Sunday, July 14, 2013

Independence Day, Nevada style

July 4 – Happy Birthday America!

This is an annual event for us, and has been for many years.
Friends and family from several states have attended this reunion for so many years that we all really look forward to the gathering every year as a chance to catch up, as well as to eat some amazing food. Many of us arrive in RVs, camping around the perimeter of the property.

With the yard all decked out in bunting and lights, several flags flying in the front yard, and many of the guests dressed for the event, it's a festive affair.
 
The making of the sauce, cooking the meats, and preparing all the side dishes is very much a community effort. 

Some of the cooks have been helping out since they were in elementary school! It's a good thing there are some BBQ chefs to help carry on the tradition when us old folks decide to retire. Those who started attending as children now have children of their own, so the tradition continues.

 
About 3:30 in the afternoon there was a brief cloud burst and a bit of lighting, sending everyone scurrying to the garage with their lawn chairs. Pounding, icy rain interspersed with half inch hail pelted us, and the temperature dropped quickly. Nevadans are accustomed to lively weather so everyone adapts quickly.

The kids were happy as soon as the toy boxes were pulled out. . . . . 






. . . .and the adults just grabbed a drink and kept on visiting. 



A few minutes after the storm we noticed a little puff of smoke in the hills south of us. 

The puff grew quickly and before we knew it there was a pretty sizable cloud of smoke, rather worrisome in these dry conditions. 

Spreading quickly, the fire soon consumed about 7,000 thousand acres, and was dubbed the "Bison Wildfire.” We estimated the fire to be 4-6 miles away, and watched the direction of the wind carefully as that distance isn't much buffer if the wind is pushing the fire your way.
The party wound down and most of the guests went home. Those remaining adjourned to the upper deck to watch the fire.

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