We always celebrate holidays on the Gone Native, and America's birthday was no different. As we had mentioned in a previous blog, we were in an excellent marina to do projects and schoolwork. By now, most of our friends from the EMYR had left heading westward, but there were still a few holdouts from the EMYR and we decided we had an opportunity to celebrate. After all, we are always ready for a party.

Mardy and Paul, from s/v (sailing vessel) Emerald Lady invited us to help celebrate the 4th of July. Mardy is an excellent chef and party entertainer. We had met Mardy and Paul last year, and if you go back to the blog 08/28/07, she was the cooking instructor for "Baking Bread 101." They had remained in Herzliya as well doing boat repairs and obtaining new sails, since they had seen a lot of blue water after twenty-five years on the high seas.

We started with a brunch to celebrate the red, white and blue. Although Mardy had done most of the preparation we did make a run to the store to pick up a few odds and ends and Margarita ingredients, which can often be difficult to find out here. When the sun set, we cranked up the blender, BBQ and eventually the sparklers. No matter in what country, we always try to keep up with our American holidays.