Jennifer's Joyous Journal

Parades and Fireworks

This year the Riha family participated in TWO Fourth of July Parades. The first one was right outside our door in the park behind our house. Stepan pushed Simone in the jogging stroller and I walked beside Magda on her hastily decorated tricycle. We walked with about 75 of our neighbors in a quarter mile loop. Back at the starting point there was a 4- trombone band playing national favorites, prizes for best costumes and decorations (we didn't get any), and a couple of tables laid out with well decorated cupcakes. Everybody also got a door prize which included a reusable bag and a CFL lightbulb. Not bad for a first annual Fourth of July neighborhood celebration.

For the 2nd parade, we joined the O'Reillys in Wells Branch for a celebration they've been going to for years. This celebration was quite a bit bigger with a mile long parade route through the streets with police escort, homemade floats pulled by pickup trucks, a really cool tractor pulled train, community organizations selling food, free watermelon, and bouncy houses and slides. We actually took the dogs to this parade and our ride was the O'Reilly Radio Flyer Wagon. It was tons of fun and at a well shaded park so it wasn't unbearably hot.

For fireworks, we caught the show put on the COA from the Lamar pedestrian bridge. It's a perfect place for it - with the breeze from Lady Bird Lake to keep us cool and to help keep the bugs away. We had a great time admiring the kayaks and canoes on the lake as well as the bats that came out flew around as the sun was setting. Simone was tired (the fireworks start about 30 minutes after her regular bed time), but her fascination with the fireworks kept her up. Magda had no trouble staying up for the display, but completely zonked out in Simone's stroller during the walk back to the car.

All in all a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. I hope all my friends, family, and fans had an equally enjoyable and safe time.

Posted by jfer at July 5, 2009 11:46 PM