blueberry pancakes with peaches; fish and chips and steelhead salmon w Caesar salad; tenderloin steak and a mesclun salad; linguine with clams and corn on the cob; and of course, strawberry-blueberry-raspberry flag cake.