- I don't really remember celebrating Independence Day in America, but any excuse for a party, huh?
- To keep the rain away, erect a gazebo at the first drops (if you wondered how many adults it takes to set up a gazebo, its roughly 7).
- The biggest form of entertainment for the littlies was our "pick your own" strawberry patch.  Ellis showed them the way...thank goodness 2 other people brought berries for adult consumption.
- Hunger was staved off by enough food to feed a marauding hoard (and enough left overs to feed our small marauding hoard for lunch and dinner most of this week).
- Kerstin's Chocolate Guinness Cake. Divine.
- A few too many margaritas may have been drunk by the hostess.

And overall, it was great.  I am sure there are some deep reflections that I could make, about tradition and friendship, but I am still hurting from the margaritas.