We had a great 4th of July weekend. We ended up going to my parents’ house up in Lake Geneva for three days and Jonah had a great time going to the beach, walking around town and hanging out with his grandparents and aunts.
The highlight was definitely our boat trip out on the lake which concluded with a fireworks show. We were wondering whether we would still go because at dinner it looked as if we were going to get rained out. Normally from that restaurant you can see across the lake, but the storm that moved in was so severe, you couldn’t see all the way across. Fortunately the storm had dwindled to a slow drizzle and we made it on the boat.
It was a double-decker boat, so we elected to sit on the lower level (the upper level was about full anyway). This ended up being a smart choice because a little ways into the trip, they handed out garbage bags for people to wear for more rain. We were protected from all of that. We saw some enormous homes owned mostly by rich Chicago businessmen. One of them apparently had 55 rooms and had been a money-loser througout the years. I’m not sure if they give tours of those places, but it would be fun to walk through one of them at some point.
Finally it got dark out and the fireworks began. Jonah entertained everyone through his sheer enthusiasm. As each one went off, he would shout excitedly. On some of them, he said, “It’s magic!” and ”Magic fireworks!” About halfway through, he proclaimed, “I like fireworks!” He proceeded to say this about a dozen times during the show, much to everyone’s pleasure. At one point the captain of the ship said, “He’s more fun than the fireworks!” The only downside was that I did get a bit seasick toward the end. I know, I know, how could someone get seasick on Lake Geneva of all places – it wasn’t like we were braving 30-foot swells in the North Atlantic — but I guess I just don’t handle water too well. Still, it was worth it to see Jonah have such a good time.
The rest of the weekend was fairly mellow. We spent time at the beach or sitting on the deck for lunches and dinners. We brought Bianca too, and she didn’t much like the fireworks going off set by amateurs throughout the weekend, but I think it was better than being back in Chicago. Our neighborhood sounds like a warzone sometimes during the 4th.
All in all it was a fun, relaxing weekend, though of course quite crowded. We’re looking forward to going up again, maybe in the fall, when it won’t be quite as congested. I don’t have any photos now, but will post some once they are available.
