Picture taken by Taylor in 2011

Last night while we were sitting in front of the TV, I told Jim and Callie we were going to play a game of “Let’s think about all the different places we’ve been on the 4th of July”. Here’s the list we came up with: Pre-Zeorian Harvesting – Lodgepole, NE/Timkin, KS/Imperial, NE Zeorian Harvesting – Lodgepole, NE/Norton, KS/LaCrosse, KS/Kimball, NE/Chappell, NE/Big Springs, NE/Cheyenne Wells, CO/Deerfield, KS/Colby, KS/Limon, CO Over the past 30+ years of being on the road, there’s certainly been a lot of fun memories of being with harvest friends while celebrating the holiday.

                       Last year in Colby, KS

The group who went to Brugge, Belgium together in February, 2011

It hasn’t been that long ago that we had to deal with a dog that would bark at the fireworks and try to bite them. One of the craziest evenings we had was in 2010. We were in Deerfield, KS at the Deerfield Beach Campground and happened to be shooting off fireworks near the lake. Jordan, our dog, was with us, of course. The girls were shooting off a roman candle when all at once Jordan went over to it, picked it up in her mouth and started running after the girls – all the while the candle was shooting off blasts of colorful balls. Every fireball was making contact with either the ground, a bush or even the girls. It was a chaotic scene with kids running, Jordan chasing, and fires erupting. I had just brought a cooler of pop down to the lake. I dumped the pop and started using the cooler as a water bucket getting water from the lake to put out the fires. A couple of the fireballs hit Taylor leaving marks on her skin and clothes. We can (and do) laugh about it now but it certainly was scary for a little while.

The dog that caused the chaos

One of the injuries (cooler in the background which substituted as a fire extinguisher)

Jordan and the roman candle (after the excitement)

Another one of my favorite celebrations was spent inside the box of the grain truck – filled with wheat.  I don’t remember the year but I do remember we were in Norton, KS. Circumstances weren’t going to allow us to quit early to shoot off fireworks. With Jim – and other harvesters – if there’s wheat to cut, the holiday is put on hold. The girls were still young enough this holiday meant a lot to them and they were trying to convince Jim to quit earlier than usual. It just wasn’t going to happen. Then, the evening took a turn in the girls’ favor. The elevator was full and the wheat got tough – all at the same time. The girls met us at the farmer’s bin which sits on top of a hill. Norton’s fireworks display was at a lake outside of town and the hill provided a perfect view. When I got there with my loaded truck, I had the idea of climbing in the box. Prior to the change of events, I was feeling pretty bad for the girls  because they didn’t know what a “normal” 4th of July was all about. They’d never experienced anything but being on harvest. When Jim and the girls got to the bin and saw me inside the box, they climbed up. We watched the display together sitting in a truck box loaded with wheat. Now…how many of their friends could say they’ve ever done that? It made my night when Taylor exclaimed, “This is the BEST 4th of July EVER”!

Picture taken by Taylor is 2011

I remember one 4th it was so cold – again in Norton, KS – we had to dig out our winter coats and blankets. Crazy! Our traditional holiday supper includes grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and a rice krispie flag – made by Jenna. Speaking of Jenna…she and Taylor will be here tonight. Can’t wait to see them! This year’s celebration will be one that we’ll forever remember because it will be celebrated without fireworks. They have been banned due to the severe drought in Colorado.  Right now, I’m not sure what we’ll do to make it memorable but we’ll be together and that’s all that matters!

My final thought about this day of red, white and blue is to thank those who have fought to keep this the land of the free and the home of the brave!  THANK YOU!