Independence Day Activities

I hope you enjoyed the fireworks I posted on my blog yesterday. I know it is only a month late but better late than never, right? Now let's go back in time even further. The morning of July 4th we headed into Milton, our soon to be home town for the festivities.


Railroad bridge on the Blackwater River.

The Blackwater Pyrates were holding their annual rubber duck race. We should have bought one. The winning prize was $1500. But we didn't buy one, so we just enjoyed the race and all it's silliness.


Great Mill Town Duck Race


Pyrates in the Blackwater River scooping up ducks.


Costumed duck race judge.


Pyrate flag (from the reverse side).

We then went on a stroll through town and along the river. It was just your typical lazy afternoon. Everyone had a smile on their faces other than a few small "Mommy I am hungry" or "Honey can we fund a place to get some Coke" from me and the kids.


A turtle in the Blackwater River




Snow Cones!!


House boat on the Blackwater River.


A mysterious gated wall. I wonder what is on the other side?


An interesting weather vane.

Below is a side photo of the Imogene Theater. It has quite a history in Milton and has definitely had its ups and downs. It was built in 1912 and has been open off and on for various purposes. Most recently, in 2009, it had suffered damages from a fire that destroyed other buildings. It is currently being renovated with hopes to be open in 2011. For more information, check out the web site: http://santarosahistoricalsociety.com/imogene.htm


Imogene Theater

We also went to the Veterans' Memorial where they were having July 4th services.


US Navy Sea Cadets were the flag bearers. (These are kids between 11-17 years old)


Unknown Soldier


"Fallen Not Forgotten"


US Navy Blue Angels perform a fly over. There will be more information on them in a later post.

Next up was the kids area. This was the mother of all inflatable slides. It was bouncy and wet! And it only cost $1 per kid. How cool is that?


The Wild Rapids slide.




Boy 1




Boy 2

Finally it was time to find our spots for the fireworks. We found a place right next to the gazebo on the river walk. We got there just in time to hear this steel drum band. This was comprised of youth from a local church. These kids were fabulous and the boys just loved it!




Steel Drum Band


Big Boy and Boy 2 getting tips on how to play the drums.


Boy 2 listening to the band.


Boy 2 and Big Boy


Yours Truly listening to the band. Yep, I gave up control of my camera to my husband.

Since Boy 1 was not cooperating with me taking his photo, I was sneaky and shot this video of him rocking out. There is a bit of fuzziness to the audio because we were very close to the band.



~Jessica~

Wordless Wednesday - Independence Fireworks

This post is graphic heavy and I apologize for load times.























































For more wordless photos, please visit: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/.



~Jessica~

Camera Critter Saturday - Great Blue Herons

To quote Panic at the Disco, "We're so sorry we've been gone. We were busy taking photos for you!" Well more or less, that is slightly changed to suit my needs since I do not write songs.

Going back to Ft. Pickens, when we were there it was nesting season for many protected species of birds. Some of these eggs had hatched and chicks were in the area, including crossing roads. This means that the speed limit in the park is 5 mph (8 kph). So we are going pretty slow and I am snapping photos of the herons. I didn't see any new birds but I did catch these beauties.

Heron 1


Heron 2


But then, while I was taking photos of the second heron, I was rudely interrupted by a BANG! It felt and sounded like we had been hit by another car. We looked around and finally realized we had been hit by a bicyclist. Yes, you read that right, a bicyclist. He was on a speed bike and was not looking up. When you watch a bicycle race, you will see the bikers with their heads down. Their helmets are made to be more aerodynamic in that pose. This was what he was doing... in the park, obviously not paying attention to the wildlife or us.

The kicker is, that he tried to blame us because we were going too slow! We politely informed him that if he had been looking up to see all the bright warning signs or listening to the ranger at the gate, he would know the current speed limit is 5 MPH, which most certainly he was in excess of. His tune changed real quick after that. His insurance paid for the repairs and all is now good. Here are the original damage photos.

Broke Out Tail Light


Handle Bar Dent


For more Camera Critters, please visit: http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/



Jessica