July is hot afternoons and sultry nights and mornings when its joy just to be alive. July is a picnic and a red canoe and a sunburned neck and a softball game and ice tinkling in a tall glass. July is a blind date with summer. ~Hal Borland

July 1
Afternoon walk with Grandpa, Knox, and Ella

She loves to wear hats

July 3
M-O-O-N

July 4
Celebrated Independence Day in our backyard with family

Neil grillin' those ribs

Chow Time

Fillin' up those plates with ribs, cole slaw, pasta salad, potato salad, baked beans, stuffed eggs, and corn

Neil and me cranking up two ice cream freezers

Ella doesn't mind leaving fingerprints on your glasses

Traditional pic of the cousins
Outtake
Ella wasn't having it

Ella still wasn't having it

Independence Day 2020
From left are Ella, Kerry, Alex, Laura, Katelyn, Julia, Elijah, Holly, Don, Ann, Terry, Sarah, Jane, moi, Neil, Kelly, Knox, and Shelby in front

While the ice cream churned ...

... we went for our traditional walk around the block to burn off ALL those calories we just consumed (yeah right) and to make room for ....

This!
There's always room for homemade vanilla ice cream

Can't wait

Yum!

Brain freeze. Sugar coma.
Ella discovers the joy of homemade ice cream 

Sparklers!
Ella's first time holding a sparkler

One of the best parts of the Fourth

Off to see the fireworks
We're fortunate that our town goes all out for the Fourth and provides one of the biggest fireworks shows in the state.

I didn't manage to snap any good pics this year. Better to just enjoy the rocket's red glare bombs bursting in air as it's happening and not through a camera viewfinder.
We had a great Independence Day celebration this year. I think we always do.

July 6
Two spoons. No waiting.

Anything can be a hat

She doesn't mind a little housekeeping

July 7
Moving day
Our daughter Holly and hubby Jerry and kids Shelby and Elijah packed up and moved from the home they'd lived in for nineteen years and into a new house

The view from the front yard of their old home

A new place to start making some great memories

Hard to say goodbye to a home after nineteen years

Thank goodness we can take our memories with us when we leave a place

July 8

Peeps

That timeless childhood summertime tradition
Catching lightning bugs

July 10
Another day, another hat

Another timeless childhood summertime tradition
Climbing trees

Mommy shoes on the wrong feet and backwards

Learning to float on her back

And yet another timeless summertime tradition not limited to childhood
Peach milkshake from Chick-fil-A

When dinosaurs ruled the earth

July 11
The assistant to Ella's swim teacher took these underwater shots with a GoPro

Her mom got in the pool with her this time which made Ella very happy
They are reaching for each other in this pic

Knox learned how to shoot a bow

Bull's eye

July 12
After worship service lunch with the fam at El Tapatio

July 13
Selfies with Smokey

July 13
My niece Sarah celebrated her quarter-of-a-century birthday
Her mom baked Sarah's fave birthday cake and it was delish

July 15
Ella is starting to get the hang of floating on her back

July 16
The fifth Beatle
Yeah Yeah Yeah

Knock knock
Her brother went inside to get Bomb Pops

July 18
Granddaughter Shelby turned 19. We brought her a slice of cheesecake and lit a candle to blow out on her special day since she wasn't going to have a birthday party until two days later.
She's rockin' those long locks!

Wish Big

July 20
A morning walk complete with hat (of course), her tote bag full of Bubble Guppies, and her Minnie Mouse brush. It's good to be prepared for any eventuality.

Another GoPro underwater capture of Ella's swim lesson
When I showed her this pic, she could not stop looking at herself and all the "Bubbles!"

Summer sunset

Shelby celebrated her 19th birthday, a first birthday party for her in their new home

Elijah and friend Kiara

July 22
Hat Lady ... 

... and artist

July 22
We got together with our grands Shelby and Elijah for dinner (Cracker Barrel) and a movie (Predator)
Always fun. Still can't believe Grandpa forgot to pop popcorn.

July 23
Lunch at Mamma Rosa's

July 28

July 29
A rare supper with Holly, Shelby, and Elijah

July 30
It's a right and a privilege and a pleasure
Also, I like early voting

What's in the box?


July 31
She bounces so hard that she flies up off the seat

Bye bye, July, I'm outta here!


That is the truly beautiful and encouraging aspect of freedom, no one struggles for it just for himself.
~Fanny Lewald

Where liberty dwells, there is my country.
~Benjamin Franklin