bloggin' the Fourth

6:40 a.m. — Awakened by cannon blast.

7:30 a.m. — Finally drag tail out of bed after Banana has checked the shore to make sure it's still there.

8:25 a.m. — Walk Reilly over to Edgewater to thank the owner of said cannon for the wake-up call. He has already set it off one more time since then. Owner's reaction: "Serves you right for sleeping in that long."

11:45 a.m. — Banana and other kids playing down on the rocks at Edgewater. Another dad informs me that the cannon owner and the others have been up since four working on the coal pit. I feel both envious of their drive, and glad that I managed a couple extra hours.

12:15 p.m. — Banana enters into heavy playtime with two other girls at a house above the shore road and Route 1. I begin to feel sad that we are leaving tomorrow.

3:00 p.m. — Cooling heels at the house in advance of The Party. No cannon blasts in a couple of hours.

3:15 p.m. — Banana and grandmére go up to the field to pick blueberries. Mind you: when I was young, the wild blueberries didn't ripen until August.

4:00 p.m. — The cannon goes off. The party has begun.