Spent the holiday weekend with our dear friends Brian and Kim, and not only were they tremendously hospitable (as always!), but they also introduced our family to a true "down home" Independence Day. What a total blast!! The festivities included a parade that encouraged the involvement of anyone that wanted to walk or ride anything that was red, white and blue (RWB).
The kids all wore RWB tie dye tee shirts and decorated their bikes to the nines in RWB ribbons, pinwheels and streamers! The team of six rode together down the fan-lined streets of Upper Salford, while Matt rode along trying to keep them corralled (though Anna made this a challenge). They all had a great time.
Such a slice of Americana! So much so, that I half expected to round the corner and run head long into the Mayberry crowd - Sheriff Andy Taylor, Aunt Bea, Opie and Barney Fife.
The parade route was about one mile long, starting on Potato Road and ending at the Firehouse. The full lineup consisted of floats, bikes, walkers, tractors, classic cars, kiddie electric vehicles and, of course, a string of fire trucks with blaring horns and sirens. The kids especially liked the fact that many floats threw out candy.
We all loved it!
Behind the firehouse, all attendees and watchers, young and old, were treated to complimentary hotdogs, soda and cake. Awards were given out in various categories and our team's little guy, Max, won a ribbon for his bike... he rode his shiny new cycle with training wheels, managing the route with ease (much to Susan's relief).
Post parade activities included a dip in the beautiful oasis that Kim and Brian call their backyard pool and a tour of the local brewery in Matt and Susan's basement. Quite an operation and one that includes a fledgling hop farm in the back yard - I'm telling you guys, there is "gold in them thar hills". Anna and Rachel had a nice time hanging out all afternoon in the pool, while Alex and Sam played with the new baseball pitching machine.
What a great holiday weekend we had - thank you Kim and Brian for the mini-vacation in PA. Let's all get together in NJ really soon!
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