4th of July

July 4th, 2009 (Eureka, CA)

We slept in. (we were in a real bed!) Breakfast was at 9:00 so we got around and had a typical, and nice, B&B breakfast. Ev then worked on her school work and I read for awhile. We walked into town. Eureka had a big 4th of July celebration. Streets were closed off and street vendors lined both sides. A mix of food, crafts, politics, and local shops hawked their wares. Two stages had a variety of acts. The old town section has been revitalized and they had a relatively new board walk along the bay. We met up with Doug and Jan and walked around some more. We saw some of the restored Victorian mansions. They are amazing.

Ev and I went back to the B&B in the afternoon and hung out. Back in town for dinner, we stopped by a weaving store. We talked to a girl on the 10 year college plan that was from Southern California. She knitted her chickens sweaters because they were used to warmer weather. Showed us pictures on her blog. We later went to a restaurant overlooking the crowd gathering for fireworks. We sat at the bar and talked to the owner. The restaurant has been in the family for years. Later, the horse and carriage coachman came by for a drink. He had worked in Central Park and had many stories. I was in bed before the fireworks started. The joke around town was that the cloud cover is always so low, that you get to see colored clouds instead of fireworks. Ev looked outside and saw some of the “fireworks” before going to bed. It was a nice rest day.