Keith and Ryan took Phil out fishing.....

Here are some of the bigger one's...Mahi Mahi & mackerel





Darling Aunt Ruth.....Isn't she cute

We had a lovely surprise on Saturday......

My Aunt & Uncle and Cousins(from Ohio) went to Holden Beach for their vacation and the air was not working so they came to our house and stayed overnight. Sunday we visited and celebrated Phil's birthday & Uncle Bill's. We had great fun and lots of laughs...:)

Noelle is really getting big....She is so cute:)

Keith,Ryan & Joel went fishing and they caught several mahi mahi & mackerel...... Plus a 6ft tiger shark(took 3 hours to land)

Katie and I went up to MN for a few days...She surprised her family and had a great time. I had a lovely time and was able to see Beth & Ben & Toria .

We had a tough time getting there....they changed our plans 6 times and we had to sit at Myrtle beach airport for 6 hours...


We did get bumped to first class.....

Went to Bennihana's for lunch with Jess, Cilla and kids....

Then to MOA for some shopping and rides....mostly rides:)

Rodney and Melanie will be getting married on Sept. 3o. I was able to be in MN for Melanie's shower

Melanie and her Mom Jenna



All four of us girls and Mom & Melanie....



John took us all out to "bella's" a lovely Italian restaurant. (he had done some beautiful brick work there)

Keith & Ryan had a very successful fishing day!!

The fish slayers caught 7 King mackerel & 18 Mahi Mahi (dolphin).
We had a yummy fish fry.....








A recent boat........

I hope everyone had a fun and safe July 4th..... We did

We had around 60 people here.....played volleyball, more volleyball and still more volleyball :)
some swam, played horseshoes and had a little treasure hunt. It was nice to visit with family and friends and meet new friends.
Thanks everyone for a great time!

Relaxing & Chillin
Jim & Marty

Papa Richard


We ended the night watching fireworks from our neighbors dock.....then had our own little(actually kinda big) display.

Let's not forget what July 4th means.....

What July 4th really means

America celebrates July 4 as Independence Day because it was on July 4, 1776, that members of the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence.

Following its adoption, the Declaration of Independence was read to the public in various American cities. Whenever they heard it, patriots erupted in cheers and celebrations.

In 1777, Philadelphians remembered the 4th of July. Bells were rung, guns fired, candles lighted, and firecrackers set off. However, while the War of Independence dragged on, July 4 celebrations were modest at best.

When the war ended in 1783, July 4 became a holiday in some places. In Boston, it replaced the date of the Boston Massacre, March 5, as the major patriotic holiday. Speeches, military events, parades, and fireworks marked the day. In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a federal holiday.

Over time, various other summertime activities also came to be associated with the Fourth of July, including historical pageants, picnics, baseball games, watermelon-eating contests, and trips to the beach. Common foods include hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, apple pie, cole slaw, and sometimes clam bakes.

The second president, John Adams, would have approved. "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival," he wrote his wife, Abigail. "It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other ... "

John Hancock, the president of the Second Continental Congress, was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. With its ornate capitals, Hancock's sprawling signature is prominent on the document. Since then, when people are asked for their "John Hancock," they are being asked to sign their names.