My folks loved entertaining outdoors. To accommodate all the summertime parties Dad had fashioned a picnic table that could easily seat 20 guests at a time. This table served as the centerpiece for all other kinds of picnic furniture.
Dad was an easygoing guy until it came to his lawn. He wanted perfection! “A perfectly groomed lawn” had a meaning all its own in our family. As I was the oldest, I was tasked with mowing the lawn EVERY Saturday. However, we had a large John Deere riding lawn mower so it wasn’t that difficult. The challenge came as dad insisted that the tire marks left by the mower had to be perfectly straight. Dad did all the trimming. In the center of the two acres of lawn was a flagpole set in concrete. The stars and stripes waved proudly at our home May thru September and on Veteran’s Day in November. And once a month, each tree trunk in the orchard was “white–washed.” The “white-wash” (which actually left the tree trunks white) was some type of pest control. The barn was painted a “barn red” with white trim.
Summer evenings Dad and I would stroll around the ten acres; reviewing our work for the day. But this was also a time for my dad and me just to talk. And we talked about everything. The best part of any Saturday (if there wasn’t a party) was these walks with my dad.
From May through September this manicured lawn served as the gathering place for family and friend get-togethers and parties. However, the biggest and loudest party was always reserved for the 4th of July. Great Bar-B-Q, every variety of seafood, salads, breads, pies, and ice cream. However, any party at Jack and Katie’s included at least one keg of Olympia beer. Just to tease my dad, most of our guests would bring a six-pack of Michelob, Coors, Hamm’s, etc. Somehow, by mid-night all of it was gone!
Around 10PM, the adults had been badgered long enough about setting off the fireworks. Dad was convinced every year we would set the pasture on fire! Ever prepared, he kept three hoses standing by to drown any flames (never once did we torch the pasture.)
These parties continued into my adulthood. Long enough that my darling Richie was here to enjoy a couple of them but as a toddler. However, as he grew up and my parents aged, the entertaining duties were turned over to me and the other baby-boomer children.
Sadly, those wonderful 4th of July parties that my parents hosted each year have become cherished memories. We now join friends to celebrate Independence Day.
Our darling Tristan is with his Mom’s family. Jamie’s parents live on thirty acres on the bank of the Skokomish River. And for three wonderful days in summer Tristan sees all his cousins, they sleep in tents, go rafting in the river, roast marshmallows for s'mores, run around in shorts and bare feet. . .heaven for a nine-year-old boy.
We take red, white, and blue flowers with flags to mom and dad several times during the summer. And as for my beloved Richie, he is here at home with us. We miss them all so much. However, I’m thankful for all the wonderful memories and photo’s we have. They are treasured friends now.
To each one of you who may be reading this, my best wishes for a wonderful Independence Day holiday. My mother was always “making memories”; although I was oblivious to it at the time. May each of you have the opportunity to share in making a memory for someone special on this 4th of July 2008.
