Camping in July

We decided to go camping July 4th weekend. We heard comments from people like “Camping in July?! It's way to hot!” or “The bugs are going to be horrible.” etc. Against their counsel we decided to go camping anyway. We loaded up our boat with our gear and headed to Shired Island just south of Horseshoe beach on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We put in at the boat ramp and headed out to Little Pine Island where we camp. Even that can be full of adventure.
I have yet to figure the best route out of the little river where the boat ramp is. I got hung up on multiple sandbars and oyster beds. Dede and I had to get out and push to get us unstuck. I was very thankful this time because I did not cut my feet on the oysters. Last time I put a big gash that was an irritant for the weekend. When we arrived at the island the tide was going out so we anchored the boat off the beach. We all (including Eli and Lucy-the little ones) carried our gear in from the boat. We were in a bit of a rush because it appeared that we were going to get hit by an afternoon thunder buster. We got our camp set up and the storm went around us. We had a nice breeze all weekend that made it cool and kept the bugs away. The heat was only bad a couple hours each day. We were on an island so we went swimming.
The motor on my boat had some choke issues, and a split in the fuel line, which caused me to run the battery down. When we got ready to leave the battery didn’t have enough juice to get the motor started. So Dede jumped in the water and began pulling while I tried our second battery, it was weak as well. I then jumped in and helped her pull. We pulled for about three hours and got pretty close to the little river the boat ramp was on but the current was now in our face and we were pulling hard with little to no movement. Hannah, our oldest daughter, waved the paddle at a passing boat and they pulled us the rest of the way in. This was a reminder to us all that life isn’t always what you have planned. Sometimes we must jump in and do what it takes to get things done. Sometimes we must humble ourselves and take a helping hand.
We had a great time; we fished, Timothy got really good at catching blue crabs, we watched the fireworks at Horseshoe Beach from our camp. The best parts, though, are the lessons we learned.~Jay