So, this year as July 4th approached, I realized that it might be time to write a blog about celebrating this uniquely American holiday here in Arizona. “I LOVE A PARADE”…I can hear that song in my head right now. For many years, our family went to a small mountain town, Patagonia, where we watched their annual “parade” which was only about 20 minutes long, but was so much fun, we just kept going back. The participants in the parade have the tradition of not only throwing wrapped candy at those watching, they also engage in water fights with the audience, using both water balloons, water guns (some HUGE) and hoses. Our grandchildren think this is the greatest kind of parade ever (so do we).
After the parade, we go back to Tucson for a dip in the pool (because it’s 20 degrees hotter here than in Patagonia, mind you) then to end the day, our family would have all the traditional BBQ food, along with some not-so-traditional, like home-made peppermint ice cream for the 4th of July dessert, usually eating it while watching fireworks from atop our hill. Fun times with lots of great memories. The images will give you a taste of our celebrations over the years.
I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy 
