To celebrate "America's Birthday" (as Charlie has been calling it) we planned for a day on the boat, including fireworks. The forecast wasn't pretty but it ended up being bright, sunny, hot and beautiful for most of the day. Scott's cousin Sara, her husband Matt, and their friend Will joined us for the day.
The three babes, although unfortunately my lens had fog on it (from going to cold AC to hot and humid) so the quality isn't great
JJ and her dad
...and her mom :)
Sam ready to head to the sandbar! (please note the decline of his enthusiasm in later pics)
I'm sure I've talked about it before, but Lake Wylie has a sandbar where everyone goes to hang out and swim off their boats. It was deep our first day, but then within a day or two it was up to our waists (Charlie could touch). On the fourth, it was shallow but so windy; the waves tossed the boat and made it hard to walk in the water. There's a boat that sells food (sandwiches, hot dogs, burgers, popsicles and ice cream) and you could tell there are many "regulars"-floating rafts with dogs on them, bar tables made to sit in the water, a volleyball net, etc. The picture doesn't do it justice, it's pretty amusing.
Sam, during prime naptime (we decided to stay out later instead of head back at naptime)
Scott, Sara and Will
Charlie and a rock...
Sam, passed out on the ride home
It rained on and off, but we were able to eat dinner outside. We debated whether or not to head back on the boat to see the fireworks show, and risk getting wet. Last minute, we decided to go for it, and we were loaded on the boat around 9pm, just as it was getting dark. The drive to the official show was amazing--so many people had purchased fancy fireworks and were shooting them off over the lake, it was like a fun game of "I Spy". The boys had never really seen fireworks (at least I don't think they have?) and LOVED it. While we were waiting for the official show to begin, we felt big, fat, raindrops...which soon turned into a downpour and sheets of rain. 10 of us on the boat--8 huddled as best we could under towels and the small cover of the pontoon, Pops trying to keep control of the boat, and Scott standing at the front trying to direct Pops. To be honest, it was really scary, pitch black and we couldn't see much around us. Charlie was crying and scared on Coco's lap and I was doing the best I could to keep Julia dry (who, in true Julia style, was completely content just looking at me with wide eyes under the towel). Sam sat with wide eyes on Sara's lap (thank goodness for the excess adults to love on my kids!). After a few minutes we saw other boats going to an abandoned marina, so we followed suit. It took a few minutes, as parts of the dock were covered with metal bars, and the waves were pushing the boat around. Pops pulled us safely into one of the slips and while we were relieved to be out of the rain, it did seem like a scene from a horror movie (honestly I was waiting to see a long trench coat and the glimmer of an ax or something). Soonafter, the rain stopped and the fireworks started--we had a great view. The kids loved the show and it will surely be a year to remember.
To top the crazy night, Pops admitted the next morning that we were so low on fuel, he wasn't sure if we were going to make it back, but he didn't tell anyone. Whew.
In the words of Sam, which he has been yelling randomly for weeks without even knowing about the 4th of July, "YAY AMERICA!"
No comments:
Post a Comment