Today marks the kickback day. First rule of order was to drop in on Ed at the Old Well Diner. It is pretty quiet compared to the way it used to be, but what isn’t? Ed is as much of a curmudgeon as always and wanted to know if our grandmother had died – he meant Barb. We told her he asked about her, but not what he said exactly. We were the only ones at a table until another gentleman came in and asked if Ed could do a breakfast sandwich. They discussed it for a minute and then the gentleman sat down. He was with some friends whose car had broken down out front. He turned out to be just around the corner from where we are and we talked shop for a while. That gave Ed lots of fodder to grumble about those rich Stockton folks. Breakfast took about an hour when all was said and done. Thankfully we had no plans or desire to do much of anything. We hung around the room, napping, watching TV, and reading until I couldn’t stand it anymore and suggested that we drive over to the store and get something for a picnic lunch. I got some friend chicken and cole slaw, TBG got caprice salad, and a roasted turkey sandwich. Then we took the old Highway 49 to Volcano and wound our way through the hills and dips until we found the Sutter Creek Picnic grounds. There was just one other car there – a surprise to me – and that was a father and son panning for gold in the creek. He did report some ‘color’ meaning gold dust. The river wasn’t even much of a creek at this point, but it was nice to listen to it trickle and the wind rush through the leaves. It was the perfect way to celebrate the holiday. Went back to the room and planned out the rest of the evening. We decided to give The Sutter Restaurant a try. They had a 45-minute wait at 6:30 – not because they didn’t have table, but because they didn’t have the staff. We decided that it wasn’t for us and headed back to the Imperial. They were delighted to see us. We were the only ones in the place for a while, then a party of three guys arrived and later a few others. This time I was able to try the rack of lamb with a currant sauce and TBG had Honey mustard roast pork loin. Both were very good, but because of the fireworks, we opted out of the dessert. We went back to the room and got ready for the fireworks. Watched the end of Return of the Jedi and then headed over. It was nice to have our own chairs, but even they get old after an hour. The fire department got called out for an accident (drunk driver went off the road) and delayed things for a bit, but after that the show went on. For a small department, they do a nice job and they are right there, in case one gets wild. By ten, the party was over and it was a grateful trek back to the hotel (less than half a block) and to bed once again. Happy Birthday, America. You wear it well.