Happy Belated Fourth of July

We had the opportunity to celebrate the Fourth of July in my family’s neck of the wood this summer.  Celebrating the 4th with B was really special…it is so fun to relive some of my fond memories through B’s eyes.

This is one of my favorite places in the entire world all lit up the night before the Fourth of July. The tradition is that everyone on the lake buys flares (as a fundraiser for the lake association) and then lights them all at the same time. Most people go out in their boats to watch the shoreline as it becomes illuminated, it’s really neat to sit in the boat and watch the flairs reflect on the water as it gets dark outside.

On the afternoon on the Fourth of July, the lake association hosts its annual Floatilla. Boaters from around the lake are encouraged to decorate their boats and participate in a boat-like parade that goes around the perimeter of the lake. We have participated on-and-off in this silly tradition for the past 20 or so years. As time has progressed, some of the lake’s younger folk have started the tradition of throwing water balloons between boats as judges judge who has the best boat decorations. This year’s competition was fierce as several boats and shorelines had large sling shots that propelled water balloons several feet into the air. The entire parade was a hit in B’s mind and the rest of us enjoyed dodging several water balloons as they were being thrown our way.

     

 

After the parade, B enjoyed a nice long nap while the rest of us soaked up the beautiful afternoon. Later that night we enjoyed a typical cabin meal complete with our annual red, white and blue fruit salad (strawberries, bananas and blueberries).

 

Later, we headed into town to watch fireworks, the local Lion’s club puts on a pretty fantastic (and very long) show. B was quite enamored and wide-eyed for the first five minutes and then quickly feel asleep on my lap…this is now the second year that he has slept through the big booms and bright flashes!

In B’s defense, it was WAY past his bedtime!

   

B slept in C’s arms as we walked back to the car. He hardly even noticed that he was buckled into his car seat for the ride home.

All it all it was a great day. It is such a gift to live in a place where we can have the freedom to be together. It is humbling to think of the sacrifices some families make so that we can make memories like we were able to make this past 4th of July.

Happy Belated Fourth of July!

Be blessed.