Cocooning on the 4th

I have no clue if it's true 

and I don't much want to look, 

but I bet a war happens inside the cocoon. 

~ Darnell Lamont Walker

Good morning!

A larger group than our normal crowd met early and at a different park (the better to avoid the chaos of the parade downtown - we have all done our time over the years and will celebrate the day without attending and fighting the crowds and heat downtown).

So we took a walk round and round the paved paths. The squirrels showed up as did a few other walkers.

Isn't this an odd group?

Where did that squirrel go?

And this giant cocoon watched over everything.

I wonder what kind of butterfly will break outta this cocoon!?! [It's the wonderful old river bridge getting a face lift. This type of bridge is becoming so rare.]

Final Note:
It poured rain a few times over the afternoon.

We mostly stayed put and snuggled with the animals as fireworks sounded all around. The rain provided some protection from wayward bottle-rockets and sparking gunpowder so it was safer than most dry years, but I wish people would not set off fireworks in the city limits. It is generally not a safe situation for children and it frightens the animals. [There is a reason for those ordinances people - many fires are started each year by fireworks and the property damage astronomical - and completely avoidable] Okay. Sermon over. Fourth over.  Thank heavens. Animals breathe a heavy sigh as do I.

[Oh, I forgot about our failed attempt to support some of my former students. We headed out to the park to buy hamburgers at their fundraiser only to find that people were lining up to get in for the fireworks that would begin in a few hours. The roads were all blocked. We beat a hasty retreat and ate chicken from the grocery store - mesquite baked, mind you. The road to hell, after all. We will start out earlier next year unless we get a better offer...]