FA+
Shop
What the 4th of July means to me.
10 years ago
General
An Old Fox's life
America's Independence day. To me the Official Middle of Summer. Back in my youth summers were days upon days that lasted forever and you would get up at dawn. Eat Breakfast of cereal and milk with fruit or with Grandma's special pastery Kugen or something like that. Then if you were smart of your mother knew that most likely you would be gone all day. She or you made a bag lunch. Taking that you would vanish into the fields and bare lakefront lands that were still around when I grew up. A couple of years we found a nice small grove of trees along Lake Michigan and built a really nice tree-house. We were rather industrious and pulled dragged or hauled various pieces of lumber down to the trees and climbing up we built the place. It was one of the houses that spanned several close trees and we had two levels to it.
By July we had it mostly done and my mother hearing about it decided to make sure we were not getting into some kind of trouble or danger. She sent My Grandpa out to look at it. Grandpa was a carpenter by trade and had built me many wonderful things. He arrived one day with a long ladder that to this day I wonder how he brought it in his old age. He put it up and climbed up to the house and inspected it thoroughly and he wrote down a list and said that it was basically safe but needed these changes and proceeded to give all of us basic Carpenter schooling.
The next day we put in larger support nails and improved the structure per his instructions. he also walked up the embankment to the closest house and made sure that we were not going to cause any issues if the land was owned. Back then people were not so I am going to sue you crazy. In the end we had one really nice place that we spent days upon days and several years at. Even a few sleep overs. It was very weather proof and lasted through the worst of storms.
What finally did in the old Tree-house was a rival group of older boys that found it and when they could not enter the locked place came with crowbars and sledge hammers and broke it up. It was a sad day and part of learning that others often desire to take and ruin fun of others for their own amusement. To this day it still surprises me that they traveled across half the town just to destroy our tree-house.
The standard fair of Apple Pie and Hotdogs were always part of the 4th for me. Of course the Traditional Bratwurst were also part of the 4th and so were dads grilling of the food. I can remember many years of grumbling and complaints about grilling but it was all show because the end result was always good cooked food. We even grilled our corn. Sunshine hot days and lemonade. Then as it got toward dusk the family would pack up the leftovers and head to the lakefront of Sheboygan Wisconsin and we would stake out a spot along the beach and watch the fireworks show. It normally started around 8pm and ended at 9pm. Many years of memory's and later in my life I took some nice pictures of things during my near Professional photo days.
Its been many years since I have been back to my old town. One often wonders what has changed and even if my family is still around. Its been nearly 20 years and my last contact with them died with no returns on E-mail about 5 years back. So I have become a Texan and enjoy things here instead. With local fireworks being sold. I have rarely had to go anywhere to see some nice shows. Often the people down the block would have stuff that would rival what a city puts on. Maybe tomorrow I will pick up that charcoal Grill and purchase hotdogs and take the Johnsonville brats out and thaw them. I still have to laugh about the brats since I went to school with the Bratz's who own the Johnsonville plant. Smiles Welp I wish everyone a good 4th and want to remind you that Old Cotton in another lifetime had actually marched in the 4th of July parade as a Boy Scout and am still darn proud of it even if I am a different person now.
By July we had it mostly done and my mother hearing about it decided to make sure we were not getting into some kind of trouble or danger. She sent My Grandpa out to look at it. Grandpa was a carpenter by trade and had built me many wonderful things. He arrived one day with a long ladder that to this day I wonder how he brought it in his old age. He put it up and climbed up to the house and inspected it thoroughly and he wrote down a list and said that it was basically safe but needed these changes and proceeded to give all of us basic Carpenter schooling.
The next day we put in larger support nails and improved the structure per his instructions. he also walked up the embankment to the closest house and made sure that we were not going to cause any issues if the land was owned. Back then people were not so I am going to sue you crazy. In the end we had one really nice place that we spent days upon days and several years at. Even a few sleep overs. It was very weather proof and lasted through the worst of storms.
What finally did in the old Tree-house was a rival group of older boys that found it and when they could not enter the locked place came with crowbars and sledge hammers and broke it up. It was a sad day and part of learning that others often desire to take and ruin fun of others for their own amusement. To this day it still surprises me that they traveled across half the town just to destroy our tree-house.
The standard fair of Apple Pie and Hotdogs were always part of the 4th for me. Of course the Traditional Bratwurst were also part of the 4th and so were dads grilling of the food. I can remember many years of grumbling and complaints about grilling but it was all show because the end result was always good cooked food. We even grilled our corn. Sunshine hot days and lemonade. Then as it got toward dusk the family would pack up the leftovers and head to the lakefront of Sheboygan Wisconsin and we would stake out a spot along the beach and watch the fireworks show. It normally started around 8pm and ended at 9pm. Many years of memory's and later in my life I took some nice pictures of things during my near Professional photo days.
Its been many years since I have been back to my old town. One often wonders what has changed and even if my family is still around. Its been nearly 20 years and my last contact with them died with no returns on E-mail about 5 years back. So I have become a Texan and enjoy things here instead. With local fireworks being sold. I have rarely had to go anywhere to see some nice shows. Often the people down the block would have stuff that would rival what a city puts on. Maybe tomorrow I will pick up that charcoal Grill and purchase hotdogs and take the Johnsonville brats out and thaw them. I still have to laugh about the brats since I went to school with the Bratz's who own the Johnsonville plant. Smiles Welp I wish everyone a good 4th and want to remind you that Old Cotton in another lifetime had actually marched in the 4th of July parade as a Boy Scout and am still darn proud of it even if I am a different person now.
