HAPPY 238th BIRTHDAY AMERICA

AND   HAPPY  JULY 4TH   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This morning feels more like a fall day than July 4th but we' ll surely take the nice break from the heat of summer.
Unfortunately for our coastal residents this July 4th is not enjoyable as hurricane Arthur hit the coast with category 2 strength in the early morning hours leaving many thousands without electricity and lots of major flooding.
This is downtown Manteo.

This pic shows the waves battering the Oak Island pier where we spent our vacation last summer.

Luckily there were no fatalities as most folks took the evacuation orders seriously.
This is the earliest hurricane to ever hit North Carolina so the name Arthur will be taken out of circulation and retired into history.

I spent the morning baking cakes as I baked 18 caramel, 3 chocolates, 1 coconut, 6 pound and 2 wine cakes.
Hubbie spent the day watching the smoker filled with ribs and chicken.
After lunch I iced some of the caramel cakes then hubbie and I started setting up for our BBQ tonight.
The kids have all been at the pool today.

Although the temperature is around 80 the sun is shining brightly.
Our ribs and chicken turned out very good and we made slaw and iced tea to go with all the sides the girls brought.  Daughter brought jeolapeno pepper poppers and fruit pizza. D-in-love brought twice baked potatoes, Rebekah brought baked beans and grilled corn on the cob, Katelyn (daughter's  x-little sister) and her grandmother brought drinks and I also made peach ice cream.  We had fourteen folks here and the meal was delicious.  Along with our regular family and Katelyn and her g-ma, one of d-in-love's friends from Charlotte and her husband came to eat with us. I haven't seen Carla since d-in-love's wedding. We set up tables out in the outside patio since the weather was so nice and there was more room outside than inside.

After we ate the kids played in the yard while we adults visited .

I got some playing in also as these two need someone to pull the wagon so they could ride together.

As it got darker the sparklers came out and the kids as well as the adults enjoyed the evening's fireworks.

Daughter brought some glow stick flags.

The darker it got the prettier the fireworks got and these didn't make the big booms that all the neighbors were making.

A wonderfully happy , safe July 4th for our family and friends, hope yours was the same !
I feel really blessed tonight, thanks to a loving Lord.
Good Night and God Bless