The Bauer Confidential

I really like the 4th of July.  Growing up, this was one of my favorite holidays because my family would get up early and go to the local park for a huge family picnic.  The day went more like this.  My uncles would get up at the crack of dawn to find a picnic site and sit on it until someone showed up with supplies.  These sites were first come first serve and very popular, so I want you to get the full extent of what I mean when I say they got up early.  My Mom, my aunt, and grandma would show up with all of the necessary supplies.  My Dad, my brothers and I would get up early and work in the fields getting soybeans planted, but only until about noon, and then we would join the rest.  This was a big affair - Food, grilling, softball, Frisbee, hiking, what one would expect from a good ‘ol American holiday picnic.  We would participate in picnicking activities until right before sunset.  By then, we have everything packed up and would head to the local 4th of July fair, and find a piece of open ground to sit, wait for, and watch the fire works.  It may not sound like much, but I had so much fun at these.  As I got into high school, and with Grandma passing away, this tradition faded away.  I look back with very fond memories.  Also looking back, I don’t think I ever celebrated the birth of the nation.  I knew what the day was about, but I was more looking forward to celebrating with family and friends, and I didn’t really appreciate the reason so much.  So if you have family and friends nearby, I hope you are all getting together, grilling some meat, drinking some tasty beverages, and partaking in some socially accepted pyromania.  Most of all have a Happy 4th of July!!!!