Lilies

The lilies are in bloom and looking gorgeous.  I took a photo of these near the American Legion Park in Dry Canyon.  I admit I played with the photo a bit to make it a bit unusual.  I was finding excuses to say inside out of the hot sun.

July 4 in Redmond

We celebrated our first Fourth of July in Redmond by watching the parade (themed "Baseball, Hot Dogs and Apple Pie") and viewing the fireworks.  The parade had more vintage cars than I've ever seen in a parade and there were lots of other things too--75 or more entries.

In 1991 Redmond was officially recognized as a "Flag City, USA" community and more than 1,000 4x6 flags line several streets.  Various organizations have responsibility for putting them up and taking them down on seven different occasions each year.   We got with the program and lined the front portion of our lawn with flags and we'll probably add more down the side next year.

The fireworks show was very good with a lot of variety in the display that lasted 20 minutes.  But leaving the fairgrounds was a snarl of traffic requiring 30 minutes of time from pulling on to the street to reaching the exit (which was probably a quarter mile distance).  We'll have to come up with a better viewing plan--or maybe just plan to spend the night at the fairgrounds.  ha  There was one other snafu behind us when some bushes caught on fire by individuals lighting their own fireworks.  Fortunately several guys kicking dirt onto the flames took care of it pretty quickly and disaster was averted.  Whew!

And that was our first Fourth of July in Redmond.

Bridge Structure

This is the heavy-duty (I hope) bridge structure that supports the road across Dry Canyon.  I thought it was practical, yet pretty.  Near here is a little picnic spot in the cedar trees with a table and drinking fountain, even a low fountain for the dogs.  They seem to have thought of everything.

A Highway Spans The Canyon

When I venture far enough north in Dry Canyon, I go under the highway.  There's a spot closer to home where there's a short, wide tunnel to go under another street.  Along the route are skate parks, dog parks and other green areas.  One day I'll have to venture even further to see what else I can discover.

Big Sky

This shows one of the wider parts of the southern portion of Dry Canyon where I enjoy walking each morning.  A couple weeks ago I encountered this amazing sky.  That's enough to get me out to exercise -- most mornings.

Grasses Galore

About four blocks from our house (as the crow flies) is Dry Canyon which is a very nice place for my morning walk.  The locals say it started many years ago with two baseball fields, tehn a couple of years ago it was expanded to add more than 10 miles of paved trail.  I've been on only half of it but from where I start I can go either north or south so I get some variety.  There's a lot more trail to the north, however.  

The walls are volcanic rock, sometimes 20' high, with some pine and juniper trees and lots of grass as shown here.  I think it's a great alternative to walking on the streets.

Redmond Street Festival

Last Saturday my husband and I went to the downtown street festival.  Five blocks of the main street were closed to traffic and vendors sent up shop in the middle of the street.  Although we didn't buy anything, it was interesting to see what was available:  leather goods, framed photos, jewelry, patio furniture, kettle corn, a few commercial booths and lots of different hand-made items.  There was also a bouncy play area for the kids and "BBQ that's good to the bone."  Since it was predicted to reach 100°, we went mid-morning and it was quite pleasant, though hotter than I preferred.  The festival had a local flavor as to what was available and I think it's a two-day annual event.  I think we will go back again.