Rocket's Red Glare

Eeek!  I'm a little behind posting our activities from July 4th!  We had such an amazing and relaxing weekend at the lake with family.  Both Jordan and I have had a stressful couple of weeks at work lately, so we were both itching for the weekend to finally arrive.  At the lake, there is no schedule and no stress!  Everyone works hard, but we play hard too!

Our little cove has recently expanded because my Aunt Cindy just purchased a nearby property!  The house had been abandoned for several years now, so it is in need of some tender-lovin' care.  For sure.  Since we had several strong young men around, there was an opportunity to get the landscaping fixed up for Cindy!

Well, I guess I'm using the word "landscaping" generously.  This poor house had so many overgrown bushes and trees that it took several giant trailer loads to get it cleaned up.  The end result was awesome though!

Top: My cousin, John, and a friend, Bry, holding down all the brush as they drove it away. (first of many trailer loads)
Bottom Left: Hauling away everything!
Bottom Middle and Right: These are a few shots during all the action. 

After the work was done, we enjoyed some amazing lake treats!  The food at the lake is always top-notch and plentiful.
Top Left: This was my plate!  My eyes are always bigger than my stomach!
Top Right: Dad's dessert plate!  We all enjoyed shortcake and strawberries!
Bottom Left: Bacon wrapped asparagus!  This is a great idea that Jordan and I recently tried at home.  
It is a delicious and easy to make appetizer. Hat tip to my cousin Tommy for introducing this to us!
Bottom Right: Just a random, busy, abundant, lunch scene!

The smoker and the grill play a major role at the lake.  Dad is an expert BBQer indeed!
Top Left: Rib racks ready to smoke!
Top Right: Ribs are done!
Bottom Left: I love this picture of Dad.  I think he made about 7 racks of ribs that day?  Ugggllll (Homer drool), they were amazing.
Bottom Right: Corn on the grill!

What's dinner without a show?
Top Left: "The Canon".  Around the lake, the bombs really do "burst in air".  My cousin, AJ, took this awesome picture and shared it with me.  Totally cool.
Top Right: Canon prep and Cindy having the time of her life!
Bottom Left: Mom and Dad hanging out watching the show!
Bottom Right: The loot!  This is the stash of fireworks that my brother, Scott, and cousins bought.  Crazy huh?  They put on a fantastic fireworks show!

Top Left: Mom's patriotic toesies!
Top Right: Scott has moved back to Texas!  We are so happy to have him near us again, but I think it's funny that he came home with a whole set of new scars.  This is a picture of his "good" pinkie next to his "bad" pinkie. Ouch!  
Bottom Left and Right: Both Scott and Tony attempted to play a conch shell.  Surprisingly, they both got a pretty good sound and tone out of it!  Is a conch shell a "brass" instrument or "wood-wind"?  Maybe it belongs in the "water-wind" category?

Thank you all for your patience as I continue to learn how to use my "fancy camera."  Here, I figured out how to take rapid pictures in succession.  Scott was gracious enough to be my guinea-pig in the above shots.  He starts his jump with pretty good form, but something goes goofy along the way...

These are just some general boating pictures.  Love the hats ladies!
Top: Me, Scott, and Mom
Bottom: Mandy, Mom, and Me

We had a great lake gang of friends and family on the boat!  I love these people!
Top: Boat ride with Dad, Scott, Tommy, Jordan, Joyce, and Steve
Bottom Left: "Pumpkin" ride with Bry, John, AJ, and Stephanie
Bottom Right: "Jitney" ride - me, Mandy, and Remmy

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I post a lot of pictures of food.  Especially, when we are the the lake!  How could I deprive you all of these scrumptious delights?!?
At any rate, breakfast is one of the best meals at the lake (if I can get my butt out of bed in time to enjoy it).  Above are some pictures of breakfast at the lake.  Oh, those hash browns were soooo good! 

Well, that's all I have to share from our July 4th celebration of 2014!  Thank you to all of the men and women who serve our country so that we can all enjoy the freedoms of our great nation!  

I want to leave you all with this little musical gem.  This is an artist I came across a few months ago and he sings a fantastic version of our Star-Spangled Banner.  He gives it a special twist by changing the key from a major to a minor.  I think it is a really interesting and different sound.  Our national anthem is a great celebration of a song, but changing it to a minor key adds a tone of sorrow.  It's a bit of a reminder to those that have given the ultimate sacrifice.  I hope you enjoy this song from Chase Holfelder!

Major to Minor - "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Chase Holfelder


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