July 2nd Saturday

Tonight will be a great night.  There are a lot of people around this Ranch.  There are a lot of people who are invited to the 4th celebration.  So there are camping trailers and people I don't even know.  There are dogs and little children, there are older children and younger adults, older adults and older people.  By this evening they will probably have close to 200 people.  But we spend a lot of time in the Ranch house and out on the porch of the Ranch house.  It is so fun to watch Kim and Tam involved and making fun for so many little children, it is like it is their joy in life to make joy for others.  I think they will be greatly missed when we leave the Ranch tomorrow.  There is a big chili cook off tonight.  So the Walters are making their chili and there are contests going on every where. We all ran up to the 5th pond to see the competition on the swimming pond.  It was so fun to watch the competition between families.  They go down on the bike ramp, dive off into the water and swim to the post that is on the rope swing, when they hit the pole the guy on the top of the rope swing, swings out into the water drops and swims back to the edge of the water, the two guys in the canoe, canoe out into the water to a post in the middle of the pond go around it and head back, as soon as they get back the guy on the zip line comes down then drops and swims to the edge of the water, then they count the time.  Mark's brother's family won again this year.  They have won the last few years.  But next year is another year. It is evening now and everyone is here to eat.  They have a lot of food and a lot of different chili's to sample.  We all get to be a participant in choosing who will win. Someone won in the family Mark came in second.  He said he gets second every year.  I think that is awesome. The fireworks tonight were so fun.  Tessie came to sit by us, she saved a seat for Kim and Tam.  She was so cute she won't let anyone else sit there.  She kept saying for Kim and Tam.  The fireworks were wonderful.  I have never enjoyed anything so much.  We were right under them.  The music was wonderful and the flag was waving in the wind with a light on it by the garage at the Ranch house.  It was a beautiful evening.  The fireworks lasted a long time and were beautiful.  After the fireworks we presented the blanket to Mike for his service in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was fun to be there and see him with the quilt. I was glad I was a part of it all.  He had forgotten he had given his uniforms to Michelle.  It was a great evening.  Michelle worked on the quilt half of the day and I didn't even know.  She did a beautiful job, Tamara helped her bind it.  We were part of a great service.  What a wonderful 4th of July experience and it isn't even the 4th yet.