Tails from the 4th o' July

The 4th of July came pretty unceremoniously this year. Being on a Wednesday, most employers, including mine, gave only Wednesday off. Therefore I made no plans to head out of Dodge. Jeff and Shannon called me a few days beforehand to let me know they planned to have a small BBQ at their compound in Redwood City, and they had invited Angela and Tom as well.

I started the day by hopping the 11:19 a.m. Caltain up to downtown Redwood City, where rumor says the largest 4th of July parade in Northern California is held. On my train ride, Jeff sent me a text message telling me that he and his wife were on the parade route across the street from Redwood City Jail and in between a Bail Bonds shop and a bar. From that, I knew they were in the heart of the action.

I decided to cruise the scene a bit before finding the crew, and I bought a soda en route. After a flurry of cell phone conversations, I found the gang. Some members of the group were a bit saucy, and one of them admitted to already have consumed a Bloody Mary and several beers. It was hardly noon.

The town was bustling, and the party on the pavement was hot. After consuming a beer or two, we headed over to Milagros for some shade and refreshment. A couple margaritas later, we shoved off and headed back to the comfort and safety of Jeff & Shannon's compound.

We enjoyed the summer day and admired some of the recent compound upgrades. After a while, someone noticed a "mole" chomping on some grass in the back yard. Everyone thought he was so cute until Tom pointed out it wasn't a mole at all. After all, moles don't have long tails...