The Fourth of July definitely means that summer is here!!!!! For twenty years now, we begin celebrating on the THIRD of July when we go "up the hill" to Ann and Ray's house, sit on the roof, and watch the fireworks below us that Silverado Country Club sets off. Sometimes we have our root beer floats BEFORE the fireworks, and sometimes we have them after, but those root beer floats are a family tradition that we never skip. I cannot remember a time when it was not clear enough to see the fireworks go off. In recent years, we have watched the downtown Napa fireworks from our balcony on the Fourth, and we can see almost all of them, except for the ones that are set off below the tree line.
Before we had the balcony, we would go back up the hill and watch from there. You could see fireworks from all over -- American Canyon, Benicia, Vallejo, Pinole, and sometimes even Crissy Field in San Francisco on an especially clear night. Back in the day, the rooftop would be crowded with our kids, Raymond & Sue and their kids, sometimes even Pat & Robert and their kids. Thee days it's just me & Rod, Ann & Ray.
This year, we brought BBQ ribs, coleslaw, corn and baked (soy) beans up the hill on the third, and played Mexican Train before it got dark, and after the fireworks were over, waiting for the traffic to clear. Rod drove the 1934 Auburn replicar down to the house for the parade the following day.
And, on the Fourth. as we have done for about ten years, we drove classic cars in the parade carrying various local dignitaries in American Canyon. Rod judges the classic vehicle entries, and I usually drive the best classic with the mayor or one of the council members. This year, I drove the mayor (Leon Garcia) in the 1958 Impala convertible. We decorated the car with glittery "USA"letters, American Flags on the two antennas on the back, and a big flag that the Mayor brought on the hood, along with a red white and blue bow adorned with glittery stars on the hood ornament.
Cindy with the Impala
Other cars were the Auburn driven by Rod's Dad, the '56 Cadillac Convertible driven by Shuree and her boyfriend with Councilmember Joan Bennett, and the 1974 Cadillac Convertible driven by Rod -- with the parade's Grand Marshall.
Ray Driving the Auburn
Shuree, Todd and Joan Bennett
Getting Ready for the Grand Marshall
It is always blistering hot and my foot is always tingly hot by the end of the parade from keeping on the brake the whole time as we S-L-O-W-L-Y cruise the 2 mile parade route with the Mayor and his wife greeting all of their neighbors as we pass by. We almost always pass on the festival held in the park with bounce houses, hot dogs, and local crafts. Too hot for that!!!!!!
Driving Mayor Garcia and his Wife
At home, I marinated steaks provided by Ann, made potato salad and a cheesecake, and took my Rambler out for a cruise around the Avenues. It is pretty easy to drive and I look forward to getting it spruced up and showing it off.
Then the Napa City Fireworks on the balcony followed dinner of the grilled steaks, grilled squash/mushrooms/onions, potato salad and cheesecake. More Mexican Train preceded dinner (I won this time !).
And I always think back to the holidays of my youth. Which Fourth of July celebrations were the best? The one at Simmons Beach on a blanket when I was a teenager besotted with my first love? Or the first summer in California, when we went to the beach in Santa Cruz and watched the fireworks lying on our backs in the sand , stoned and seeing animals in the shapes of the smoke clouds? And always the intoxicating heat of a summer night that makes you want to stay awake all night long looking at the stars, the moon, the bugs swarming around the street lights, and breathing in that sweet night air.
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