Independence Day, Part 2

Wednesday, July 4, which was the second day of two consecutive days' worth of family holiday fun, took us to Mom's house in North Salt Lake. We enjoyed a delicious BBQ and played board games while the kids waded in the kiddie pool:

That took us to fireworks at dusk, bringing out the pyromaniacs in more than a few people. The next-door neighbor, like you do, brought his cannon (yes, a cannon, apparently) out onto the street to fire it off a couple of times, scaring the McGinnies out of one and all.

It was both Tanner's and Isaac's first Independence Day.

There's something purely enjoyable about getting together with family and celebrating our country's birthday by doing our darndest to burn down our little corner of it.

Independence Day, Part 1

This year's Independence Day festivities included two family parties, held (respectively) on the 3rd and 4th of July.

Sometimes, I have to pinch myself to remember on a daily basis that my family now includes a wife, parents-in-law, three brothers-in-law, three sisters-in-law, and seven additional nieces and nephews (niblings). And each one of them is a pretty amazing person.

On the 3rd, we assembled together at the parents-in-laws' home in West Bountiful for a BBQ and something I'd never tried before: axe throwing. Tyson showed us all how it was done:

. . . after which JB showed off her stuff and reminded me once again to never mess with her to the point of ever getting frustrated enough to throw an axe in my direction.

As for my own efforts, of which JB snapped some photos, I'll say that axe throwing is somewhat harder to do than it looks. But it's also a lot of fun. I found that the two-handed method works a lot better for me than trying to throw an axe right handed only. It helps explain why I woke up the next morning barely above to move because my muscles were so sore from the attempt.

To close out the evening, Spencer set up a movie screen in the backyard, and we watched the recent Spielberg movie Ready Player One in the Great Outdoors, with only the mosquitoes to keep us company.

Plowman Family Dinner/June 2018

For June's family dinner/birthday party, we met at Ben's and Adi's home in Centerville and stayed outside for a BBQ, enjoying some delicious chicken, fruit, and salads while taking advantage of the sunlight on one of the longest days of the year.

We used the occasion, as we are wont to do, to also celebrate the family birthdays of the month, including both Mom's and Dad's, McKenna's, and Adi's.

Though Dad is no longer with us (physically anyway), most of us met up at Nielsen's for some frozen custard on the night of his birthday (June 12). It's what he would have wanted had he been here.

Solo: A Paco Story

For the benefit of those who may have been living under a rock, Solo: A Star Wars Story is the latest adventure in that sci-fi saga set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. JB and I have been to see it now . . . well, a number of times. On one of those occasions, we were treated to sushi and then a viewing of the film by JB's old boss as a wedding present, which was an incredibly nice gesture.

It's good to have Star Wars in the summertime once again.

I Have a Garden

Admittedly, and other than some weeding I often begrudgingly did as chores when I was a kid, I've not been the tiller of the soil that my last name indicates my ancestors were. Nevertheless, I've been trying to turn over a new leaf, so to speak, recently.

For Mother's Day, JB and I, along with some of the other siblings, donated time and helped Mom de-clutter the garage and other parts of the house. We also weeded and prepared her garden for planting vegetables. Last week, we stopped by to check on the progress of the Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, and other veggies we planted.

For the most part, they look pretty good. We're looking forward to seeing the fruits (so to speak, again) of our labors over the next several weeks.

"Mary Poppins"

Ben is currently playing the role of Bert, the chimney sweeper, in Disney's Mary Poppins musical at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City. JB and I and some of the other family members went to see the show Saturday night, and you can be sure that good times were had by all involved. The amphitheater provided a nice atmosphere for the performance.

I loved it. It was way better than Cats. I'm going to see it again and again.

Plowman Family Dinner/May 2018

At May's family dinner, we celebrated all of the month's family birthdays. Which is only one, that of Summer.