A Fabulous, Fantastic Fourth!

Once again, Duane & I traveled to Lake Limestone with friends to celebrate the birth of our country. We always have a great time at this gathering, even if it is a lot of work!

Crystal, Noah, Jacks, & I went up Friday to unload and get the lakehouse ready for everyone else. (OKAY...really, we went up a day early so that we would have an extra day of R&R at the lake!) The trip started with a lot of drama...we managed to lock ourselves out of the house and lose Jacks in the first 10 minutes of the trip. Fortunately, these were minor setbacks and were the only drama episodes of the weekend!

The lake is really low. The drought has hit Limestone County pretty hard, but it is still a beautiful view!

After unloading, unpacking, and putting things away, Noah was excited to finally get in the yard and play with Jacks! They had a great time!

When Jacks woke me up at dawn, I was NOT happy with him. Then, I saw the sunrise over the lake. It was breathtaking! I was glad to be able to take a few pictures before heading back to bed!

Once everyone was up, we had almost a full day of playing, napping, and visiting! It was great!

We even had a quick rain storm Saturday evening.

The men & the Grecos arrived Saturday night, and the party was ON! It's not quite the same party as when we were twenty-somethings, but we manage to have a good time anyway!

How many Aggies does it take to replace refrigerator doors?

For this bunch...4!

Had to spend some time playing outside with Jacks. He is really a barrel of energy, unless he gets some exercise! He LOVES that stringy toy!

Ayla was satisfied to stay inside and soak up the air conditioning!
Visiting in the shade with Chuck...

Noah was a big help in the kitchen during the cooking.

But, his favorite activity was playing in the lake!

We spent some time hanging out on the pier, soaking up some sun.

Found some clams & had to check them out.

Casey did some fishing with the shucked clams, but didn't have much luck.

After dinner, we headed back to the pier, hoping to see a few fireworks.

Monday meant more reading, more napping, & the arrival of MORE FRIENDS!

There was a bit of gaming.

And even MORE cooking & more eating (of course)!

It was a fabulous, fantastic Fourth celebration!!!

Happy Birthday, America! May freedom always ring!