Independence Day

I am not one to make much of a fuss about July 4, the American independence day. However, seeing that it had been five years since I celebrated July 4 in the U.S., I wanted to do something this year. I bought a little grill and some rib-eye steaks and planned to grill at White Bear Lake and watch the fireworks display from the beach.

With temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), I decided to scrap my grilling plans and do something even more patriotic: go to the Mall of America and support the U.S. economy! David and I did not end up buying anything, but we did watch the new Spiderman movie and enjoy the air conditioning.

Later that evening, when it was bearable to go back outside, we went down to the Mississippi River to an area called St. Anthony Main to watch the fireworks display. This street on the east side of the Mississippi River has many restaurants with outdoor seating, and there was a band playing and people dancing in the street. We managed to get a seat on a restaurant patio overlooking the river and had a decent view of the fireworks display.