July 4 in Corning, NY

Independence Day in New York

The day started with a nice dawn in a blue sky.  We have had unusually dry weather for this trip which makes our camping pleasant for sitting out on the "patio" and for the touring we have been doing.  It also makes for good repair weather:  Ray discovered that there was a leak in the water line to the ice maker in his refrigerator.  So we trotted off to the Home Depot store in Corning for some plastic water line.  Jack and Ray figured out how to attach the new line to the old line and pull both back through the slide out and down into the coach bay.  Of course, that required crouching, slithering on backs, working with arms extended overhead--and lots of moaning and groaning as old bodies complained about not being young enough for such activities!  Nonetheless, the repair was completed and tested--all systems worked just fine!

Jack and Ray working to complete the water line attachment in the "basement".

Jack, Rich, and Ray reviewing the completed repair--all systems GO!

 

JJ found a signage pole which we stuck in the coach just for the 4th...Uncle Sam came from her front yard and was made by a neighbor--there are lots of them in JJ's neighborhood.  The "Camelot House" was made by Rich to replace the one now hanging in the Sign Forest in Alaska!

 



There may have been some parades and activities in the area, but we elected to spend Independence Day in the campground and grill some "saugys".  In Rhode Island, we were instructed by JJ that "saugys" were a native Rhode Island hotdog--not all that much different than any old American hot dog except for the all-natural casing which is said to give it special characteristics.  So we had purchased a couple of packs of saugys and buns in anticipation of a 4th of July cookout.  Ray pulled out his grill and we set about our saugy eating adventure!

Tam and Ray finish up the cooking chores; the saugys are ready for the toasted buns and for our mouths--hurrraayyy!

Ray and Tam relax on the "patio" with Betty's festive tablecloth on our cocktail table.

Teddy--The Attention Slut doggy--finds Betty's lap to be a good spot to observe the goings-on!

 

On the evening of the 3rd, we had watched a number of lighted lanterns rise up from the tent/trailer section of the campground around dusk.  There were also fireworks from that section--it was Sunday night and apparently most of the folks had to head home on Monday, the 4th, so they celebrated on the 3rd.  We were all fascinated by the lanterns and had seen some packages on the display racks in the campground store.  So sure enough, we had to try our hand at our own lighted lantern launch on the 4th.  We carefully read the directions--here you can see Ray "filling" the lantern with air as described on the instruction sheet...

 

Then it was time to light the fire pad suspended on the wire frame at the bottom of the lantern.  Jack and Ray are holding the balloon envelope to let it fill with hot air from the flame--they should have been on opposite sides to keep the one side from collapsing inward a bit.  There was some what of a breeze, so when we thought it was ready to fly, the fingers were released and the lantern lurched off towards the next door neighbor's camper instead of rising nicely into the sky! 

The men immediately took off in hot pursuit as the lantern landed on top of the neighbor's pop-up canopy and then slid off and into a tree just up the road, still with the fuel burning brightly!  Jack managed to get up on his tippy-toes to snag it out of the tree and we succeeded in stomping out the flame before starting a New York 4th of July forest fire!  The ladies have had a good laugh each day since as they recount the jollies they got from watching the guys imitate a Three Stooges skit!

 

After the lantern fiasco, it was time for Rich to drag out his package of sparklers that he had picked up on a run to Wal*Mart on the 3rd--there just happened to be a fireworks tent in the parking lot and since his childhood was spent in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where there were 2 or 3 fireworks manufacturing plants, the urge to have some fireworks for the 4th was undeniable!  We all enjoyed torching off some sparklers around the campfire!

 

 

After the sparklers, Rich pulled out the Grand Finale--a multi-shot fountain Super Frenzy!  It capped off our celebration of Independence Day, Tam's birthday, and Ray and Tam's anniversary--all in all, it was a pretty good day!

 

 

We all hope you had as good a 4th of July as we did!  God Bless!  More to come, for sure!!

 

Posted from Corning, New York -- Ferenbaugh Campground.