Philadelphia makes a big hoo-ha about their Independence Day celebration, street fair, etc, etc. We thought that sounded historic and nice... it wasn't. Everything that wasn't a national fast-food/convenience chain was closed, the street fair was mostly just bad singers screeching loudly at the Ford karaoke stand, and the fireworks - despite a pretty monumental grand finale - were likely not the nation's best. It wasn't something we'd tackle a million people to do again, but now we know.

We had a whopper of a deck bbq on Thursday night to ring in the holiday... and summer to a certain extent. People turned out in droves but didn't really hang out on the deck or eat the bbq, which was unexpected but a sign that we're the Midwesterners without kids and our friends aren't. Anyway, I had ribs and dessert and grown-up Arnold Palmer and enjoyed it and I think Jenelle did, too.

Mom was off Friday morning and we were not far behind, joining the neighborhood gang for a picnic day at Lake Nockamixon State Park. In the evening we found/discovered/went to a new (for us) indie theater in Allentown and watched "Away We Go." It was great and a break-through for both of its previously-small screen stars. Today we went for a bike ride through the fields west, over a chipmunk's tail, past the new DC by Quarry Park, and home. Now it's afternoon, we're wishing we had a canoe, and tomorrow is back to the grind.