An old-fashioned Fourth

I love where I live for a lot of reasons -- but especially on the Fourth of July. You might think that because I live outside an eastern metropolitan region, Fourth of July wouldn't be a big deal. But you'd be wrong. Each year, I get a huge kick out of the old-fashioned -- in the best sense of the word -- way we celebrate Independence Day 'round these parts.

We start off with the Fourth of July Parade. I love that most people come wearing red, white and blue, bearing little flags, and that they are enthusiastic about singing along to the national anthem. The parade isn't a huge, slick affair. It starts with something like this


includes steppers from a near-by school;



Uncle Sam on stilts;



bagpipers;


even a Mummer or two;



but the best part is that they allow kids of all ages to decorate their scooters and bikes


or even create floats


and march along with the parade. It's become a Speranza family tradition to decorate the wagon and scooters and march along. This year we were honored with the presence of Betsy Ross

(although I am not at all sure the real Betsy had an Independence Day manicure like this one:)


and you can see the kids, accompanied by Tom, marching along here:


(It's also become a Speranza family tradition for Tom to bring his Starbucks along.) I kept my mom company on the sidelines, where we saw many wondrous things, like a 3 year-old learning how to text


and a lady dressed like Martha Washington but inexplicably toting her rolling suitcase behind her (did she just fly in from Mount Vernon?).


After the parade, we attended a barbecue at Tom's parents' house, followed by the local township's fireworks. We live in the perfect place to see them -- we just walk a block or two to an adjoining street, put down our blankets and chairs and watch the fireworks unfold before us. It's a fun chance to catch up with our neighbors, too.




Best of all, we made Nana happy so what could be better than that?