I have these two different factions in me that wrestle over how to spend holiday time.

One faction, no doubt bolstered by growing up with a father who needed to squeeze every last ounce of educational value out of our time, wants me to go to parades and the children museum and organize large group activities for July 4th.

The other faction, which I suspect is my true nature, wants to stay home and spend all day online.

So I had planned for us to go to a parade and the children's museum, and then see fireworks in the evening.

But we ended up hanging around the house, barbecuing steaks, playing in the kiddie pool, and laying down bark dust.

In other words, highly American past times.

But then we went to Tigard high school and saw bag races and got girl1's face painted and watched fireworks with a group of japanese-married-to-americans that happened to be there and that we knew.

So both factions were happy.

Hope your fourth of july was as good.