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neadodsSome folks are talking about Helms' death; lots are posting links or text to the Declaration of Independence, and one has called today "Independence Day... or if you're British, Holy Cow We Lost a Lot of Real Estate Day." (snort)
Me, I'm going to talk about the parade. Because I grew up in one of those little American suburbs that people think Frank Capra invented, and we've got a parade. It's a fairly standard parade - it starts with the chief of police and an Uncle Sam on stilts and pretty teenagers handing out flags and balloons, is liberally peppered with marching bands, and ends with every fire truck in the area. (And yes, there have been years when they have peeled off and screamed out to their jobs mid-parade.) In the middle are a bunch of decorating contests - baby buggies, pets (lots of poodles in grass skirts and leis this year), toy wagons, and bikes. There are even contests for best decorated house on and off the parade route.
Most of y'all know my opinion on current Government policies. So it was nice, for a couple soggy hours, to see citizen's-eye snapshots of the civilian side of America:
A tiny little girl in a red dress clutching a matching balloon and watching the parade.
A cluster of bicycles wrapped to the point almost of unridability with ribbons and flags. (30-odd years ago, that was me. Hey, enter the contest and you get to be in the parade!)
Showers of candy from just about every group.
The very kind gentleman on the curb who, having heard me ask for a tootsie roll for my father, scavenged between the groups and brought us fistfuls of them.
The whoops and cheers dimming to reverent silence as three Pearl Harbor survivors drove by.
Cheerleaders in red and white Wonder Woman boots and spangly short shorts, prancing with slightly gritted smiles in the misting rain.
A jazz band doing a great rendition of Grand Old Flag, even if the clarinetist had his instrument under his poncho to keep it dry.
But if I had to point to one "This is America" moment, it would be listening to some of my mother's friends talking to her, still using a few words of their native German after 30 years here, while a bagpipe band strutted by on the 4th of July. That sums it up right there.
Me, I'm going to talk about the parade. Because I grew up in one of those little American suburbs that people think Frank Capra invented, and we've got a parade. It's a fairly standard parade - it starts with the chief of police and an Uncle Sam on stilts and pretty teenagers handing out flags and balloons, is liberally peppered with marching bands, and ends with every fire truck in the area. (And yes, there have been years when they have peeled off and screamed out to their jobs mid-parade.) In the middle are a bunch of decorating contests - baby buggies, pets (lots of poodles in grass skirts and leis this year), toy wagons, and bikes. There are even contests for best decorated house on and off the parade route.
Most of y'all know my opinion on current Government policies. So it was nice, for a couple soggy hours, to see citizen's-eye snapshots of the civilian side of America:
A tiny little girl in a red dress clutching a matching balloon and watching the parade.
A cluster of bicycles wrapped to the point almost of unridability with ribbons and flags. (30-odd years ago, that was me. Hey, enter the contest and you get to be in the parade!)
Showers of candy from just about every group.
The very kind gentleman on the curb who, having heard me ask for a tootsie roll for my father, scavenged between the groups and brought us fistfuls of them.
The whoops and cheers dimming to reverent silence as three Pearl Harbor survivors drove by.
Cheerleaders in red and white Wonder Woman boots and spangly short shorts, prancing with slightly gritted smiles in the misting rain.
A jazz band doing a great rendition of Grand Old Flag, even if the clarinetist had his instrument under his poncho to keep it dry.
But if I had to point to one "This is America" moment, it would be listening to some of my mother's friends talking to her, still using a few words of their native German after 30 years here, while a bagpipe band strutted by on the 4th of July. That sums it up right there.
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-04 06:40 pm (UTC)The big one is the Fireman's Parade that goes with the Fireman's carnival this week, but that always falls during the first week of our summer reading program and all I want to do is go home and collapse.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-04 07:05 pm (UTC)Mother likes to do that.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-04 07:18 pm (UTC)I think it's the sort of thing I'd like to do if I had someone else to do it with.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-04 08:37 pm (UTC)But I agree, that's America. Too bad we often forget that America is pretty much made of everyplace else.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-06 07:10 pm (UTC)The office had an independence day themed party on Friday (our usual end of month drinks, postponed a few days with a theme) which was cowboys and cowgirls, with Budweiser, chilli and nachos.
If there was a message it wasn't "We lost a lot of real estate", it was sort of "It's lovely to see how well they're doing now they're grown up - but I do wish they'd stop hanging about with that appalling George; he's just dragging them down."
no subject
Date: 2008-07-06 08:10 pm (UTC)That party sounds like it was great fun!