My Fourth of July: Quad Ride, Fireworks, and More

This Fourth of July has to be one of my favorites. Not only did I get to spend it with my immediate family and friends but I also had the pleasure of my mom's (Tanya P) company. Mom came up from Phoenix (AZ) to spend time with us in Payson because her air conditioner broke down and she was waiting to have a new one put in. I was so glad that she decided to stay with us through the fourth even though her a/c was already installed before then. We have such a blast staying up late playing Rummy and laughing till we're crying over the silliest things.

On the morning of the fourth, Robert and I packed up our quads and met with some friends to go riding up on Christopher Mountain. One of our friends, Francine, was gone on vacation to Cape Cod, so her husband, Ray, took along his substitute "Francine" so she could still be a part of the ride. LOL.

I can't believe how green Christopher Mountain is this year. It was gorgeous! We saw a herd of elk that were way too fast running through the trees to get a picture of. They all looked fat and healthy.

This guy wasn't too happy about the boys walking around his pond looking for animal tracks.

I sat down near one of the ponds to take a break when I looked up and saw these really huge black ants. I swear they were big enough to filet and eat. Needless to say I wasn't sitting there for very much longer.

Here are some other critters that weren't too happy about us walking around their pond.

We stopped for a break later in the morning. The sun was getting a little warm but the clouds were trying to build and they provided a slight breeze and some shade. Ray took a minute to check on "Francine" and I think she became a little excited at the extra attention. It really looks like she's enjoying the quad ride!

Robert and I came home, got showered up, went and picked up Subway sandwiches, and later packed everything up and found a great spot up by the airport to watch the fireworks. It was nice to be able to watch the fireworks without having to be right in the crowd.

This year a lot of cities in Arizona had to cancel their fireworks due to the economy so because of that many of those people came up to Payson to enjoy the fireworks and the much cooler mountain air. Every hotel and campground in and around Payson was completely full. We had a 20% increase in attendance at the fireworks this year. I am sooooo glad I didn't have to be down in that crowd.

As it turned out, I think we had one of the best views of the fireworks. Before the fireworks we were treated to some beautiful cloud formations as the monsoons tried to build but failed.

When night descended upon the crowd below, the fireworks started and lasted for a wonderful 45 minutes. It was awesome! My daughter, Tanya V, even got let out of work early so she could join us!

Now, anyone who knows me also knows that a lot of times I like to think "outside the box" when I'm taking pictures. The Fourth of July was no different. I think fireworks shots are really cool but I found that what happens between each firework is pretty awesome too. It's a whole other show!

I hope everyone on Gather and all over the world had a great Fourth of July too!!!