country for 8 days, so please cut me some slack!)4th of July in Deephaven, MN looks a lot like a Norman Rockwell painting. Biking into Cottagewood, one could easily mistake the year for 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950....pick your favorite decade from the past. Whatever the year, it is a great place to be in the summer, and especially on July 4th.
We began getting ready for the festivities on July 3rd by decorating the wagon and Maya's bike for the parade. We learned that threading crepe paper through bicycle spokes is harder and takes longer than one might think! But, it was a labor of love, and a small price to pay to celebrate the freedom we have in this country. On July 4th, we were up bright and early to take the trail into Cottagewood for the parade. Ava took a seat in the wagon while Maya 
pedaled proudly through the entire parade. At the end of the parade, all kids received a patriotic "bomb" pop before heading over to the town square for fun, games, and food. After dunking one of her classmates in the dunk tank and getting her face painted, Maya was ready to chow down on an All-American meal of hotdog and chips. Then, it was time to head home and rest up for the fireworks....which were about 9 hours away! 
What to do? Well, the girls and I stayed cool inside for awhile watching Disney's Enchanted while Daddy played Scrabble on the computer. Then, it was fun in the sun again outside on the slip-n-slide and in the kiddie pool. Next, we grilled out for dinner and waited for it to get dark....which, in Minnesota this time of year, isn't until about 9 pm. Well, that was going to be too late for little Ava, and Daddy wasn't feeling well, so they stayed home, and Maya and I headed over to a friend's house in Cottagewood. We hooked up with some people with a house on the lake (Lake Minnetonka, that is, not to be confused with any of the other 9,999 lakes in Minnesota), and were able to watch the fireworks over the lake from their lawn right in front of the docks. It was a beautiful night....cool, clear, and no mosquitoes...the perfect ending to a fun and memorable day.
pedaled proudly through the entire parade. At the end of the parade, all kids received a patriotic "bomb" pop before heading over to the town square for fun, games, and food. After dunking one of her classmates in the dunk tank and getting her face painted, Maya was ready to chow down on an All-American meal of hotdog and chips. Then, it was time to head home and rest up for the fireworks....which were about 9 hours away! 
What to do? Well, the girls and I stayed cool inside for awhile watching Disney's Enchanted while Daddy played Scrabble on the computer. Then, it was fun in the sun again outside on the slip-n-slide and in the kiddie pool. Next, we grilled out for dinner and waited for it to get dark....which, in Minnesota this time of year, isn't until about 9 pm. Well, that was going to be too late for little Ava, and Daddy wasn't feeling well, so they stayed home, and Maya and I headed over to a friend's house in Cottagewood. We hooked up with some people with a house on the lake (Lake Minnetonka, that is, not to be confused with any of the other 9,999 lakes in Minnesota), and were able to watch the fireworks over the lake from their lawn right in front of the docks. It was a beautiful night....cool, clear, and no mosquitoes...the perfect ending to a fun and memorable day.
