It didn't really occur to me that it was a holiday weekend until last Thursday, when I picked up the new Vita.mn to see that the Taste of MN was upon us. It's been over 10 years since I actually attended the Taste and from what I remember then, it used to be a free event. But now with new ownership, the event is more music heavy and is no longer free (boo!). There were some really good artists playing on Friday, but with the temperatures up in the 90's and admission costing $20 -- I opted to stay indoors instead. Besides, later that evening I was invited to my good friend Drew's new house for happy hour. The idea of being at a festival all day (walking all day/drinking in the hot sun) and then continuing shenanigans at Drew's sounded like too much for little ol' me. Getting old perhaps?
(Downtown St. Paul's weekend farmer's market)
I'm not really a huge fan of summer holidays and they've become more insignificant being I don't work a 9-5 job (paid holiday time off). Summer holidays seem to encourage a lot of people to crowd the roads, grocery stores and make drunk-driving look like a popular hobby. They also make me feel as though I should be doing something with others - a foreboding feeling of obligation . I took a peek in my fridge and noticed how much food I had and realized it was a BBQ just waiting to happen. I had gone to the Farmer's Market earlier on Saturday and picked up a few ribeye steak's, fresh veggies and flowers -- so I figured why not? It was a bit impromptu, but the evening turned out to be perfect and mellow.
(Dylan purchasing some locally grown currants)
Come the actual 4th of July, I woke up late (noon) and lazed into my day by making a lovely late breakfast and enjoying it out on my back porch. The weather has been incredibly humid and I've been trying very hard not to give into buying an air conditioner. However, the ongoing feelings of lethargy would not decease and I could no longer bear the idea of a summer sedentary lifestyle. As I sit now -- cool, calm and non-sticky, I can say that this was $100 well spent.
(A beautiful view of the sky from my back porch on the 4th of July)
(Dylan bathed in evening dusk light on my back porch & enjoying crab legs for dinner)
(Flowers and fireworks)
(Watching fireworks on the Mississippi River downtown St. Paul)
Happy 4th of July!
I couldn't resist the desire to purchase $30 worth of fireworks as well. As much as I wanted to drive to WI (where you can purchase fireworks that are illegal in MN) to get bigger and louder explosives, the Sunday relaxation mood set in and I settled for what we could find in the city. Per my usual Sunday routine, my thoughts focused in on dinner that evening (I love to make special Sunday dinners) and I opted for King Crab Legs. As dusk set, we ate dinner on my back porch against the back drop of a beautiful sunset, fired off some fireworks the minute it got dark and then headed to the riverside downtown St. Paul to watch the official fireworks show. It was a beautiful night and an even better sleep, as I was able to finally snuggle into my blankets again without breaking a sweat.
Here's a little video I took from the weekend (yes, that's the Boss on the soundtrack, don't think I won't go there!):
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