And That, Walnut Beach, is a Floating Patio for Good Friends - Why Not Seat 10 People on a Hot Day?

It wouldn't be a 4th of July without a day on Walnut Beach with Bev, Leo, Kaitlyn and Pam, and this year they had floats.....Okay, Macy Day Parade Balloons to take us on the water. They worked, however, and were only difficult for the hour they took to blow up (although I think Pammy and Kaitlyn's rainbow unicorn (not pictured here) went up a lot faster).

It really was a beautiful day, and the heat was tolerable from the breeze by the water. Glamis, Akech and I started at 8:30 a.m. with a walk with Jake and Pam, but then I had to get him back to Mt. Pleasant for a trip to Hoboken, New Jersey to meet his girlfriend, so I grabbed Abu and his friend Mo and we headed back to the beachfor a day of snacks, sandy beaches, games, and mindlessness.

I told Abu and Mo in the morning that I have this problem where I can't sit still, and always feel like I need to be doing something or else I go nuts. I found what my role was on the beach, as I brought the kayak out, jimmied the rope, and acted as the floats' tug boat all day, rowing the crew further off shore. Walt, Bev's Brother said, "You're going to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger at the end of today." Actually, I looked more like a red tomato; my arms, legs, neck and face got a lot of sun (and it felt great).

We didn't go to fireworks, but it seems every year more and more people choose to put off fireworks from home, so all we needed to do was to look out the window.

Last year, the Sound was ridiculously warm and oceanic bath water felt gross. This year, the water was cold, and the pool afterwards was even cooler, which was great.

It felt good to set some time to the side to relax. Happy 4th of July, everyone.