July 4th Weekend by Isaac

Well, updates are long overdue. So much has happened- I have just been too busy to write about it!
Lets start with the 4^th of July weekend.

In 1941 Congress made "Independence Day" a national holiday.

Here are some fun facts:

Six states — California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Arizona and Indiana — combined to produce about 80 percent of watermelons last year.

$128.8 million
The value of fireworks imported from China, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imports ($135.6 million) in 2002. U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, amounted to $13.5 million, with Germany purchasing more than any other single country ($5.0 million).

$7.9 million
The dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2002; more than half of this amount ($5.2 million) was for U.S. flags made in China. This was down from the 2001 dollar value of U.S. flag imports ($51.7 million), but still considerably higher than the total for 2000 ($747,800). That was the last full year prior to 9/11.

$646,452
Dollar value of exports of U.S. flags in 2002. Japan was the leading customer, purchasing $86,189 worth.

Has anyone heard of “Glamping” before? Think of it as high class car camping. It is a glamorous camping experience for those less nature inclined or people who want to experience all the creature comforts of home while outdoors. For now, the Wills don’t do family camping- we do family glamping! I save the suffer-fests for when I go out on my own.

Voyager Village seems to be the Mecca for our little Mahoney/Will clan. With only a few missing (and yes, you were missed) the meals along the 10’ picnic table were packed with people and mounds of food reminiscent of the movie “Hook” with Robin Williams- you know the scene- where the lost boys are chowing down and he doesn’t see the food, “use your imagination” a lost boy tells Peter- SHAZAM! The table is overflowing with brightly colored foods, grilled foods and baked goods. Unfortunately the epic food fight that follows in the movie never transpired around our table… yet.

Sleeping arrangements were another frequent topic of discussion, although ours was always the same answer. We slept in my SkyView 3 tent from Mountain Hardware. I have spent nights in -20 (ambient temp) with gusts to 60 mph- sure, it is a little robust for a family camping tent, but it is the only one I have. Yeah, you heard me right, I only have one tent- I am amazed every time I mention it as well. With my love of all things gear, I thought for sure I would have more than one- but this is the only one I need- and I digress. We inflate a 6” Queen sized air mattress in our tent and toss in multiple blankets- yes no sleeping bags for us (well, I did bring one for Nicole if we got really cold. In an effort to improve our glamping, I thought piles of down and cuddly soft fleece blankets that didn’t restrict your every move would prove to be a positive addition to the slumber-time experience… and I was right!

A quick check of the weather revealed a perfect forecast stretching through the weekend. We piled everything into Dimples (my Subaru Outback) and headed down the not so open road in a 3 vehicle convoy with Tim leading the way. We managed to dodge all the shredded tires, coolers, stalled vehicles and other random objects that holiday weekend warriors tend to loose along their way.

Being a vacation and a nice sunny day, we donned our swimsuits, slathered sunscreen and headed to the beach. I made a nifty waterproof camcorder housing so I can take the camcorder with me into the water to play. I’ll upload some of the footage.

If we weren’t at the beach, we were most likely sitting around a fire or riding an ATV.

Tim has managed to acquire 37.4% of the yellow Honda ATVs that were sold in Minnesota. Although two months ago Eliana could not sit on a 4-wheeler with out getting fussy, she embraced the experience and constantly asked: “Ride? Ride?” How do you say no to a beautiful baby girl?

Speaking of babies, Milo got his share of rides with Michael. I see many dusty miles ahead of those two. And speaking of dust, (do you like the segways?) Milo crawled through the dirt like I have never seen him before! He is really starting to put on some miles. So much fun!!

Next up- Whizbang Days with the Will/Schinke Clan. We can’t wait!!