Happy Third of July

          I have seen my share of fireworks displays, but last night was the best I have seen; not bad for little La Conner Washington!

          We started the evening at my ex-Sister-in-law’s Skagit bay Hideaway. The consummate hosts, Kevin and Earlene, welcomed us to their stunning home on the water. Earlene, an architect, designed a masterpiece of stone, iron, concrete and whimsy. From the parking area you descend on a path that would be the envy of any landscaper; vivid green punctuated with dark lacey branches, among flowers of every description and hue. It almost makes you want to skip along. The house seems to appear out of nowhere, tucked into the hillside, reaching thru towering trees and resting some forty feet above the sparkling blue of Skagit Bay.

          Inside, high ceilings and walls of glass, take advantage of the breathtaking view. Walk out from the living room and you are suspended in mid-air by a wooden deck, itself a piece of art (built by my Nephew Tom). It took me back to my days of tree houses as you literally walk among the evergreens.

After Kevin made his basil martinis, we were ready for the Fresh crab, salad and crusty sourdough bread, all paired with a good white wine, or a cold coke.

It had started to get dark, so we drove in to La Conner. We had been invited to join friends on the deck of Hellam’s Winery Shop, on Swinomish Chanel. We were directly across the water from where they set off the fireworks. These were professional fireworks that were paid for by the local Chamber of Commerce and private donations. This was the best fireworks display I have ever seen; it went on and on with spectacular arrays of color and a cacophony of sound. The last one went off and covered the sky with a canopy of what I can best describe as flowing rivers of gold, it transported me out of my body and into that gold covered world; yea, it was that good!

As Connie and I drove home we remarked about how wonderful it was to have re-connected with someone who was so much a part of our lives, many, many years ago.