Awaiting the arrival of the mini-hydroplanes, I’m on the porch with Boz. It’s 5:28 a.m. and while I can’t see the little waterborne wasps, I can hear the drone of their approach with increasing intensity. Wrapped in a self-fashioned cocoon of sheets, comforters and pillows, Gracie has commandeered the bed and is honoring the arrival of the Fourth of July by enjoying her freedom to sleep in. Boz and I are early risers and take in the nautical concert from our stoop a mile inland. Minutes later, the fleeting roar of the flotilla dissipates as the hydroplanes head north to circumnavigate the island. Waterfront cabins have been thoroughly shaken, their sleepy-eyed inhabitants roused and the day’s arrival announced. It’s official; the Fourth of July has staked its claim on Vashon Island for the remaining daylight hours and then some. May we enjoy its simple pleasures: friends, food, lawns and gardens, fireworks and flags, remembrances and laughter, and honor the good work of our fellow citizens who make this country and the world a better place.
Happy Fourth of July, my friends. Safe travels and full hearts.
PS- Here’s the All-American dessert I’m making for tonight: Plum Buckle, but no plums yet so I’m using apricots and sour cherries.
Same to you, Tom! I picked some string beans and zucchini today. The 25 varieties of plums on one tree are almost done ripening, as well as the boysenberries and marionberries. We have eaten some early raspberries and strawberries. The first cherry tomato is almost ripe enough to eat. Our neighbor here in Silicon Valley shared some of her bumper crop of Blenheim apricots, so we made apricot ice cream! It must be summer:-)
Karen, it sounds like you are month ahead of us. Talk about some amazing homegrown bounty, good for you! As for the apricots, holy moly, what a treat. I get mine from eastern Washington, because no matter how hard I try to cultivate the trees here, they just won’t grow well or produce fruit in our cool maritime climate. There is a cultivar called “Puget Gold” but I find that after several attempts of growing it, the name must be simply aspirational and not based by any track record of production. 😉
Happy 4th of July to you as well, Tom!
I thought of you the other day, I saw a real estate listing for Vashon Island and thought “I could be neighbors with Tom!” Then I saw the price! *Grins* I think I’ll just be your blogging neighbor, but man, you live in a beautiful place!
Hi Jennifer, I hear you. Housing and land prices are going up around here. For over 100 years, Vashon Island has been a twenty minute ferry ride from Seattle. It appears, now folks are noticing that fact. 😉 Love my island, thanks for the kind words about it.
Thanks Tom for your inspiring message ! I hope you had a GREAT day !
Hi Brooks, I had a great day, though a little too much pie in the evening. 😉 Hope you had a front row seat for the fireworks.
Happy 5th Tom – all quiet now on the western front – thank God. Plum Buckle as in your knees buckle after you finish a plateful. Looks oh so yummy.
Thanks Catherine, speaking of buckle, I bet your garden is buckling under the bounty of too much good food right now.