07/04/2026
🍎 🇺🇸 As a child, my favorite place to spend the 4th of July was at my grandparents. They owned an apple orchard near Yakima Washington. Grandma made sure we had food for days! Uncle Tex would break out the old fashioned ice cream maker and make the best hand-cranked vanilla ice cream and Mom’s potato salad would always hit. And there were lots of laughter and punny jokes to go along with.
Hard to explain the excitement I would get when we would make the 3 hr drive from Seattle and arrive at that big old farm house. It felt like a different world. I can still hear the screen door and the sprinklers going off and smell the bacon in the kitchen.
Words can’t describe, but there are certain aspects of life that make up who you are, and this was a very special spot filled with memories of sliding down the banister, hunting for barn kittens, playing chopsticks on the baby grand and learning chess strategy from Grandpa Dave.
When I think of Independence Day, I think of my grandfather in particular. His values were very much all American. From his perspective, freedom should be protected at all costs. His brother was lost at Normandy, and I think he always felt a duty to live a life he would be proud of and to protect the family that his brother gave his life for. Patriotism ran deep in our family. ♥️ 💙 🤍
I learned a lot from watching my Grandpa tend to his apples. He got up each morning before dawn, no alarm, just two cups of coffee and a crossword puzzle. Each season required a different approach, but the patient dedication to his orchard remained steadfast. I’ve never met anyone more stubborn. He had two Protestant priests in his lineage which meant a fierce sense of justice and integrity that had been passed along through generations. But with that also came a gentle humbleness and loving devotion to his family and friends. He was a farmer, a volunteer fire firefighter and small business owner. Im not sure it gets more American than that.
Happy Independence Day everyone 🇺🇸