Rain On Me

A very Happy 4^th of July to you all. I hope, in spite of the weather, you were able to make most out of the holiday weekend celebration. It is, of course, the most celebrated “out-door” holiday we have. Although the 4^th may have been a wet holiday, the reason for commemorating and celebrating is not. I would hope that we all took a moment to recognize and honor our veterans for all that they did and continue to do!

I cannot think of any other holiday weekend that could be so hindered and affected by rain as much as the Fourth of July. And could there be anything more un-American than watching fireworks in the rain or worse –no fireworks at all! As the fourth approached it became apparent that the weatherman’s forecast of 100% chance of rain actually might really mean – 100% chance of rain.

My weekend was full of boating “options” on the river and in spite of the weather forecast my friends choose to proceed in fine fashion. It seems that they have perfected the art of “celebrating” the holiday whether they are tied to the docks or dodging showers. Friday evening I headed to Decatur for the 4^th of July “let’s stay in the marina” party on B Dock at Riverwalk Marina. For anyone that knows the marina “B Dock” is legendary for its party planning. Lets just say that Friday’s weather did deter the boats from getting out of the harbor but it did not “dampen their spirits!”

On Saturday, some friends of mine and I decided to take a chance with the weather and head to Lake Guntersville for the potential of getting to sail in some brisk winds and then take in the fireworks on the lake. Luckily for us both did happen. It seems that the approaching storm from the west provided for some great wind and the rains did not reach us until after their fireworks celebration was completed. It is my understanding that cities to the west such as Huntsville and Decatur were not as lucky with the rain.

As we boated into the Sunday there were reports of rain but also hints of the possibility that the Sun may make an appearance. So with one day left for celebrating the weekend I headed back over to Decatur. I wanted see if my friends had survived their rain drenched fireworks and find out if they could muster up one more day of celebrating in the rain. As luck would have it, they were up for the task and the prediction of rain for the day fell on deft ears. We collected everyone we could and headed out for a wonderful day on the river and the sun did decide to peak out behind some clouds just enough to remind us why we celebrate the 4^th of July! ENJOY!!!!