Adventure on the 4th

Yesterday at church we recited the Pledge of Allegiance at all three services... and every time I started to cry. Almost didn't finish it the first service, and assumed it wouldn't affect me the next two...

Ended our 4th celebration today with a little adventure! We took the boat out to see what fireworks we could catch from the lake. Usually we can see the tops of the big shows from downtown, around the city and the sky-glow from the theme parks, as well as sometimes spectacular local stuff going up around the lake. Since the weather was clear today (first time in weeks!) and fire danger low (ha!), I guess people stockpiled fireworks, b/c it seemed especially noisy. So we decided to take Arrow with us.

Everything was great as we headed out--not too muggy, a breeze to keep bugs from gathering on the nav lights, and some fancy rockets already going up along the shore. Crossing into the northwest lake, we felt the first raindrops. A few minutes after we staked out our observation spot, we saw the rain marching across the lake. Assuming it would blow over, we huddled under the bimini and waited. Arrow got the dry spot, the driver's seat, where (for a wonder) she sat calmly. When the wind was in danger of blowing us into shore, Scott cranked up the engine and motored slowly away. We figured if we headed home at a sedate pace, we could stay reasonably dry and avoid rain sheeting under the bimini.

Then lightning flashed, and all bets were off! Scott pushed the motor with a little more urgency. With the next two lightning strikes (one which I thought I saw touch down), he revved it up and let it go! He got the worst of it; even though he had the rain jacket, he kept ducking around the windshield so he could see where he was going (he said later, amazing how little you can see without windshield wipers!). I had wrapped a large towel around my waist and another thrown over my head and shoulders; they and the jacket underneath got soaking wet, but kept my shirt mostly dry. I sat behind Scott with my back to the rain. Arrow was in the rear, and seemed perfectly content to rest her chin on the side of the boat, for all the world like hanging her head out the car window in a driving rain!

As we neared our cove, I could already see fireworks resuming (they all seemed extinguished when the rain started) on the south side of the lake. Strange. Then when we got home, we turned the t.v. on and the downtown fireworks were high and dry! Doppler showed a narrow squall line that just sprung up and hit us!

Scott rammed the boat up the shore and we all jumped out and ran for it. He went back after to tie it up. We looked like a pack of drowned rats. I was in the best shape and toweled Arrow off, and brought a dry one for Scott--he had to strip at the back door. What the f!!! he laughed. Next time we'll check the weather report!

I felt high and laughing, the most alive I've felt in days. So weird though that downtown, less then 10 minutes away was in the clear! Too bad the fireworks were uninspired. It's almost 11 now and there are stillrockets going off--guess everyone has to use them up now that it's stopped raining!