More about the Fourth:

"An attempt at visualizing the Fourth Dimension: Take a point, stretch it into a line, curl it into a circle, twist it into a sphere, and punch through the sphere." --Albert Einstein

"Music is the fourth great material want, first food, then clothes, then shelter, then music." --Christian Nevell Bovee

"You are indebted to your imagination for three-fourths of your importance."--David Garrick

"Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater." --Gail Godwin

"Only one-fourth of the sorrow in each man's life is caused by outside uncontrollable elements, the rest is self-imposed by failing to analyze and act with calmness." --George Holbrook Jackson

"Be not the fourth friend of him who had three before and lost them." --Johann Kaspar Lavater

Sunday Church service started with a flag raising ceremony of tasteful decorum... the theme for most of the day most patriotic.... a number of veterans had a chance to speak throughout. "Sunday school" an appropriate lesson on fasting on this day which furthered my understanding.

More Sunday, July 4th, had a little picnic at a nearby little park in the El Dorado Nat'l Forest called Bear Creek with: Gail and I, Candy and Larry (my in-laws), Paul and Jody and Dante and Thaddeus (Gail's nephew and his wife and their little boys), Kenny and Karen and Virginia and Carly (Gail's brother and his significant other and his daughter and her daughter).

My daughter and her brood were off to the San Francisco Bay Area for the day to pick up a motorcycle for Richard, Chrissy's husband, and elsewhere to celebrate the 4th. It's too bad they couldn't be there, they were missed.

I, having walked home from my ride from Church by the Wadsworth's... so I could get a short walk in, had nearly reached the driveway at home when Gail, et al, arrived in Larry's truck and gathered me up in my "Sunday's". I had a good time, though, a bit over-dressed for the occasion. I did take off my white dress shirt and tie to relax a bit. Most everyone enjoyed the chicken and salad and watermelon and chips and sodas. A few dunkings and splashings in the creek by some, with a spritz of water here and there from Dante's spray bottle kept the mood most jovial. The kids really had a good time, with we adults basking in their joy.

The little park is on the bank of Bear Creek bounded by tall slopes and has maybe (6) picnic tables and a restroom. There is plenty of shade from tall cedars and other trees including one species that I thought were dogwoods at first, I being corrected, the leaves being similar, but no flowers... only little green berry like buds the size of a cherry pit. There was also a plant that grows in and around the water with huge leaves the size of a large fan that the kids would pick and use as hats... making them look like little elves that was quite comical and fanciful. Wish I had brought my camera... sigh! The sound of the water tinkling here, gurgling there, and burbling here and there was intoxicating, even midst the mirth.

I made the July 5th list !!! of the 20 closest entries for my Haiku poem " Fall Leaves... Gold " from the previous BLOG writing on July 4... which means I almost won a mousepad !!! Unfortunately the winner is selected by time and not merit... however, I find this poem to be one of my better efforts in a while to which I'll award myself ***** stars. The list from the link will, of course, be different if viewed after the 5th... but hey!, maybe I'll make the next or after next list !!!... unless I win... in which case still another link must be selected from that page...

" Seal "... a Haiku: "... Yup!!! The photo of a seal on the bank of a cool rippling water course.