Second of July

Blueberry season lasts 3 weeks. Often those are busy summer weeks, sometimes taken over by vacation or camp. And very often, those are scorching hot weeks that make standing in sun baked fields a challenge.

My sister got a canning equipment for her birthday and now lives 15 minutes away. Homemade blueberry jam might be one of my top 10 consumables. The area of New Jersey we live in is near one of the most blueberry producing pieces of land in the country. For years, picking, washing, freezing blueberries (and making a blueberry pie) is a must of summer. And

Saturday July 2 might have been the most beautiful day of the year. 82 degrees, low humidity (in South Jersey!), sunshine and an expansive, deep blue painted lightly with streaks of feathery cloud South Jersey sky. (Gorgeous summer sky may not come to mind when you hear "New Jersey" but I have learned that the sky here can be one of the prettiest I've seen).

Our families met at a lovely little blueberry farm and spent the afternoon picking pounds of delicious blueberries.

And Anna and Jovie weren't messing around. They worked hard picking lots of berries!

We parted ways to let the baby nap and to get our separate bounties of blueberries prepared. Then we went to their house and had a nice dinner of grilled chicken and Jersey corn, roasted potatoes and fresh blueberry pie (Really, Anna does not consider it a successful blueberry experience if I don't make a pie. Why do you think she works so hard picking?!) Then we walked up to an elementary school in their little town for a great small town fireworks viewing experience.

Of course we had to get glo-necklaces for these cuties! Jovie has never viewed fireworks this up close and personal and was not a fan of the loudness and nearness at first. But she came around.

This baby, however, fell asleep right in the middle of the show!

Another great summer day. Tomorrow canning jam?!