Happy Birthday, USA!

Though today is our nation's 231st birthday, we celebrated Sunday night. Kara and Adam had invited us over for a cookout at their home in Defiance, along with Adam's parents, Romie's sister Angie and her husband Steve (who also happens to be my cousin!) and their youngest daughter Renee, their oldest daughter Sarah and her husband Andy, and their friends Nick and Brandi.

We had hot dogs and brats and burgers off the grill, macaroni salad (that's what we brought), baked beans, chips and homemade salsa, pretzels, and strawberry pie. I think there were other things, too, but I can't remember right now. It was all good! I was asked for my recipe for the macaroni salad and just in case you want it, too, here it is:

Cook some macaroni (preferably Barilla - this time I used their Cellentani). Add some Miracle Whip, about five or six hard-boiled eggs (chopped), half an onion (chopped), some sugar, a cucumber (diced), a little milk and some salt and pepper.

Yeah, that's the recipe and that's about as exact as it's going to get. It never comes out the same way twice. Just like my chili.

There were several games of Hillbilly Horseshoe, which I found out is actually correctly called Washers. There was a square box with a coffee can inside. Two teams consisting of two players each, toss four 3-inch washers and try to get them in the can, or as close as possible. Let me tell you right now, this is yet another game that I'm no good at, but it was fun playing.





The fireworks were held just a few blocks away, so we walked down to Pontiac Park, which is on the north bank of the Maumee River, at its confluence with the Auglaize River. This park was named for Chief Pontiac, of the Ottawa Indian tribe, who was believed to be born here.




Every spring, a Blessing of the Waters is held here. A few years ago, we serendipitously happened upon the ceremony, of which we were previously unaware.





We spread our blankets on the bank of the river and waited for dusk and the fireworks. It was the absolute best location, as we could just lay back and watch them go off directly overhead.








They were pretty good, as was the evening spent with family and friends.