Onto the 4th of July Weekend

Sue's sister Peg spent the night at Sue's and then was joined by her son Vincent and his son Vinny, and that group has now left for a camp-out near Lincoln Beach on the Oregon coast. Sue leaves in the morning for a different constellation of family at the beach, and I'll stay in Portland for a little neighborhood 4th of July parade with Bella and Evan. I like having a summer holiday and a tradition of spending time with people you love, although I could hardly feel less "patriotic" than I do at the present.

My granddaughter Crystal, in Tucson, has been in labor for a day and a half. Her baby should be arriving any minute now. Crystal's father, her mother, the baby's father, the baby's father's brother and wife, and the baby's father's parents are all with Crystal at the hospital, and I am receiving frequent updates by text. These little hand-held communication gadgets have certainly changed our lives.

Update: Crystal and Saul's son, Raiden Kendall Virden-Padilla, was born at around noon on Saturday in Tucson. Crystal is very tired but she and the baby are well.