4th of July in 2017

fireworksWe had a lovely 4th of July here in our tower by the Sea of Monsters. For several days our small selection of chicken drummettes had been soaking in a solution of buttermilk, garlic, and special sauces and those went in the oven until crisp all over (requiring several turns). From the local farmer’s market we had chilled watermelon, corn on the cob (roasted in the oven), and green tomatoes, which my skilled wife breaded and converted into fried green tomatoes.

Said tomatoes were served with homemade remolade sauce, fashioned with homemade mayo, and a lovely homemade orange sauce to dip the drummetes in. On the side was a tasty little salad with some homegrown peas tossed in, and some delicious bread from Cisse’s Bakery — a bit of a drive for us, but worth the trip. And speaking of drives, our old friend Bruce drove down and supplied dessert. Now my wife’s an amazing cook AND chef AND baker, but we do love a Grand Travers pie, especially the blueberry crumble, and that’s what Bruce brought out of the sack.

root beerSoon after we watched a DVD of Hidden Figures, which was just as good as we’d all been told, and then took a walk and watched my son, still suffering from an upper respiratory infection and sounding a little like an asthmatic Mickey Mouse, light our small, low-key fireworks. My daughter, alas, was away being a camp counselor. Highlights were the little fireworks that whirled into the air with a faint buzzing whish, the one that went awry and spun off into the grass (dubbed the Wheel of Doom), the grand finale fountain that set its box on fire (and continued to burn and spin for long minutes until it was christened the Flaming Box of Death), and then the conclusion, wherein we each lit and launched a lantern, AKA miniature hot-air balloon. If you’ve seen Tangled, you know what these are like.

It was a good day. And near its conclusion we sampled a great new root beer, one of the finest I’ve ever tasted, though not quite as fine as my friend Hal Hackleman’s home-brewed root beers. Unlike Hal’s, though, this root beer was found in the local market and purchased by me on a whim so we had something new to try out on the 4th. I’ve been staying away from sodas of late and mostly they taste over sugary to me, but Henry Weinhard’s Root-Beer was most pleasing, with a smooth, well blended flavor.