Celebrating the Fourth of July in a record-breaking heatwave can be a little tricky. Sure, you can still grill outside or sit out to watch the fireworks, but the air hurts to breathe and heat stroke is on the rise. Of course you can go to the beach to cool off, but in Massachusetts, most of our beaches were closed last weekend due to a widespread contamination of the water following a series of toxic spills around the East Coast.
And, truthfully (for me, anyway!) it’s hard to feel patriotic or celebratory when things just seem so bleak in my country lately.
But a 250th birthday is a big deal, one that I won’t see again in my lifetime, and I wanted to find the joy in little ways without succumbing to a sunburn. So, I had a “mini” cookout with my family (we used the kitchen instead of bracing the temperatures outdoors!) and enjoyed red, white and blue sweet treats throughout the day as we watched some of our favorite Summertime movies together in the air conditioning – ‘Jaws’, ‘Independence Day’, ‘Point Break’ (okay, that one might just be one of my personal favorites, but I digress.)
I also took some time to immerse myself in a deep dive via National Geographic who put together an incredible mini docuseries for the holiday celebrating all of the United States’ achievements in the last 250 years when it came to science, medicine, technology, music and cinema – and some of the natural wonders of the world that can only be found here and are completely unique to certain regions. Seeing my country from those perspectives and milestones, and not through the lens of the 24/7 news cycle that leaves me feeling utterly helpless and exhausted most days – changed my perspective and brought back a little bit of American pride.
And of course, we closed out the big party by watching the fireworks around the country, which captured Oliver’s attention and didn’t traumatize him the way the fireworks the neighbors set off usually do (they did that this year, too – but only for a little while!)
But a Fourth of July Weekend isn’t the same without a trip to the beach, so I managed to make a quick stop in Rye, New Hampshire on Sunday for some Kooks and a dip in the water since they had reported no contaminations in the area. I found some shells and sea glass, and enjoyed the gradual break in the scorching hot temperatures with a few other people who seemed to have the same idea.
And by the beginning of the week, the temperatures had dropped and we had some much-welcomed rain to cool everyone and everything off. To celebrate, Troy and I headed to a famous local diner by where he’d grown up for a 6AM breakfast together before I headed back to work for the week and before I got ready for the long-awaited return of my brother, sister-in-law, and niece – who are visiting this week from Florida for the first time after moving there in 2022. We’ve kept in contact, of course, but we haven’t been able to physically see each other in person in about four years.
This past Wednesday night marked the first time we were all in the same room together since 2022 and it was emotional for sure – but very fun – and it was like no time had passed at all as we all laughed, joked, shared stories, and ate Chinese food from one of their favorite spots in our area. The visit went well into the night and I had to pull myself away so I could get ready for work the next day.
We’re having one more dinner tonight at my Aunt’s house before they head back home tomorrow, but I can’t wait to go see them soon! I feel like I haven’t been to Florida in ages!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead. Stay cool and hydrated – and I’ll see you all again on Monday!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 