My goodness! We're already halfway through July! I'm convinced those little Time Gnomes have started to crank their gears faster each year, though my Mom assures me it's "an age thing." She's probably right, though I like the idea of gnomes better. "Daylight devours your unguarded hours," sings Siouxsie Sioux in Belladonna. So very true.Speaking of age, I'm turning 40 on the 31st of this month! Yes, I'm a dyed in the wool Leo according to the European Zodiac, and an Earth Monkey according to the Chinese calendar. I'm bitter about the Monkey bit. I'd much rather be a Rat, but such is life. As for turning 40 though, I'm rather excited about it, really. I don't feel any different, just the same ol' me, only now I have four decades backing me up. I still get carded, too! It's crazy though...I remember being in my 20s and celebrating my Mom's 40th! How did 20 years zip by in the blink of an eye? I completely understand now how children seem to "grow up overnight" or how old couples married for 50+ years say it feels like only yesterday they got married. You would think we creatures of such short life spans would have a better sense of time.
Anyway, I hope your 4th of July was awesome! Our cul de sac, and our extended neighborhood, goes bananas each July 4th. Folks in a five mile radius light up their BBQs at first light and at dusk set off what can be described as a firework cluster-bombing of the area, well up until 1am. This year was no different and our cul de sac looked like Ground Zero after the fiery mayhem had ended.
Another 4th of July weekend activity is the NorthWest Motorfest at the Fairgrounds. Hubby is a vintage car junkie, particularly of the "muscle cars." We saw all sorts of souped up, hot-rod, original and restored rolling pieces of history, it was cool. Personally, I like the old Mercs (and other cars from the 40s), Woodies and VW Buses, and we both love the muscle cars. Hubby loves the cars from the 50s, too. We saw lots of rare muscle cars, like loads of GTOs, Chevelles, Chargers, and lots more. Even a couple of Road Runners, Super Bees and a Super Bird. These folks love their machines, and it shows. Those machines gleamed. You could eat off the engines. What I found particularly cool was that the Motorfest held old school "grunge" drag races with these cars! 100 feet of squealing, smoking black rubber as these cars actually fulfilled their purpose! I'd never actually seen these kinds of informal drag races before, like how the "Everyday Joes" of yesteryear really did it, and I instantly felt transported back in time. I can see the appeal, for sure!
To top off the day, we headed downtown for a sushi dinner in anticipation of what was to come: Downtown Boise closes to regular traffic and all these cars from Motorfest show up and cruise in a parade for about five hours. The sidewalks were lined thick with folks, cheering for their favorites, and the MC talked about the history of the cars and their owners over loudspeakers. It was pretty cool. I joked with hubby, "So I guess this is how Idaho responds to the gas crisis....at least for one day." We Americans are an interesting lot...A mixture of nostalgia and defiance, with a dab of fun for good measure.Speaking of dabs of fun...check out Brownie!
Here he is being molded by the skilled mold-maker, Barry Moore of Laf'nBear Studio LLC. I find it amusing that Brownie perched on clay kinda adopts that look of, "What the..???" Soon there shall be a little army of snow white resin Brownies marchin' out the door.Hubby and I also went for a ride yesterday. It was a perfect, clear blue sky Idaho day, so who could resist indulging? We like to take these little jaunts, exploring South West Idaho's little back roads and funky small rural towns. Just 15 minutes in any direction out of Boise offers the open road and vast expanses of beautiful high desert scenery, perfect for riding. We stopped at a funny little Mom n' Pop gas station in Walter's Ferry for refreshments, and it was lined with these cute little bird houses with large poofs of petunias growing out of every possible dirt-laden container...
Summer is crazy time here---it's like we all come out of hibernation and wallow in the greatness of this season. I love to grow my flowers and listen to the birds and watch the fat squirrels bound on top of their complex fence and rooftop highways. It's always a delight to hear them "ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk" across our roof! The smell of earthy cut grass, smoky BBQs and our sweet honeysuckle vines fill the air. The horses slick out, too, like they're clothed in brilliant satin, and you can see their lovely muscles ripple with each step. I love those warm rays of the sun. I'm constantly cold, pretty much, but on the other hand, Hubby loves the cold---it can really never be too cold for him. He's a Wisconsin boy, so it figures. Shorts in 20 degree weather? Of course! So I'm a Summer baby, and he's a Winter baby, conjuring up images of Mr. Heat Miser and Mr. Cold between us. The Summer evenings and nights here in Boise are simply wonderful. It stays light until around 10:30-11pm and it's the perfect temperature, that warm, embracing temperature and stillness that relaxes you and eases your senses.I do hope your Summer is equally fabulous! Wear sunscreen, though, and hydrate! Wear your flip-flops proudly!
"The summer night is like a perfection of thought." ~Wallace Stevens