Our 4th.

This is our second 4th of July back down stateside since our  time in Canada. Last year we celebrated by walking down to the community center and watching the Penfield 4th of July parade with our friends and kicking back watching the girls scramble for candy.  This year we celebrated by walking in the parade. RCS, the girls's school decided to enter this year, and we marched along with a large contingent of students and parents, bookended by two classic cars.  Walking the route took about an  hour, in addition to the hour we spent waiting in the high school parking lot for our turn to march.  The girls had a blast.  They threw candy to the crowd, they waved and smiled and when tired Zee got to ride in the wagon our good friends Jeff and Ginny lent us. Chris got to ride shotgun in one of the classic cars and I kept my eyes on the girls and rationed out the candy so we would have enough left for the last leg of the parade.  I also adjusted my walking speed periodically in order to avoid overhearing alarmist political conversations and save myself from the temptation to butt in and disagree. 

This was the first ever parade I have ever participated other than school field day parades.  It was fun to look out and smile at all the different kinds of people who lined the parade route. There was such diversity (yes even in our suburb!) of age, race, that it served to me as a reminder of how we need to always remember the vast array of people that contribute to our nation and to love and respect eachother's freedoms even when we disagree.