Dana Point for the 4th of July

While I encourage people to travel the globe, let there be no mistake that I love my country, and the 4th of July is a great opportunity to celebrate our country's birth.

Unfortunately, an increasing number of Americans seem to no longer see our country as an exceptional example of what is possible for the world but as something of which to be ashamed. Under the guise of deceptive banners that sound altruistic, they apologize for our country's birth and accomplishments, somehow having missed the amazing truth. The minor flaws are waived as the overriding story, and far too many people buy the lies and half-truths and then stand up proudly for decreased freedom in the name of some dubious cause. The truth is America is the Land of the Free!

What better way to celebrate the 4th of July than to get together with some of my old buddies from Westminster, the All American City where I grew up. Every American probably sees their own home town as typical and their experiences growing up as normal for their era, or perhaps normal within the context of some hyphenated-American neighborhood, but do their home towns have “An All American City” on a sign off the 405 freeway? Okay, maybe that means nothing except that the city council made a good pitch to a selection committee, but if nothing else it shows the intention. Anyone who has seen those Wayne Dyer presentations on PBS pledge drives knows the Power of Intention is awesome, but I digress.

For the 4th of July, my friends Mike and Linda again generously put on a party at Dana Point Harbor where their boat is docked. Linda made some awesome chicken that's great in a tortilla, along with a big spread of other food and drinks. Mike's son Chris and his wife Wendy prepared the traditional watermelon soaked in vodka. I'm drawing a blank on what Linda's fellow teacher friend Teri brought besides her big smile and a chewy treat for Linda's puppy Charlie, who was very excited to see her.

My daughter Amy made an apple pie and a three berry (raspberry, blueberry and strawberry) pie from scratch (okay, it was a mix for the crust), sweetening them with that recent miracle of American ingenuity that we already take for granted, Splenda, and traditional spices. She and her friend carved stars and stripes into the crust, and with a large cut-out star from the three berry pie, she topped a two berry (blueberry and blackberry) tart that Linda's father, Joe, scooped up, as well he should as a benefit of age and experience. Amy also made Funfetti cupcakes that Mike's non-childhood friend Jose's grandkids Inez and Christopher eyed before lunch and happily powered down as dessert...twice. Later, a lot of us ate both pie and cake.

When Pete and Gayle arrived, they had tasty homemade guacamole and chips, just in time for a mid-afternoon lunch, and Kevin showed up a few minutes later. Everyone brought beer and soft drinks, and as fitting such a big American celebration, there was more than enough for all in attendance and to share with any strangers walking down the dock.

Not missing a 4th of July culinary trick, Mike fired up the little grille on the back of his boat to cook cheddarwurst and spicy brats for dinner a few hours later.

It wasn't all about eating. Mike and Linda keep a couple of kayaks plus an inflatable boat at the yacht for tooling around the harbor. Amy and I had a fantastic time kayaking for an hour, which was long enough to get a little exercise, a little sunburned and a little soaked by battling water guns fired from other small watercraft.

Different people went out in Mike's inflatable armed with water canons to wage battle. When I headed out with Mike in the inflatable in late afternoon, however, we ended up rescuing some drenched strangers in a Zodiac that had run out of gas by towing them back to their berth. The temperature had dropped, and Mike and I decided we really didn't care that much about returning to the battleground to get soaked at that point, instead taking a non-combat scenic cruise.

The day was topped off, of course, with a terrific fireworks demonstration put on by the city of Dana Point. Perched on the bridge of the boat, we watched the bright, gleaming show in the summer night sky, with the masts of other boats in the harbor in the foreground and the booming radio broadcast enhancing the overall effect. God bless America!