freedom

Yesterday was the 4th of July.

Sun shining, high temps in the mid 80’s and a light breeze blowing.

We had the picnic basket ready to go by 11 AM.

By 12, our picnic lunch was devoured.

And we let the kids – souped up on bologna sandwiches, cheese sticks and Cherry Coke – run wild.

Freedom.

Glorious freedom.

A fitting way to celebrate the birth of our country.

And possibly burn off a little excess energy.

This was our first family trip to this particular park.

We chose it because it’s well-shaded, has lots of play equipment and is close to home.

And on top of all that, we could bring our beloved pups – who usually get left at home on days like this.

Because this park has, at its center, a dog park.

Admittedly, I haven’t spent much time in dog parks in my 46 years.

But this one was pretty sweet.

And, although they can’t speak for themselves, I’m confident that both our dogs agreed.

Besides the obvious allure of other (cute!) dogs to play with, this park had all sorts of doggy play things.

And even a little doggy water park.

(My kids were conspiring to make it their own mini Wet ‘n Wild.)

But before they managed a takeover, it was time to go.

Because our little guy is brachycephalic (which is a fancy way to say his nose is squished in) and because squished in noses don’t circulate air as well, he can’t spend too much time in the heat.

The kids were happy to comply.

Their good attitude might be attributable to good ol’ effective parenting.

Or, possibly, the promise of more 4th of July festivities (and a freezer full of Bomb Pop popsicles) ahead.

The real reason, I’d rather not know.