July 4th Weekend

The July 4th holiday looked very different this year. In the past, we have usually traveled to Smithfield Station by boat on the 3rd to enjoy Smithfield's fireworks that evening from the dock and then we would often head to other marinas for a short boat trip. This trip did not happen this year so I actually worked on the 3rd for a change. I suppose it wasn't THAT bad, although it did feel a bit odd after so many years of having an extended holiday.

As a side note, because none of our boating friends were up for the Smithfield trip this year, my parents had planned to go by boat to The Tides Inn for the 4th and I was going to meet them over there by car, but Tropical Storm Arthur interfered and they decided not to take a chance. Thankfully, the storm wasn't bad and the weather ended up cooperating for a nice day home to celebrate the holiday.

I drove to Williamsburg on the morning of the 4th and the first order of business was learning again how to drive stick. I probably have done it 3 or 4 times but it's been since college or before. I understood the concept but it was definitely not yet second nature. There's still too much thinking involved. The vehicle of choice made the lesson pretty fun...especially on a beautiful summer day. After a few spins around the neighborhood and nearby smaller roads, Ted convinced me that I was ready for more and I drove a few miles from home to get slurpees. All in all, the lesson went smoothly (no stalling, no accidents). Phew. 

Because we weren't initially sure about the weather, we passed on the boat and planned an afternoon cookout at my parents house with a few friends.

Although a little hard to see, Dad and Jerry were playing cornhole on the dock. I kept waiting to hear a splash when one of the bean bags went into the canal.

As usual, Hayley made things very festive with holiday-appropriate decorations.

The designated grill master these days...

 

As a last minute decision, we all headed to Colonial Williamsburg for their fireworks. The traffic can be bad getting in and out but thanks to knowing a few back roads, we were in and out in no time. It was nice to see those fireworks for a change on the 4th!

Here are a few hightlights from the rest of that weekend...

Teddy attempted barefooting for the 2nd time. Here he is with his new hairdo...before messing it up. :) It's rare that the water is cold in July, but this summer was so mild that Teddy wore a wetsuit.

 Step by step instructions on how to barefoot off of a kneeboard. First, get up on kneeboard.

 Spin around and sit on your back side (no easy feat)

 Keep the board under control while the boat speeds up to top speed (preferably around 40)

Make no abrupt movements and slowly plant your feet on the water once you are up to speed (and the board basically comes out from under you)

 Then....BAREFOOT! (At this point, all of the riders on the boat were cheering loudly.)

 You take a lot of water to the face! Teddy said that it felt like his eyes were falling out or his eyelids were inside out.

So glad to capture these next two images with my nicer camera (it was a good day to bring my zoom lens)

 Love this expression! (I would be making that face, too, if I had gotten up and stayed up as long as Teddy did. It was quite impressive for a newbie.)

Flyboarding at Jamestown Beach! A local family started a business this summer of offering flyboarding lessons at one of our favorite spots to anchor the boat and hang out. It provided some nice entertainment while we were relaxing on the river. There was lots of talk around the neighborhood about who was going to be the first to try this out, but in the end, there were no takers.

The flyboard is propelled by water flowing from a jetski

Fresh tomatoes and basil...a summer favorite.

Boating with friends...

We met my parents out at Jamestown Beach. It looks like they have it pretty good!

(Obviously, something was on my phone because the next few photos came out with a film on them.)

Nothing like grillin' on the boat and eatin' dogs in the water!

My boating buddy :) If the ride had been any longer, she would have conked out in no time. That's what swimming and fun in the sun does to us all!

Bald Head Island - Part II

Day 5

Our days pretty much looked the same.  Pool, nap, beach, snack, play, rest, eat lunch, swim in the ocean, snack some more, relax, repeat. The pictures will prove this statement to be true.

2 cute napping babies...

We decided that today was the day to try to get some good family/group pictures on the beach that evening while the weather was pretty perfect. We all got cleaned up, ate an early dinner, and then headed back to the place where we first saw the beach on day 1. I had eyed a good "picture-taking" spot already and was hopeful that the lighting would be good. Often when I have high expectations, these expectations are not met and I am disappointed, but this evening was great and probably exceeded what we had hoped for in the way of cooperative kids and great photos. It was fun, too!

The spot

Baby J made it into the first round of girls' pictures (you can only see a small hand). It's hard to believe we've been friends for 16 years already!

After a great photo session, we decided this was a perfect evening to drive down to the marina for ice cream. Of course, we stopped first to to grab a few more photos.

Complete group shot in front of Old Baldy

Besides questioning whether or not we were eating real ice cream or some fake substitute, it was a great treat and the setting sun was quite the backdrop.

He's awake! J was such a good baby (newborn!) and slept so much of the time, but it was fun to get a few pics of him awake and alert.

Watching the ferry come in at sunset

And here's the final completed (well...almost!) puzzle. Of course, it didn't feel "complete" without the missing piece but it wasn't worth the spent vacation time to find it in the game and puzzle closet. 

Day 6

More pool time at the Shoals Club baby pool. This was a favorite spot of the week and entertaining for the kids (so the adults could lounge in chairs nearby and relax)...

The typical view of the island from the back of the golf cart. Such a peaceful, quiet island.

Day 7

I started the day with a bike ride to a few shops and then met the gang over on the beach. 

Here are a few pics of the Shoals Club (Pool and beach access that required membership. Fortunately, our house came with it included.) area of the island.

View from the beach up towards the main pool.

Threatening skies again. Because this was our last full day, we rode it out until the last possible minute so as not to miss out on any beach time.

Cleaning up quickly and early because of the approaching storm. David invented a creative way to get all the chairs back to the boardwalk as fast as possible.

Me and my roomie, who is so sweet and fun. I enjoyed sharing a room with A while we were on BHI and also laying in bed and chatting with her in the mornings.

She's also a GREAT big sister!

The storm came and went so some of the group ended up back in the pool.  And when there's rain and sun, there's also...

...a rainbow!

Day 8

The week had been so great that we were sad when it was time to pack up all of our luggage and bins. Thanks to basically eating in the entire week, at least the bins were lighter from all of the food we ate that week.

A very sad sight to see the tram arrive to pick us (and all of our luggage!) up to take us back to the marina so that we could catch the ferry and head home.

A final group shot before we departed our lovely home for the week

Two peas in a pod

Love their new BHI t-shirts!

The marina in Southport, NC was where we left our cars (and all our cares, too!)...

The sensible thing to do after a full week away would have been to go back to Richmond to unpack and get ready for work the following day. Of course, the weather was beautiful and it was still mid-afternoon so I was lured to Williamsburg instead. Plus, traveling that direction meant another boat (ferry) ride and a nice dinner with the family. It was almost like extending my vacay just a little bit longer. 

It was a great trip from start to finish and I was so thankful for a wonderful week away. Hoping a return trip to BHI will happen sooner than the last few times for me!