Credit for this picture goes to Taylor.
4th of July…always a holiday that was a bit of a struggle to celebrate when the girls were little.
If there was wheat to cut, the day was spent “as usual” on the custom wheat harvesting journey. If there was work to do…it was #1 priority. But we always purchased a whole lot of fireworks knowing that at the end of the day, wherever we were or whatever we were doing, they would be lit and enjoyed.
Our 4th of July was a little unlike any we’ve had in the past. We shared nearly two hours of the day with Teresa Scanlan (2011 Miss America) in our wheat field. Conrad Weaver (Conjo Studios) brought her to the field to “hang out” with us for a little while and to experience being in the combine while learning about our industry. Teresa is a true agvocate (advocate for agriculture) and is helping Conrad promote his documentary, The Great American Wheat Harvest. We had met her for the first time while we were in DC last March for Ag Day. Taylor and Callie found her very easy to talk to and enjoyed the company of someone closer to their own age. You can read here about the field-time-fun.
Jim said they laughed a lot and she was down to earth. Of course she’s down to earth – she’s from Nebraska!
I left off one place on my list of “Where We’ve Been on the Fourth of July” – Hobbs, NM. How in the world could I have forgotten that place? Maybe because it’s a memory I choose to block? 🙂
Jenna and Taylor made it back just about 4:00 on the afternoon of the Fourth. It was so good to see them!! When Jenna walked into the cottage, she said it felt weird not walking into our “old” trailer. The other thing she said she expected to see when she drove up was Jordan – our dog. Guess those two pieces of harvest have remained in her brain. This is the second summer Jenna hasn’t been with us. Jamie hasn’t been with us since 2004.
Jenna explaining something about one of her excursions
I had most of the food preparations completed when they got here so I didn’t have to feel like I had to cook when they walked in. The only question left was, “Are you going to make your Rice Krispie flag, Jen?” She smiled and said, “Of course! And I’ve even brought my own supplies” – which she did. Every detail was covered even down to a pan.
So we had our traditional meal ready to go: grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, pasta salad, beans, chips, cherry pie and Jenna’s Krispie flag.
Leon and Jada Bulgin had finished cutting their wheat and decided since they’d worked so hard, they were going to take a few days off while they were in Colorado. Their crew headed to Denver the afternoon of the 4th and they decided they’d rather stay in Limon. So, we gathered our food and added it to theirs and had quite the smorgasbord! The only thing missing were the fireworks. ABSOLUTELY NO fireworks were allowed in this state. I’m sure there were displays in Denver and the surrounding communities but none in Limon. It was the quietest holiday celebration ever. If Jordan were still alive, she would have loved it.
Jada had bought some party poppers and I bought some light sticks with an American flag on the end. So, we did have something fun to make it feel like a party. Happy 236th Birthday, America!
Yesterday, the girls and I went to Flagler for a couple of hours. They have a couple of fun antique/thrift stores to browse through. Jenna found an old Flamingo brand ice cooler for $5. Taylor found a couple of DVD’s she thought we should add to our collection.
It was a fairly uneventful day which was made complete with a supper engagement with one of our farmers, Steve, and his wife, Kathy. We had a wonderful evening! They have become great friends and I will really miss working with/for them. Things change but I feel confident these people will remain in our lives – somehow.
The next couple of days, we’re going to become tourists. We’re going to pack our tent and necessities and head for the mountains for a couple of days. Jenna will have to head home on Sunday and then we’ll have to start making the trek northward. And…the weather forecast is calling for rain in the mountains. Oh well. Ya gotta make the best of it!
Picture taken by Taylor in 2011