July 4
We stayed in and chilled in the am. We didn't get to bed the night before until midnight due to baseball game/fireworks.
Afternoon was the beach. Parking was tight but not bad. The beach itself was not that crowded.
There was a string of mutters about how we'd never get in, have to walk too far from the cranky woman (CW). Finally CW mentioned that she's developed bad pain in her right arm/hand and one hip. I am truly sympathetic to chronic pain. However, I an also a believer in NSAIDS and narcotic pain relief so you can be a functional human being. I also believe in GOOD physical therapists. Which started the conversation:
I don't have time. I'd have to quit my job. I need a hip replacement anyways.
Well if you have a hip replacement you'll need a good physical therapist afterwards so why not find one before you don't have a choice and you won't be working while you're in rehab from the surgery.
We didn't even get into the fact that 1)she hasn't even seen an MD yet 2) her husband's fatal cancer started in his hip.
Anyway....beach was fun. Virgil wanted to be in the waves with Dada and Brothers but was also scared. After we went to a confused grocery store. It was supposed to be a Whole Foods competitor but bizarre. Only two choices on the non-dairy ice cream. Lots of products with trans fat and food dye in addition to some organic. Super pricey too.
Then we drove down to Georgetown. A nice grandma from NY sat behind us at the baseball game let us in on the secret of good fireworks without horrendous traffic. Apparently, everyone else was in on the secret. We couldn't get nonsmoking seats at the first few restaurants. (SC motto: We think cancer's cool and like to share!). Then it was a 30 minute wait. Then we found a place we could sit at the nonsmoking bar. Perry and Virgil couldn't take it anymore so I walked them outside and came back to find Brian throwing money for drinks on the table in disgust. Apparently the waiter and hostess had disappeared, the owner came by and nonchalantly mentioned last year the fourth was so slow they almost didn't open this year, shrugged his shoulders and wandered off.
We finally found a restaurant that took pity on us and the waitress got the kitchen to make the kids food ahead of the other orders. Poor thing was running the whole time. There the owner was tending bar and helping out. Oh and guess what, that was the restaurant touting their use of fresh and local. I was bummed not to be able to eat they had two chicken liver dishes I would have loved to try.
After dinner we only had 30 minutes to wait for fireworks. CW who had been better at dinner got cranky again and was visibly limping on the walk back to the car. Virgil fell asleep during fireworks, perry in the car. Galen moaned/whined on the way home. We caught the finale of someone else's show from the car.
A long day with a few adventures* but very satisfying.
*galen went to wash off in the ocean and disappeared. We finally after over a minute of heart stopping worry we spotted him running towards us from the side. Per G, "I ran straight back out when i got out of the water!" Per me, "I think you have a chance at being the next Einstein and redefining physics based on your definition of straight, parabolic is more like it."