Independence Day, the Redneck Way

We spent the Fourth of July at my parents' house on the Coast. Here are a few pics from our adventures. 

My mom taught me a new way to pose for pictures that she read about in a magazine. Apparently you drop a shoulder, tilt your chin and do something else which I have now forgotten. Here is the result, modeled by the lovely Key:

For comparison, here is the way I normally pose for photos:

Not bad, but I could use a little bit of work. In contrast, here is me doing the pose that my mother was barking at me: shoulder down! chin up! smile! not that much, your teeth look huge! 

Better? Worse? Same? I dunno. What do you think?

Then I tried it on GH. He has a natural photogenic quality that I lack. He didn't even need me to tell him to pose. He does it natural-like. 

Then my children shook like dogs and I took their picture. Most excellent. 

Here is another man who needs no directions regarding his face and a photograph. MOS knows his way around a lens. 

GH watched the kids on Sunday and I went out to Horn Island with the 'rents. It was glorious in every way possible, from the dolphin family that we saw, including a wee baby who playfully slapped his tail on the water, to the sharks I caught, to the perfect water we bobbed about in, just enjoying the day. We walked the beach on the island and I took this picture of a bird footprint with my own foot for comparison. What on earth? What size bird made this print? I am flummoxed.

I took a bunch of pictures of the surf, attempting to catch its beauty. I failed, but here's one of my attempts. Perhaps it will make you feel tranquil, like I felt watching it. This pic was taken on the Gulf side of the island, obviously, since the north side doesn't have waves, just gentle swelling water that laps gently on the beach. But the south side, the Gulf side, has dolphins and clear water and foamy waves. Both are lovely.

Here's the massive shark I caught! I caught three just like this one, or maybe it was just this same one, three times. It was an exhilarating and terrifying experience. Exhilarating because I rarely fish and when I do, never catch anything. Terrifying because have you ever looked at a shark's eyes? FREAK-A-ZOID. They are bizarre reptilian eyes that roll about in their sockets, following my every move as it dangles on the hook. The mouth gapes open and those rows of teeth just perch there in its mouth, ready to rip at my flesh if my arm gets too close. (shudder) I was too scared to cut it off the hook; my stepdad had to do it. Plus, these tiny sharks are strong! They are like a giant muscle wrapped in sandpaper skin, ready to strike!  

Aw, I love these guys. They're some of my favorite people. I am glad they're in my life for lots of reasons. Yes, they have a boat which is pretty rockin', but I also like them. For one thing, they show my children what a good marriage looks like. 

My mom and stepdad love each other, care for one another, respect one another, and LIKE one another. Pretty important, in my opinion, and I like for my children to see that. GH's parents are also very kind and loving to one another, but they won't cooperate for a picture together, so you'll just have to look at MY parents:

Aren't they great?