Lake Burien swarms with gnats and paddleboats alike as every dock and patio circling this little urban getaway bustles with laughing, splashing and summer fun. Next door a live band belts out feel-good tunes that echo across the water, the steady buzz of activity occasionally peaking in a stray explosion of firecrackers or a batch of whistling bottle rockets. The scent of bbq grills and sweet summer fruit mixes with smoking fuses and the fresh, cool breeze of the lake, pushing flags to full mast and sending the dozens of party rafts wafting lazily about on this perfect summer Seattle evening. It's July 4th as America's founders intended, and a day to remember all the good things about this country, and take a break from worrying about the bad. Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans!

Give you one guess what this is about... :)

Danielle and i are having lunch on the "patio" at the Full Throttle cafe inside Renton Motorcycle.

Working from the rooftop patio this morning. I planned this yesterday when it was significantly sunnier.

Got my new patio furniture set up just in time for a perfect summer evening. Come over, there's a fridge full of soda and beer and i finally have an icemaker!