fotos from the fourth

Here comes photo overload. I took so many photos, but these are my favorites of the Fourth of July bunch. I actually started my vacation visiting my family (mom, dad, brother, SIL and nieces) in Massachusetts. I was there three days and it was a whirlwind. My SIL took photos, but I don't have them yet. (Click on these photos for a better look.)

Ceder Creek, Nebraska, is my absolute favorite place to spend the Fourth of July. (2nd fave is Bristol, RI because of their parade). Ceder Creek is an itty bitty town of maybe 1,000 year-round folks and has 4 lakes. Fourth of July there gives you a truly all-American kind of feeling.

These are actually of the nearby town where we went for breakfast that morning.



Back at Ceder Creek, taking a few photos. Me, being silly (love that cinderblock on TOP of the car.); My dad with a hat lent to him for the fourth--gotta wear red, white, and blue!!; and my mom (isn't she gorgeous??)







Before the Car Parade


The Grand Marshall (surprised with the honor just a few minutes before)

Here they come






And then the boat parade



The decor





And, of course, the fireworks. The fireworks in Cedar Creek are put on by the residents themselves. Everyone on the lake shoots off their own fireworks, everything from little ones to the big ones. There are so many fireworks coming from the four lakes it is a truly magical experience--almost a sensory overload with the sound and views. They start before it is dark...



...and continue late into the night.


That about sums it up. Want the long version? ;)
Next stop: Colorado.