As usual, the weather changed dramatically the moment June ended.  With the dawn of the new month, summer seems to finally have started.  Blue skies, mid eighties, some humidity; it's all good. 

Right on schedule, several of the Franks rolled into town last Sunday night, so it's party, party, party all week long.

Of course, Monday was the fourth of July, so we all would have partied no matter where the Franks were.  We drove out to Tim and Mary Lou's place where several dozen Pivecs were celebrating not only our national independence, but Carolyn's 18th birthday as well.

It was a blast; great weather, beautiful lake. boat rides, swimming, great food, great company and lots of little kids again. The clan went through a dry spell a few years ago when we didn't have any little kids after all the great grand kids moved to AZ.  But this year, Matt and Janelle were back with their boys, Lauren and Ben left their baby with Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend and Frank and Brandi had their boys at the party so we had lots of toddlers to chase around.

Jay and Zack put on a show at the park when we got home.

It was a long, fun, hot, sticky, exhausting day.

I have already completely forgotten what we did on Tuesday.

OH!  Tuesday was Vince's birthday, how could I forget??  Grandma's house; hotdogs, cheesy noodles and a cake made by Vince's sisters that looked just like a football field, surrounded by a stadium filled with fans.  It was not only a work of art but a marvel of culinary engineering!

Yesterday, we spent the first part of the hot, gorgeous day at Lake Calhoun.  Kayaks were rented, paddled, capsized, righted and paddled some more. The line at the Tin Fish was too long so Margy and I made a Milio's run and bought fourteen BLTs, one with no mayo.

Molly won't eat mayo.

Then we spent the afternoon at Lake Harriet; half the kids stayed at the beach and had a blast.  There's a new floating dock at Lake Harriet after a multi year absence in which the powers that be (BOOOOO) decided that anything as much fun as a floating dock must be too dangerous for public consumption (BOOOOOO).  Saner heads are now in charge (YAAAAY) and realized that a beach is a place for having fun.  Those of us who didn't want to swim walked down to the rose gardens and splashed around in the fountains.

When MJ and I had the babies at the rose gardens a week ago, the water in both fountains was green, murky and slimy looking.  We wouldn't let the girls touch it.  The angel fountain still looks like that, but the turtle fountain has been cleaned up and repaired; the turtles that didn't squirt water out of their mouths a week ago are back to full squirt and the water in the pool was crystal clear and beautiful!  Hopefully the angel fountain is next on the list of things to be cleaned up.

All that walking in the hot sun is exhausting and I had to come home for a few hours before going out for dinner downtown.

I was tired enough to take a nap but the new issue of US Weekly came so I read that (Okay, I didn't read it but I looked at the pictures and decided for myself who wore it best.

After a shower and a change of clothes, I met my sisters at Katie's house.  We planned a girl's night out but all the sisters in law bailed.  Most of them still have a houseful of little kids so soccer and baseball got in the way.  The five of us who abandoned our kids had a ball.

We went to a place downtown called Crave because they have a roof top deck and we wanted to be outside with a view.

Zack was part of a show at the 7th Street Entry and we planned to crash it but that didn't' work out.  I just thought that when my kid was playing a rock n' roll Iconic venue, I wanted to see it.

I didn't.

It was a weird, fun night.

Today is actually Bananas birthday so there will be more cake.  And pizza.

I love July.