My 4th of July weekend

Every July 4th since my son was 9, I have watched the fireworks at Seneca Lake, with the exception of the first summer after the divorce---that was spent at Lake Erie.

Despite numerous changes in my life, I have insisted on keeping the July 4th tradition.   Before that summer when D. was 9, we went to my aunt and uncle's home in Steubenville, Ohio--the Jarvis family (my mom's side) would have a huge get-together.  But my aunt and uncle downsized and sold their big home. Then my first husband and I bought a cabin at Seneca Lake and started a new tradition with some of the same folks and some new ones.

     That cabin is long gone---it will be 17 years this fall since the divorce and the division of property.

Now my second husband and I own a camper/trailer at a year-round campground near the marina at Seneca Lake.  It looks like a long, narrow house with regular siding and roof--it's called a Park Model and has two lofts for extra sleeping and storage. I lived in it the first two years I taught up here.  Fortunately it can handle 4 grandkids.

We also have a pontoon boat.  Every Saturday of the July 4th weekend, we go out on it and watch the fireworks.   Fireworks are set off from the Big Island and boats anchor around it.  This summer there were 6 boats anchored and tied up together with ours--we can gingerly slip over the sides into each others' boats and mingle. 

My son and daughter-in-law have a boat also and are always tied up on one side of us. We usually have a grandchild or two on our boat to watch the sparkling sky or we're on theirs. 

Then the ritual is that the grandchildren are put on our boat with at least one asleep and deposited in someone's arms.  My husband and I and friends head back to the shore and our trailer where we eventually get each grandchild in his/her assigned spot to sleep.  Their parents then attend a party and sleep on their boat anchored near the party. 

Around 10 the next morn my son comes and picks up his brood and off they go to their cabin to eventually head back out on the lake.  M.and I take a NAP.  (We have packed in a lot of other activities to get ready for that one evening.  And even though the adults stay up visiting until the wee hours, at least one grandchild always awakens quite early.)

This was the sky before it darkened and the fireworks began.  My camera isn't working right, so I was only able to take a few pictures.  There were few boats out by the island at this time.   The sun is setting over the mainland.  The island is not visible in these pictures.

The fireworks were awesome as always.  But the littlest one (the Irish lass) fell asleep before they began



 The only casualty for us was the next morning when an eager 3-year-old ran to jump on her blown-up Winnie the Pooh bed, tripped, and hit a side table with the side of her face.  Some tears occurred,  followed by the holding of the cold pack on the wrong eye, and finally followed by eagerness to show off her 'shiner'.

Here's Papa Mike or PePaw as the 3-yr.-old(usually referred to by me as the Irish Lass) calls him, with 3 of the grandkids.

D. was tuckered out the next morning and sought his thumb and blanket exactly like his father did at his age.

 

                           


                         This is my 'baby'.  He turned 32 on July 2nd--hard for this mama to believe. He got his         Father's Day and birthday presents together.

                                               
                                          That was my 4th of July and a happy one it was! :)