Independence Day vacation

    Today would have been my Mom's 88th birthday.  She loved celebrating her birth with the birth of the nation and the adopted birthdate of our very elderly Greek immigrant neighbor, whose sons and their families threw a huge neighborhood pool party with spit roasted whole lamb and all the potluck fixings from the large, but rural neighborhood.  I remember these parties vividly, always ending with a few fireworks and a gun salute out over the river.
     Those neighbors and my mother have passed on now.  My husband and I tried most years to participate with our children at a block party or swim club party followed by one of the fireworks displays at the oceanfront or Mt. Trashmore (yep, a park built on one of Virginia Beach's garbage dumps).  One year about 18 years ago, hubby went to Texas with his parents and sister to visit family, I packed the 3 kids in the mini van and drove to Clearwater, FL and spent the holiday with a friend and her 3 kid where we went to one of the causeways and saw firework displays from several communities.
     This year, hubby and I with our 7 year old grandson are visiting our daughter and her family also in Florida.   The boys have had a great time together, playing with toys and dogs and being taken once to the beach for some wet sandy fun with granddad.  Tonight we will watch the fireworks from the marina after having a cookout at our son in laws parent's house, then tomorrow, the whole gang of us are going to Disneyworld for a couple days of fun and excitement.  I have never been there and am pretty excited to enjoy the kids, big and little, enjoy the adventure.
     We left our mountain home in 100 degree temps, after the windstorm that devastated the  north east.  We had no power when we left, have heard from a neighbor that it returned about 48 hours later and cooled off to temps about what we are feeling here in Florida, but the humidity here is worse.  We hope that when we return home, the heatwave will have abated.