My 4th of July Festivities and the Bob Dylan concert

In the past few weeks, I had at least a few momentous events going on in my life. Summer is my favorite season and there is no shortage of activities to celebrate during this warm time of the year. I celebrated the 3rd and 4th of July in Marshfield at my beach house as a part of my annual tradition. I like to watch the fireworks go off near the beach on the night of the 3rd with many family and friends. I also got my chance to see the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in concert at the Bank of Pavilion in Boston on July 14th. It was my first time witnessing Dylan in a concert venue and I felt very honored to go the show.

During the weekend of July 1st-4th, I headed down to my summer house in Marshfield to get ready for the big 4th of July festivities. On the morning of the 3rd, my older brother Brian and his fiance Amanda came down to Marshfield for the weekend, as well as my cousin Chris and several other relatives and friends. During that warm afternoon, we went down to the beach to socialize and go in the ocean and take long walks. On our walk, I encountered three beautiful mini labradoodles and their owner. The dogs are named Cocoa, Zoey, and Sailor. I learned from the owner that he has a son with autism and that the dogs are good for people for allergies. The owner has his breeding organization based in Plymouth. I have always wanted a dog, but have not able to get dogs of various breeds due to allergies to thick fur, saliva, and dander. I may look into getting a mini-labradoodle.

The evening of the 3rd began with catered Italian food from Mamma Mia’s in Marshfield. The cuisine featured such delicacies such as chicken parmesan, lasagna, and a broccoli-pasta combination. The desserts consisted of treats like a patriotic themed chocolate chip pie and cake. Then came the celebration of the fireworks. I watched the fireworks from the porch of my grandmother’s cottage just two blocks up from my house. I observed the fireworks with Brian, Amanda, Chris, Keith, my cousin Tim and his girlfriend Emily, and several other family members. The fireworks were very exciting and came in an assortment of various beautiful colors. I managed to some great photos of the fireworks in the distance. I concluded the evening by heading to a friend’s house to watch a house concert that was being performed by the Red Evans Band. They played many different covers of popular songs of the past few decades.

The next day, the 4th, started with really great and warm weather. At the beach, I got to see additional family members such as Aunt Karen and Uncle Dan, along with Cousin Sean and his wife Debbie, his brother Matt, and his sister Kaylene with her boyfriend Kent. It was fun to dive into the water on this warm summer day, as talking with friends and family about things going on in our lives. I stayed at the beach until a little bit after 6 and enjoyed some drinks with Brian, Amanda, Chris, Karen, and Dan. The food for the 4th consisted of traditional summer dishes, including clam chowder, burgers, and lobster rolls. After the supper ended in Marshfield, I then headed back to Billerica, and on my way home, I saw some even more great fireworks bursting driving through Boston.

On the evening of July 14th, I headed into Boston to go see Bob Dylan at the Bank of Pavilion near Boston Harbor. I first went out to eat at Babbo Pizzeria with Brian, Amanda, Amanda’s parents Lisa and Jim, Amanda’s aunt Laura, and Laura’s son Willie. It was Willie’s 24th birthday and we had pizza and pasta for his birthday. I tried a delicious meatball pizza for supper, along with the pasta. After dinner, I headed over to the Bob Dylan concert with Lisa, while Laura, Willie, Jim, Amanda, and Brian went back to Brian and Amanda’s apartment for the time being.

The Bob Dylan concert opened with Mavis Staples. Mavis performed some of her hit songs for the warm-up. She got the crowd dancing and singing along to The Staples Singers’ signature song “I’ll Take You There.” After Mavis left the stage, the legend himself, Bob Dylan, showed up to the stage to perform his music. He wore a cowboy hat and played guitar, piano, and harmonica that night. Dylan played a mix of old and new songs, including “Things Have Changed”, which won him an Oscar for Best Song for the movie “Wonder Boys”, as well as “Tangled Up In Blue”, “Beyond Here Lies Nothing”, and towards the end, one of his best songs, “Blowin’ In The Wind.” For a life-long Dylan like me, it was great to hear him sing a wide variety of songs that he wrote during his long and industrious career. I hope to see more Dylan shows in the future, as well as checking out concerts from other music greats.