Fourth of July

We celebrated the Fourth of July twice this year. Neither time on the 4th. We were in Morgan with Michelle's family on the 3rd. Her whole family was together, which hasn't happened very often. We BBQ'd in the backyard and then went to the Morgan fireworks show at the high school once it got dark. I don't have any pictures of our Morgan 4th.

On Sunday the 4th we drove to Richfield to meet up with my dad, my two brothers and their families. On Monday the 5th we went to the Richfield parade. We had our traditional spot in front of the firehouse. There is really only once good reason to go to the parade. It is to watch the kids (I include myself in this statement) scramble to collect the salt water taffy that is thrown from the floats. Here are the kids with their goodie bags.

We always take a "self-guided tour" of the Richfield Fire Department and take pictures in and on all of the trucks. We feel that we belong there, even though some may look at us and wonder who we are.

After the parade we went to the park to participate in all the activities there. They have several food booths, all kinds of vendors (mostly selling junk), blow-up slides and bounce houses, races for the kids and the fish grab. The fish grab has changed since when I was a kid. Now they build three small tanks. The kids all line up on the edge of the tank corresponding to their age group.

The hatchery truck pulls up and loads the tanks with fish. This process always seems to take longer than it should.

They let the fish swim around for a little while...

... and then they let the kids loose. It is total chaos. Rebecca and Tyler were both in the same age group. Here you can see both of them trying their hardest to get a fish.

Rebecca figured out that if she sat near the edge with her hands in the water and waited for a fish to swim over the top of her hands that she could toss it out of the tank. The first one that she did this way was taken by a boy before she could get out of the tank to claim it. This is the second one she got this way.

She wasn't quite sure what to do with it. She walked around holding it and showing it to the family for a few minutes. Tyler wasn't ever able to catch one, so here he is holding Rebecca's. Notice that she wasn't going to let go of it even if it was just her little brother holding it. It was her fish.

After Tyler held it, Rebecca decided that she would put it back in the water to let someone else have a turn. Being Rebecca, she later told me that she felt good that she was able to have the experience of catching the fish and then letting someone else have the same opportunity.