Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone has a good 4th of July. We're staying at home, grilling ribs, with coleslaw, Texas toast and a tomato pie..I got up early and made a cherry pie also. The grandchildren are here and it will be a fun day, I think.
The weather is hot, hot, hot. In the triple digits. We're having to run the AC from early in the morning until bed time and beyond. The solar helps but we're using more than it generates right now which is a problem.  Having not be on the computer as often, trying to conserve energy in other ways. Keeping the lights off, etc. and not washing as much. Still we were $13 over yesterday. Sigh.

Below is a vintage photo of the hotel that used to be in my hometown of Oceanside, Ca. I remember it when my parents first moved there, back in the 60s. At that time, it was an abandoned wreck and soon after burned down but in its heyday, it was a lovely Victorian  building.

The Oceanside historical society has been posting many old vintage images of the area and I just love them.
Here's one of the early piers, called the Small Iron Pier about 120 years ago.There has been about 4 piers as several were destroyed by hurricanes, etc. Its much longer now and its the longest on the Californian coast.

Here is a recent photo of it.

There is a nice restaurant on the end of it and its a wonderful walk. I kinda wish sometimes we could move back there but its very expensive now. Still we're close enough to visit and enjoy the ocean. My brother has a home there and will be here at the end of the month for his 40th high school reunion. It will be wonderful to see him again as its been a number of years. He lives in Hawaii now.

I finished the next in the series of cards, the 12 Days of Christmas. I will post a photo of it in my next post. It turned out the best so far, I think. Its 4 Calling Birds.