Fourth of July: Bonfire and Fireworks

As bizarre as it sounds, the Cayman Islands, as a British Overseas Territory, celebrates the Fourth of July. Perhaps I shouldn't capitalize that way, since of course they aren't recognizing the U.S. Independence Day. Here, the first Monday in July is called Constitution Day, and we celebrate the formal governing law in Cayman.

What better way to celebrate any summer holiday than with burgers followed by a bonfire. We rounded up the usual suspects...

         

...and we were pleased to include our tenth set of house guests among our numbers! So much more on this trio in upcoming posts.

EL, our UK pal, was new to the whole s'more experience, so we had fun showing him the ropes.

And our good friend, SM, taught us that s'mores are made even better with peanut butter! Improving a s'more?! I know, I couldn't believe it myself. But she delivered.

S'mores: The messier the better.

I mentioned our latest set of  house guests. I loved all the sister power in the air.

But that wasn't the only thing in the air. Our Pennsylvania (with a Tennessee flair) trio soothed our spirits with their sweet strumming and singing. It's amazing how a simple guitar can bring such calm to the atmosphere.

Now I'm not sure if we can have a proper bonfire without these girls.

"1800s photo. No smiling!"

KK made a wonderful commemorative video with photos and clips from the evening's entertainment. Take a look:

I just love the classic American folk soundtrack she chose! And did you hear that little clip at the end? That might just be a sneak preview of my new favorite song. Stay tuned.

On Monday the fourth, Camana Bay hosted celebratory fireworks, so we headed down to the Crescent to watch them shoot off over the harbor.

As on every holiday, the area was full of families and children. I really like the family-friendly atmosphere present at so many public events in Cayman.

The children of Cayman know to wear their swim suits when heading to Camana Bay. The fountains always draw a crowd of littles running through the cascading streams.

          

I think the tall-ish kid on the left below was pretending to be the conductor. He struck this kind of pose every time the water height picked up.

Finally it was time: Fireworks! I enjoy them every year.

Fireworks framed by palm trees: Doesn't get much better.

The fireworks were rather short (by U.S. Independence Day standards) - probably five minutes. But the variation was satisfactory.

So, happy whatever-holiday-you-celebrate-in-early-July! We loved the three-day weekend, especially since it was spent with family and life-long friends. More on that coming up.