Redneck 4th of July

River Rednecks are the Bestest!

I had a great weekend with friends and family.  It was Tesla’s weekend with her dad and I missed her.  If it had been my weekend with Tesla I wouldn’t have made it to the Redneck River party every 4th of July down at the river.  I’ve been so busy with school I haven’t taken a trip down by the Accomac Mill.  It’s that part of the river that the REAL rednecks party.

There’s these two brothers, twins actually, and oddly enough, both are butchers.  Mike and Pat and they know how to throw a party.  Roasted pig on site, lots of food, beer, boats, a band and people.  It’s amazing just how small the world is once people begin to gather by the waterfront.  There’s never a dull moment either.  For instance, Pat’s daughter was so enthusiastic about jumping on the back of a four-wheeler, she seriously injured her leg.  Just keep the alcohol flowing and she’ll be fine till morning!  And she was…until he drinks wore off that is, then she was ready to go to the hospital.  But that’s getting ahead of the story.

We swam in the river and no one was swept away by the current.  Always a great thing!  The water was warm and inviting and a group of 5 or 6 of us splashed around.  Never hurts to have friends splashing you, as for the rock skipping and eventual rock tossing…I could have passed.  Drunks and large rocks shouldn’t mix.  Cute guys and beer mix, and make them so easy to make fun of.

The bonfire warmed us right back up after the refreshing dip and the band started to play.  For a hundred bucks, those couple of guys rocked the party.  They played a little bit of everything and we all sang and danced along.  The band packed up right before the down pour, including lightning and thunder.  I believe there was 5 of us huddled under and completely unsafe metal tent.  What really are the chances of getting struck by lightning down by the river?  One guy was crashed out on a rubber mat with a blanket and happy as a clam.  I must say it was visually spectacular.

Around 5 am, the guys helped Jada get into her uncle Mike’s house.  Less than an hour later she called her mom in major pain.  Ironically, she’s in medical school in Philadelphia and diagnosed her injury on the spot as a sprained or even torn ligaments.   I stayed up a little longer talking to a good-looking guy.  We watched the sun come up but it  wasn’t terribly exciting.  Cloudy, drizzling and damp doesn’t bring out much emotion other than the dread of walking to the house for a dry place to sleep.  It seemed so much easier just to stay under the tent, chatting with the hot dude.  🙂

I missed every boat ride that went out, but even from the bank,  the Marietta fireworks were beautiful and reflected on the river.  Hanging out with old friends and making new ones was a great time.  People are a different breed down by the river, but not one of us would change them!

Sunday, I basically recovered from the lack of sleep and watched Gladiator.  I even broke out a little Spanish homework.  I needed a day of rest.

Today, I went on a bike ride with my friend Tani.  I met her in Abbotstown then we rode the Appalachian Harley Davidson.  They were closed, which I guess shouldn’t have surprised us.  There were many Harleys in the parking lot so we chatted with some other bikers.  From there we went to Olive Garden and stuffed ourselves like we may never get another meal.  Even Olive Garden’s salad rocks.

After the bike ride, I picked up Tesla and we came home.  Several friends and neighbors came over and we cooked out, swam and set off fireworks.  My dog Ying may never recover.  He didn’t like the small fireworks the night before and ran off, not returning until 1:30 am.  He managed to open the screen door and finally crashed for the night.  Hard to say how many ugly puppies he created in that timeframe.

My sister Suz and Blaine came over also.  Matthew, the neighbors kids and Tesla were wow by the fireworks.  Great night with family and friends and I look forward to more summer gathering.  It’s wonderful to have family and friends that want to visit!

Happy 4th of July my friends and family!  I hope yours was as great as mine turned out.

~P.