Improvise [im-pruh-vahyz] verb: To make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.

We headed to the water early. Too early to even find any nearby freshly-brewed truck stop nectar, so we resorted to packing a single-burner backpack barista into the boat, sans cups—an item overlooked at some point during my unchoreographed pre-launch scramble. We anticipated heavier-than-usual Fourth of July boat traffic and wanted to be in the right place at the right time to scrutinize any ensuing PMD or bikini hatches the river gods decided to give up. Unfortunately neither fully materialized.

I’ve heard it said there’s nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning. I have to also think there’s nothing like the sensation of a moderately warm MGD sliding down the gullet at 8 a.m. either. It was a small price to pay for an ensuing cup of caffeine. A quick cut with the Leatherman across the top of the empty aluminum, and I was in business. 4.9 percent alcohol per volume to loosen the muscles chased with 100 mg of caffeine to keep me thinking straight. The result was a jittery, early-morning sense of inebriation that set the pace for the day. Definitely a winning holiday combination.

Oh yeah, we caught some fish too.