Fourth of July Parade AND Fireworks!

For the first time in years, we got to have fireworks as well as a parade for the Fourth of July.  The parade was a little thinner than in some recent years (no choreographed police motorcycles, e.g.), but it featured a significant area of local folks who put on costumes and walked the (unusually) warm streets.  With sun, everybody turned out either to participate or watch and an excellent array of dogs showed up in both those categories.  (Although, we still miss that corps of white dogs that used to all march together.  But that's what July 4th Parades are: an opportunity to see something old and to remember what went before.  Might as well combine it with Memorial Day and be done with it, no?)

In any case, there's a collection of almost random photos here.  The theme this year was 'heroes,' and since everyone is a hero in his/her own story (what would it mean to be the villain in your own life story?), I think you could have entered in any form you chose for the day.  The mowers drill team mowed, the bicyclers biked, the cars drove at funereal pace.  Less candy throwing than usual, which seems a good thing.  The guitar heroes cornered the market on lycra outfits and wild (especially black) wigs making them look like the Alice Cooper brigade with strong support from the Ozzy Osbourne backup group.

And, absolutely steadfast in their attendance at our July 4th Parade, the Delta Shriners came in their camel car: the Gazeh Geezers.  Those guys are really not getting any younger.  Do they have new members coming up?  Guys who aren't already in their 80's?

And, in the evening, very late, which is to say after 10 p.m. when it was getting pretty cool at the beach and when a full moon suddenly showed up as a late guest to say "Happy Birthday, U.S.A.," the Pier at the Marina presented Fireworks.  I haven't seen fireworks for awhile and whoever is designing them has made some real breakthroughs.  In the late 40's, we had firecrackers, sparklers, fountains, sky rockets and cherry bombs/aerial bombs.  Now the sky is filled with multicolored flowers, with dancing and sparkling drawings, with stuff you can hardly see it is so amazing.  Thanks to all of those designers wherever they come from, and thanks to The Pier for bringing their good work to us last night!