4th of July (Week)

I needed a holiday. Oh how I needed a holiday! I flew to Wisconsin to be with Laura and to experience my first proper celebration of the 4th of July - I just didn't tell anyone I'm British..

I started with a couple of days with Laura at her home near Rio, Wisconsin. She had the house to herself, except the animals she has to feed, and I enjoyed lounging and wandering around the garden, photographing the wildlife..


It was very hot, and had been for ages. The poor garden and vegetables were starting to look rather sunburned.. but I do like this shot of a peaceful farm/garden scene..


Then we travelled up to Washington Island - a trip I have done before and love... though I do feel guilty with Laura doing all the driving. Once there however, I find it to be the most amazingly relaxing place. No agenda, no TV, no Internet, barely any phone reception, though I did try to make my workmate jealous of the peaceful outdoors, such as this quiet, sandy area we found for some light swimming!


The water wasn't just comfortable, it was positively warm! And you could wander out for ages without it being more than chest-deep. The whole island is full of little summer creatures.. some scary-looking spiders around the cabin (none poisonous though!) but plenty of birds, dragonflies, and butterflies fluttering about (I am sounding like my Dad).


Laura's sister, brother-in-law, and niece were present for much of the week too. My future family! Little Cecilia is more than adorable, so I'm glad she got to meet her future Uncle!

Then of course, was the 4th of July fireworks! Except there were no fireworks. Here's why:


Yeah. A few minutes after this, an almighty thunderstorm started and the event was cancelled. This was the only time we were out and the weather wasn't glorious. But we were back in our same seats the day after, for Take 2 - which was fabulous!



Finally, we spent a couple of the evenings on the rocky beach out the back of the cabin, building a campfire, setting off bottle-rockets, and having fun with sparklers and long-exposure camera settings!


What a great week! It was a shame to leave it, but I felt a lot better and more relaxed than before I arrived. Plus, it's good spend time with those important to you, and share places and experiences important to you both.

The whole Flickr set from my trip is here.