Never too late, right?

Actually, I'm not sure. Is there a moratorium on posting Fourth of July pictures? Or is it never too late to note that

our friend Matt did a lovely job of cleaning out his pool for us?

So the kids could have a great time swimming until fingers and toes were completely pruned?

And that we had (thankfully, among other things) barbecued oysters? I will not will not will not eat them because their texture places them in the category of "yucky," but everyone else enjoyed them very much.

And that I brought a blueberry pie?

And our hand-crank ice cream maker? The rule is that you have to turn to eat. I always get in my licks early when the turning is easy.

And that Chris purchased and supervised our very own fireworks? Safe and sane! He even hosed down the roof before starting.


I can't remember the last time I twirled a sparkler.

And it certainly beat watching professional fireworks through the San Francisco fog.


But it can certainly never be too late to tell you about our holiday drinks. The red ones were a champagne berry cocktail with strawberry Pop Rocks dropped in at the last minute. Ka-bing!

Have you heard of Hpnotiq? Well then obviously you are not hanging out in the cool clubs where this is apparently all the rage. And neither are we, which is why it was completely new to us. It's a blend of blue vodka (what the hell makes it blue???), tropical fruit juices, and cognac.

It was pretty tasty, but we found most interesting the fact that it looked an awful lot like pool water in a glass. Which we agreed is not entirely a bad thing.