Happy 4th of July!

There really is no excuse for not having pictures from our 4th of July celebration. All my photos are taken on my IPhone, and it was in my purse beside me all evening. I suppose having too much fun is an excuse......yep, let's go with that one!

We did have a lot of fun. Bill's boss, Rick, invited the three of us to their annual party for BBQ and fireworks.

Usually we are up at Clearlake with family, but after a couple unplanned trips north already this year, we really needed to stay closer to home and save some money. The nieces and their families, and one of our kids, did go to the lake to spend the weekend with Marilynn. From the Facebook pictures it looks like they're having a great time. We miss not being with them this year, but sometimes you just have to make those choices :-(.

Bill finished the project from hell, also known as fixing the sprinkler system, on Friday morning. Not a great way to spend a holiday, but he is so happy to have it done that it was worth the couple hours of work. I can now rest up from my duties as Moral Support Provider. Whew!

After a late lunch and a quick nap (refer to above) we got ready and headed out. Tessa was included in the invitation and she was excited for her first big social event (because of course she understood we were going to a party). She loves people but has had little opportunity to be around other dogs, especially several of them at once. This was a great opportunity to see how she would do.

Rick and Sue's home is in the foothills above Burbank with expansive views of the San Fernando Valley. We arrived a little before 6 PM and found what we thought was the last parking spot near their house (this becomes relevant when we leave). Along with a couple humans, six large dogs greeted us at the door. Like learning to swim by being thrown in the "deep end", Tessa gets full and immediate exposure to this new experience.

And after a little hesitation, handles it like a champ. What a good dog she is. Off the leash, tail up, no growls, sniffing, being sniffed, - she's got this! Following her lead, Bill and I meet lots of new people and also behave ourselves. Less sniffing. 

I only knew our hosts and one other person, but everyone was instantly engaging and we had a great time all evening. The food was delicious with grilled steak, chicken, lamb, shrimp, monk fish, shrimp and veggies, plus salads and fruit and a tasty cake. Lot of cold beer to wash it all down while enjoying perfect SoCal weather.

The fireworks started early in the valley below us at Universal Studios, but the big show was just over the hill above us and we had perfect seats. With music from the neighbors next door and the pop and bang overhead, it was an exciting celebration.

All but three of the dogs were "stashed" in a bedroom during all the noise. Bella barked off and on and moved through all our seats, confused about why we weren't reacting to the obvious attack from above. Another older lab paced a bit before his owner got him to lie down.

Tessa? She slept for awhile on the ottoman next to me, then moved over to the teenager for some belly rubs before going back to sleep at her feet. She barely acknowledged the noise. Did I mention what a good dog she is?

Everything wrapped up after the show and we headed for the car. Apparently the street and sidewalk on three sides of our car were also parking spaces. There was open space behind us but it was pretty tight. A couple back-and-forths and I got us out of there. We were back on the freeway in minutes - but the fireworks show was not over! For about 12 miles we watched them going off on both sides of us. Sometimes they looked like they were right next to the freeway. I've never seen that many fireworks (big, professional displays, not neighborhood sky rockets) over so many miles, and still going that late. It was very cool!

So no pictures, but great memories. It was a perfect celebration of our nation's birthday. For all three of us!