JULY 4th: A LAKE CELEBRATION

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. We were so lucky to have great weather in Michigan but for one big downpour on Saturday that didn't last long. I know that all of you know how much fun I have at the lake, but this 4 day weekend was nothing short of spectacular.

When we weren't feasting on brats, hamburgers, ribs and chicken {that the men made}, guests were whipping up delicious and beautiful side dishes in the kitchen. The kids even helped by making appetizers, cupcakes and bringing out bowls of chips, dips and fruit. We packed two refrigerators and several coolers with every drink known to man and with the warm temps, we killed most of it. 26 people can do that.
The kayaks were really put to use. I was amazed at the young ones that were able to maneuver them so well. Because we live on the bay, it's perfectly calm water to paddle around in. The water was so warm, everyone enjoyed floating around on inflatables, life jackets, whatever they could find.
On Saturday, when the temperature was the hottest and before a majority of our guests arrived, we took the boat out to the sandbar, where it is a tradition for a band to play off the island and crowds of people to anchor and splash and dance around in the waist high water. Shortly after I took this picture, the skies darkened and a storm came through. We made it back to the dock just as it started to pour. Thankfully it didn't last long and it cooled everything down so we were able to enjoy weather in the low 80's.
I took a ton of pictures {sorry, not so many of the food}, but I'm not posting many as I don't like putting pictures of little ones on my blog. This is daughter Emily and her boyfriend, Mike. Em bought a few floppy hats in Chicago to wear with her beach garb. She thinks she's in the Hamptons here.
Son Kevin and his fiancee, Mary Clare. We were so lucky to have Mary Clare's mom, Peggy and niece Hannah come also. We just love them to pieces and I loved having Peggy keep me company for early morning coffee and while we stayed out of the sun, watching everyone enjoy the water. What a great lady she is.
Mike, Mary Clare and daughter Abby taking a break from the sun.
Abby and her boyfriend Tom.
How do you have a gathering this big? Planning and motel rooms. Help yourself pastries and fruit in the morning and everyone pitching in with the food and refreshments. Lunch was at 2:00 and dinner at 7. And even though I felt overwhelmed at times, my wonderful family shooed me out of the kitchen and made sure that I would relax. And everyone made themselves at home.

This is not to say that we didn't have a few mishaps. Emily got locked in the bathroom when the door handle fell off. I was washing my face in the upstairs bathroom after The Husband fixed a drain and water poured into the downstairs bathroom where Peggy was using the facilities. Keys were lost and the light on the boat broke so we watched the fireworks from the boat launch area. Otherwise, things went smoothly.

Many great memories were made. We had a family from Ireland as our guests and it was their first time in the States. They marveled over the food, especially the side dishes and snacks, and made new friends for life. I learned they have fireworks on Halloween!

I'm exhausted to say the least. And next week I'll be back up to wash sheets and beach towels and sweep up sand. I don't mind, it was worth every minute.

I'm joining Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday. See all of you soon! :-)