Ryukyu Travels

We started having friends over the week before the 4th. The weather has been really nice.
Caroline's friend from Okinawa, Allie, came up for a week. Her dad retired last year and they moved to Florida. Caroline has not seen her in a year. They came over one day to swim.

Caroline's friend, Allie

Caroline

Caroline and Allie

I was on the deck and took a picture of the other side of the yard. The water is on the other side of the house pictured here.

Caroline is setting her phone on timer so they can get a picture of them jumping in the pool.

So I took the picture...

Even though Caroline knows that only one person is allowed on the slide...I couldn't resist taking a picture because they looked so cute. Then I barked at Caroline for being on the slide.

July 4th. Ed and Jane (my brother and sister-in-law) stayed the weekend. They looked so relaxed in the pool. They are looking for property/homes on the water as Ed has a job down here now and Jane is looking to transfer. They spent a lot of the weekend looking at homes and properties.

We were looking at a quiet 4th but then Steve (my brother-in-law) showed up with his three boys (18-22) and my dad. They brought dinner and an arsenal of fireworks. Awesome! I did not have to do anything but show up. The neighborhood here is crazy, fireworks-central on 4th of July. There are huge fireworks from all of the docks in the neighborhood. Then you can see them from houses on the other side of the waterway, then you see them from the neighborhood houses. There was so many this year that we didn't know where to look. They were coming from everywhere. We have a great location from the deck at our house.

left to right: Ed (my brother), Joe (my nephew), my dad, Patrick, Steve (brother-in-law)

Patrick just told a joke that always cracks up my dad. It goes like this, "A tree fell on a woman...what's a tree doing in the kitchen?" Hardeharhar...So they laugh because we Rotchford women just loooove a sexist joke...Ha Ha Ha. Yeah right.

So I was planning on quiet evening on the 5th. I spent the day on the back porch with my nephew Joe and Patrick. We were outside talking for about 5 hours. Really nice to see these boys turn into men with their own ideas, worldviews, and jokes (minus the one above).
My brother called my about 5 pm and asked me to come boat riding with he and Laura (his wife). I had a few excuses because I had been sitting around all day and didn't feel like getting up. "Come on." When Joe says that, you don't say "No." So, I hopped on and had no regrets. Take a look. Would you say, "No"?
This is the waterway where we live. I grew up here near this water. I always forget how beautiful and unspoiled it is still.

Joe and Laura

So Joe and Laura are the cutest. They fish (hardcore), have a vegetable garden, now are into making beer. Green Acres. Oh yeah, they also ride Harleys. No, Joe didn't ride until he met Laura. She came with her own Harley, then he started riding. So now they spend holidays on the bikes. They have been together just a bit longer then Bill and I.

My first "selfie." Jared and Caroline are always taking "selfies." I would say that I look like a dork and failed my first selfie shot. Whatever, I was having fun. I didn't care because after a few of Joe and Laura's home brews, trust me, one does not care.

Check out the Laura gif...

We had a nice party for the last day of the 4th of July weekend. Joe and Laura brought everything. The food, the grill, the people. Again, all I had to do was show up.

Okay, so I told Jane and Laura how to make peach sangria. I was heading to the pool. When I came back by I could hear them saying, "...I can't remember if she said ..." I had to laugh and get the camera. They didn't know I was behind them for this shot.

Busted!!!

Jane was the test taster.

Yeah, a lot more seltzer or we're done for the night.

Just right!

Peach Sangria: Bottle of Moscato, about 2 cups Peach Brandy, seltzer to taste. Some people use Peach seltzer. I keep it cold with frozen peaches because I don't like ice and a water dripping down my glass all the time. Made it for my friends in Okinawa and they loved it too. A really good summer time drink.
I made it to the pool and broke out the weapons. No mercy.

If you don't know my family it takes a diagram to figure out who everyone is. There are seven kids and their partners, then I don't know..14 grand kids, then a handful of great grand kids.
I am not going to try to go through it here...long party weekend and I am here on the couch resting before Dexter comes on at 9.
My brother Joe brought his daughter and her family and in-laws over. Stalin is her husband. His family is originally from Dominican Republic and they live in New York.
Great people. Super cute kids.

Stalin

Joe on the grill

Laura

Photographic evidence that I will fight a 6 year old for my weapon. Every Rotchfors knows that you never, ever, relinquish your weapon. Not for the bathroom, the slide, never.

No mercy...

Stalins family was great. The kids were so cute.

By the way, shout out to my nephew Joe for taking the shots while I was in the pool.
Here I am showing the little Gianna how to swim in the pool on a noodle. I did teach her how to shoot the water gun too.

When dinner was ready, I stayed behind so the parents could eat. Eventually, one by one, the kids left the pool and I had just the little ones. Easy right...Ha
As I said, a Rotchford never gives away their weapon...except when there is a tiny little girl in a really cute pink bathing suit who wants me to take her swimming.

Me and Kevin and Gianna. They look sweet and innocent here but let me tell you they are vicious with the water guns. Kevin (somehow!!?) just bobs around, loads his gun and shoots at point blank range. I could not block him, or fire back, because I was helping Gianna swim. She thought it was awesome to splash me in the face while I wan holding her noodle so she could swim..and splash me in the face...while being shot at point blank range.

Dinner!
Again, I am going to skip who everyone is and how they fit into the Rotchford family matrix. Just the names...

Derek, Stalin, Joe

Here is my niece, Maria. Aweome, I mean awesome dessert maker. Eat until you are sick awesome. She made "ultimate brownies" and "snickers salad." Yeah, snickers bar salad. Whip cream, granny smith apples, snickers bar. really good. Especially when you put it on top of an ulitmate brownie. She also brough potato salad and squash casserole that was 95% gone by the time I got out of the pool.
Speaking of that...time to tap into my secret stash. I always put stash in the fridge before it disappears. One of seven children, I think ahead.

From left to right: squash casserole, potato salad, snickers salad, ultimate brownies, and drum roll please...Maria

No caption needed here, his name is on his shirt.

Patrick

A full pool. Nothing better. Wait, except ultimate brownies topped with snickers salad. Time for another bite.
I really am eating while writing this. I am saving a bit for Dexter time later.
Another shout out, this time to Bill for butchering the tree in the background two years ago. Looks great in every pool picture. Thanks Bill!

Ed and Jane made an offer on beautiful piece of property. After a tough weekend of negotiating and partying, they were collapsed on the couch.

On Sunday the 7th, Joshua and Laura Lee came down with the boys. I was so happy to see them.

Ethan

Elijah did not want his picture taken

Joshua and Laura Lee

Great weekend!

Caroline and I got back to NC about midnight Tuesday. Patrick stayed in LA with his dad's family so he could look at the school he will be attending in the fall for his senior year.
We were relieved to finally be on the ground and in familiar surroundings. Caroline's dad picked her right away as he had not seen her since last August. She was really excited. By the middle of the night I was really sick. I suspected food poisoning. I found out in the morning, Caroline was sick all night too. Then I found out Patrick was sick in LA!
So we all must have got a crazy thing from our first or two flight out of Oki to LA. It hit all of us at the same time. I was not good for a few days. By Friday, I was about 70%.
Caroline's bestie (and a Perez family fav!) Jessica came over and the two of them were in the pool the whole day.
We had a beautiful day.

I want to show Bill what he did to the tree in the backyard a couple years ago when he cut all the limbs off it. It was the only shade we had for the pool area but he hated the pine needles in the pool. So, he cut all the limbs off...the neighbor's tree.
Then he left for Okinawa!
The man showed up at the house a couple days later. I just didn't answer the door. Bill will have to talk to him. Not me.
So now, it is clearly dead and wil ruin all of the forthcoming pictures of the pool. But hey, no pine needles to clean up right Bill?

Here is picture of the water side of the deck. We face the intercoastal waterway. Beautiful sky that day.

Caroline and Jessica

Caroline like to slide on her back head first.

Jessica

Here is a picture of our neighborhood from our driveway. It is nice to see it again and all of the neighbors!

Here is our house from the front. The driveway is underneath the house. It was a beautiful day yesterday.

Claire lives in the house just next door. You can see her house just behind ours on the right there in the picture. She heard Caroline and Jessica in the pool and came over. So great to see her! She just finished her first year at UNCW. They are all growing up. She stayed for awhile before she had to go to work.

Just having popsicles in the kitchen.

Left to right: Jessica, Clairs, Caroline

Here is a picture showing a little bit more of the house.

The clouds moved in for an afternoon rainstorm but we never got hit. It was really dramatic looking though. I do love the way the sky looks before a strong rainstorm. I love the sky black with clouds in the afternoon and the wind blowing. Very Gothic.
My friend for 12 years, Tara, came by with her twins, Nathan and Natalie. The kids went to the pool while Tara and I caught up.

Nathan

Natalie

The sky cleared up after 1/2 hour or so. It turned into a beautiful evening. I wish i would have taken pictures of the sky but by the evening I was getting a bit tired as I was not really back on my feet yet.