Two If By Sea...

Independence Day fell in the middle of the week this year, so the Remler family didn't plan any spectacular celebration (Kelley's family went to Orlando to see the boy band One Direction, which sent Taylor and MacKenzie in a fit of screams, but to find out about that, you'll have to check out Kelley's blog). But as luck would have it, the holiday week turned out to be a double dose of boating fun for the Remlers and for Uncle Bob.

Tybee Island's fireworks show always takes place on July 3rd, so as not to conflict with the fireworks displayed on River Street. We stopped attending the Tybee show several years ago, after we grew tired of viewing thirty minutes of pyrotechnics only to endure three hours of traffic on the way home. This year, we decided to take in the fireworks again, but instead of driving to the beach, we took the boat.

We started out before dark in our trusty Triton, which Davis loaded up with crab traps to return to his friend Ashley. With three boat seats and a folding chair, we made the boat comfy. Eventually, Lawson took the helm, and Stephen offered tips when needed.

Lawson has to accrue more hours at the helm because when Davis departs for college in August, we'll promote the second son from first mate to captain.

Off we rode, through Bull River, down Oyster Creek, and into the Back River, where we docked our boat at Uncle Bob's house and transferred our gear to his Grady White. Then off we went again, leaving Davis behind to be cool with his peeps. The rest of us anchored in the sound and watched the moon rise, big, round, and orange, over the Atlantic. 

I was still trying to figure out my fancy new camera with all its bells and whistles. 

The darkness made that a challenge, as did the fact that I had brought along the Spanish instruction manual.

In case readers can't tell, this is a photo of a beautiful harvest moon. 

 

It took a while for the fireworks to start. Fortunately, Bob and Stephen had brought along a cooler of refreshing beverages.

  Also fortunate was Lawson's cell phone reception, for as we waited for the show, he could text with his girlfriend, Smiley Riley.

It's easier to be cool when you have a girlfriend.

 

Finally, the fireworks began. What a glorious show! How I wish I could have seen my instruction manual so that I could choose the correct setting to get clearer photos. But then again, English instructions may not have been helpful. It's hard to get those fireworks to be still. 

Readers will just have to trust me that they were lovely.

 

So that was Independence Day Eve. Independence Day was much quieter, but still, by 3:00 that afternoon, we had another hankering to get out on the water. So we packed another cooler of refreshing beverages and loaded up the Triton with our beach chairs. Off we went, with Lawson at the helm again, this time wearing his new Columbia fishing shirt.

We beached at the sand bar across from Tybee Island, and what I thought was cool was that just the night before, that beach had been 10 feet under water, and we had been floating over it watching fireworks.

It's easier to be cool on the beach with a sherbet colored fishing shirt.

 

 

And guess who joined us out there? Uncle Bob! Twice in twenty-four hours, we enjoyed the sand and surf of the back river, watching the tide come in and discussing games we could play with a circle in the sand a two cans filled with mud. And while we relaxed with a cooler of frosty cold ones, the people on Tybee Island wondered how they could get over to where the cool people were.

Not bad for a low-key national holiday.