Fourth of July!

(disclaimer: not my best photos. We brought the film camera, not the digital for this trip, so all of these were taken on my cell phone.)

We got a real treat this weekend: some time with Grampa, Aunt Jessica, Uncle Mike, and three out of four cousins. Bean was pretty ambivalent about the parade, but swimming! Well, now, that's something else entirely!

Mommy and Aunt Jessica braved the rain-chilled shores of New England, egging each other on into the water.

one, two, three, lean back together and.... aaaah....

Once you're in, they said, the water's fine... I don't believe them. M. said it was really surreal to feel the Bean kicking underwater.

We finally had to leave, because I had to preach this morning. We aimed for the 8pm boat, figuring that would get us home around 10p. But as the nephews drove us into the ferry parking lot at 7:30... the ferry was leaving. Full to capacity, they left quite early. Fortunately, the next arrived soon thereafter, so we could sit on the boat, rather than standing in line, until it left at 9pm. At least we had a lovely sunset to watch!

And a bagpiper to play us nearly all the way back to Point Judith. Of course, after a while, I think he began to run out of the good ol' Scottish airs, because he started in with "Jesus Christ Superstar". A little disconcerting, hearing that one on the bagpipe!

The best of the ride home was seeing the fireworks from several towns in Rhode Island, as well as some very low down, just barely clearing the horizon, that seemed to be from the south coast of MA and Martha's Vinyard. Really an amazing ride home.

Happy Fourth!