Our July 4th Weekend and Water Parade

Last weekend we enjoyed fireworks on July 3rd at Falcon just 15 minutes away. I had taken the children up to the park to join a little birthday celebration for a friend's daughter with several other young people.

I prepared these dishes of cheese cubes and cherries to take along.

Here are a couple fireworks pictures.

They were totally splendid.

Then on July 4th itself we went to Pueblo West's water parade

with Iva's family.

The girls were watching the proceedings behind Iva's Nazarene church tent which was set up by the street the parade went along.

They warned us that everyone should plan to get very wet, so Jonathan put his phone in a plastic bag in his shirt pocket!

One little kid was squirting water up the truck exhaust pipe!

The church had a truck or two there with a couple trash cans or barrels full of water which the little children used to fill their squirt guns.

Hannah had a blast blasting everyone around with water!

Iva's pastor is such a fun person, and he just had a blast splashing everyone and getting the kids to splash him! Here, he had dunked our Timmy clear into the barrel of water after Timmy splatted him one too many times!

So here is part of the parade coming by. The dry part of the parade.

After the dry part, was the wet parade with everyone in the floats or trucks or whatever water-gunning or hosing down everyone watching, and everyone watching returning fire--
I mean--water!

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Here was a nice "float." I noticed that there were a lot of churches represented. It seemed like quite a clean parade. I was so afraid there would be some really bad stuff after that Supreme Court ruling,

but instead, there were a lot of healthy, good representations.

Carrie and Elisa watching from a distance, although Carrie went out and got plenty wet other times.

Elisa looked so modest and lovely. (We won't describe some of the other sights we saw, which is why we probably won't go again, even if it was fun.)

Here was a Chick Fil E float on top of a huge truck, and wow, did they ever get doused as they went by!

Here the kids are dousing the pastor and it looks like another kid is dunked in the barrel again!

After the parade, we went to Iva's place for lunch.

Kenn had just made this pretty wind chime.

I loved these pots of herbs and flowers along the fence.

I didn't have much energy for making anything special with all the goings on, so we contributed bratwursts and a huge bowl of lettuce from our garden, and red, white and blue in the shape of berries and cheese slices.

Iva had made a delicious roasting pan full of potatoes, bratwursts and sauerkraut.

After lunch and a rest, a bunch of us played Telestrations.

The next day was Sunday and we had a picnic with Jonathan's parents and Jon and Esther's family.

But on the way, we had to stop at Grandma and Pa's place to cook the corn on the cob.

Grandma has their place so pretty with flowers.

Here's along the front of the house.

And here's part of the back veranda and yard.

She has flowers planted around their little windmill which she enjoys looking at from the kitchen window.

She even has a little garden in the corner of the back yard.

Grandma is a wonder!

Not for a Lighter Load

A new house is going in down the road from us, and yesterday we watched a crane set the halves of the house in place. Jonathan was grimacing about a "cracker box" going in, 

but I told him at least it wasn't a huge mansion that would shut out the view of Pikes Peak!

 And so, pausing in the middle of our workday, here is another poem I wrote a while back.

"Not for a Lighter Load"

I ask not for a lighter load

But strength to carry on.

I ask not for the smoothest road,

But shoes to walk upon.

 I ask not for a peacock's plume.

A sparrow's dress is fine.

I ask no palace full of rooms,

Just a home that's truly mine.

 I ask not for total freedom 

From a family's strain and stress.

Just love for all my children

And needed nights of rest.

 I ask not for perfection

In my other "better half,"

Just acceptance of him as he is,

And humor enough to laugh!

 I ask not for a thornless rose,

Just let me hold the flower.

I don't need all things to know

Just wisdom for each hour.

 I ask Thee not for cloudless skies,

Just dry my falling tears,

And send a rainbow's sweet surprise

To touch my heart with cheer!

*****************

We had wanted to go camping as a family before Crystal left for Africa, but between illness, bad weather, and work schedule we just couldn't make it happen. So Monday I took the children to go for a hike in the foothills of Pikes Peak to St. Mary's Falls.

 I should never have tried to hike that whole 5 or 6 miles round trip, but I did. And for the record, Hannah and I were the only ones who made it clear to the Falls!

 Right near the end of the trail, there is a confusing fork in the trail, and it looks like you are supposed to go straight up by the stream, but the real trail goes off across the hillside and back in a loop to the falls.
I remembered that from when we hiked here last time 5 years ago with Elon's family, and so Hannah and I took the correct trail.

The other children who were ahead took off up by the stream and then had to turn back to hunt for me.

 Not finding me, they started back the way we came, thinking I may have turned around and gone back since I was getting exhausted.

Meanwhile, Hannah is crying because her legs are tired and I am about ready to collapse, too. 

She and I arrived at the Falls, sat there in the shade eating the rest of our carrots and peanuts,

and called for the kids, thinking they might be hiding to surprise us.  

Suspecting what had happened and that we'd missed each other at the fork, Hannah and I slipped and slid down the steep and pebbly trail back to the fork.

Two and a half miles on down the trail, the children waited back at the van and Sam and Rose were just starting back up the trail to look for me when I came down--still peddling, but barely!

Hannah had been a total trooper, and kept herself going by looking for these edible mushrooms to take home for her daddy.

It was so sweet to me to watch how she forgot herself and her weariness by thinking of the father she loved and how she wanted to bring him a gift from the hike. 

Heavenly Father, give us such a love for You,

that in the weariness of the journey of life we may forget ourselves in our desire to bring you the 

precious gift of a loving heart as we walk this path.

Refresh us by the rippling streams.

Protect us from taking the wrong direction at crucial forks in our lives--

from pushing straight forward when you want us to make a turn or a change,

or from veering off in some wrong direction when you want us to proceed straight ahead, the same as ever.

Though we may miss the mark at times here on the earth, 

and not make it clear to the end of the trail here,

grant us, by Your grace, to keep plodding until we reach the heavenly gates,

there to lean our weary head upon You, and find rest in a heavenly home!

Crystal Safely in Africa

So early Wednesday morning we were rushing around to get Crystal off to the airport.

I was supposed to have taken her, but after only two hours of sleep the night before

and two or three of the youngest children waking up with some of the most horrible croupy sounding coughs you ever heard, 

I decided that Jonathan would have to take her.

That was one morning when we needed to keep our shield of "faith" in front of us.

I wanted to get a quick picture of her and me, although what I had really wanted was a last-minute family snap which just didn't happen!("Didn't we already get a family photo at Christmas??")

So there she is fixing her bag, and somebody had taken a picture of this beautiful sunset apparently the night before.

And the sunrise that morning.

And Crystal got her snacks and water bottle together and shared hugs and kisses with everybody except ones who preferred to fold their arms in front of them (we won't say any names or anything).

And after going first to town to drop materials for his work guys, Jonathan took Crystal on to the airport, and I just got an email from her saying they had arrived safely in Africa and were resting comfortably at a guest house of a business man in Africa whom the Maraises know. 

The photo Ezra sent showed the guest house as a lovely place.

And so before I close this post, I wanted to include a few photos of the hailstorm that came through a few days ago and copy a poem I wrote a few years ago and found in my stash lately. 

"Rainbow in the Dark, Dark Sky"

Rainbow in the dark, dark sky,

What kind of message do you cry?

Message midst the work and stress,

Message for my weariness,

What is the message that you cry?

Weary one, this is from me,

To comfort your adversity.

My message: "When you're through the test,

The Lord has promised perfect rest,

And that eternally.

Rainbow after summer rain

Hope for life can you explain?

Why is there so much tragedy?

Why must we suffer misery?

What reason that there's so much pain?

"I the rainbow can't begin

To change the life that you are in.

But God's promises are sure.
He knows those whose hearts are pure.

A crown of life they'll win.

A crown of life they'll win.

 Rainbow o'er the road ahead,

Before my earthly hopes are dead,

Have you a message I might heed

To steady me in time of need,

That I be strong instead?

 This is the message for your cheer,

Before my colors disappear.

Never despair; work, pray and trust.

The Lord transforms the ash and dust

That fills each fleeting year.

 Storms are his footprints; tears His jewels;

Suffering--lessons in His schools.

Have faith in God. When past earth's strife

His promise is eternal life

Where love and joy shall rule.