Fourth of July!

We just got done with our mortar rockets and fireworks. The kids are off to bed and we are surfing the internet. But the day was full and happy.

We started with the kids out of bed at 6 AM, but the daughter in law got up with them and we slept in. The big family breakfast, and the long morning boat ride made it thru the middle of the day.

Swimming made up the rest of the afternoon, and Ben fished from the dock most of the afternoon. Your normal holiday activities.

The big event here at the Lake of the Ozarks, is the fireworks at the Lodge of the Four Seasons. They have had these, every year since we have been coming to the lake. That would be for 34 years. I am sure that it has been going on longer than that. All of the boats congregate out on the lake in front of the hotel. About 5,000 of them.

The trip around the end of the peninsula to get to the front of the hotel is about 12 miles. We have learned to go to the back of a cove two miles away. From there you can see over the hill to the back of the hotel about a mile away. But that is not a secret anymore, because tonight there were about 1000 boats in the cove when we got there.

After we anchored, there were almost that many boats filled in behind us by the time it got dark. The show was about 30 minutes long and the kids were restless. The grand finale was loud with about 50 or more shots all at once.

The big challenge is all of the boats leaving at the same time. The lake becomes a massive wave pool. We sit still for ten or more minutes as most of the other boats leave. This lets the lake calm back down before we head out. Still there are boats going everywhere, after dark. The fireworks are worth it though.

The fourth is over but the weekend is just beginning. Its after midnight but firecrackers are still ringing out allover the lake. Fireworks are legal here in Missouri. We have always enjoyed that freedom here at the lake.