The sun comes out (not up but out) pretty late these days, starting kind of foggy and then burning off to make a beautiful day. We had the Microsoft company picnic just on the other side of Mount Si, and it was a blast.

There are tons of people - it's actually held over four days to fit everybody - and there is a little something for everyone. We picked up one of Christina's friends and headed out to see the sights.

I love the music we have at the picnic. There was a Japanese-style drum band that sort of dances as they play. It's amazing to watch.

And of course what picnic is complete without a motorcycle stunt show.

The sun came out, and we sat while the girls played. Marjorie and I checked out some mountain bikes and went on a trail ride. I discovered quite quickly just how out of shape I am. Ah well. It was a great day.

My birthday is the 2nd of July, and I love the 4th celebrations as well, so this year we decided to head into town and celebrate it big.

We stayed near the "Space Needle", which is in the north part of the city. When we got there, I saw a huge number of people in suits and nice dresses, all waving little American flags. We followed them in to a large arena, and found it was a group of people gaining their citizenship, taking the oath on the 4th of July. If you ever want to see a group of people that love this country, look no further. It really makes you thankful for what you have.

From there we walked to the south end of Lake Union, and took a look at the Wooden Boat center. They are so beautiful - the craftsmanship is unbelievable.

Speaking of craftsmanship, one gentleman had built a 23-foot long Titanic replica out of Legos! It was pretty impressive - it took a year and $15,000.00 worth of blocks to do it.

We then decided to walk up to the north end of Lake Union and watch the fireworks at "Gasworks Park". This is an old Natural Gas facility that is now a park, and there had to be over 20,000 people there. I couldn't believe how many people came out to celebrate. The Marines lowered a 50-foot flag from a helicopter and flew it around the lake - a truly awesome sight.

We walked back to the hotel room - I think we calculated 9-10 miles of walking on the 4th - and got back to the room after midnight. We slept in a little and then I tried out a new coffee shop in Seattle (imagine that) and headed home.