We didn't spend our Independence Day holiday in the usual way, attending the parade of firetrucks and old cars in town, grilling burgers at home (usually under a cold, cloudy sky) and watching the fireworks over the Columbia River Gorge. We did something different this year.
We spent the day in
my brother's new airplane hangar having a family barbeque, playing Bocci ball and taking some airplane rides.
The weather was a gorgeous 82 degrees with clear blue, sunny skies.
What a great 4th of July!
Alyssa took the opportunity to bravely face her fears.
And everyone had a chance to explore the wild blue yonder.
The area, west of the mountains where we live, is a farming section of the state where mostly grass seed is raised.
This is a Christmas tree farm.
A saw mill. I wouldn't be surprised if many of those logs have barreled past my house on logging trucks from their origins in the forests here.
A golf course.
And a view of the western slopes of our mountain, as well as views of others in the Cascade range like Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Ranier.
It was a fun and memorable day!
