Folks decorate themselves:
Stories of food, tea, pugs, simple living in big cities, and all things cute.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Why I Love My Neighborhood, July 4th Edition
Every July 4, my neighborhood puts on a wonderful, homegrown parade. We've been participating since our children were babies, and we love it.
Folks decorate themselves:
their dogs:
and their many different methods of conveyance in red, white, and blue. There are bicycles and strollers:
Mini motorized vehicles:
Little red wagons:
Cool convertibles:
Trikes:
Scooters:
Lots of scooters:
and a few conveyances that defy description:
Some of our more enterprising neighbors create their own "floats." A Harry Potter float! How cute is that?:
This float held the local elementary school principal. On the back it says, "The more you read, the more you know." Sweet!:
Lucky kids scored a spot on the floats:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTNMA2duDzsSnhSjgFJ7dshNacu-N4MGgyHB4bQYStG__ZAoWpe7WwzdzLxaAVsDHF6IGRQiK5ulC7IOp3_Wsb3Gy1TpcRERAnKMGdrA0mi8jFvbeNmTPB3iiRsfGVifthMWsRDNde5He/s400/P1100221.JPG)
and a lucky dog did, too:
We assemble in the parking lot of the elementary school:
The Hubby was there, with our pugs. Years ago, our children loved to decorate their bicycles and trikes. Now, with them all grown up, I take my patriotic fervor out on my pugs:
They had a ball!:
With John Philip Sousa marches blaring from loudspeakers on one of the floats, we set off:
And with the help of the local police, we parade through the streets and across intersections:
Lining the streets, enthusiastic neighbors wave and cheer and add to the merriment:
This clever family turned the parade into part of their party, complete with viewing booths and chairs for their guests and a microphone for the lady-of-the-house/announcer to do color commentary as we passed:
They had their own sound guy, too, to blare out patriotic tunes:
Like an old-fashioned, little town, we made our own fun, and everyone joined in, from the very young:
To the young at heart:
As we walked, we straggled a bit, and the Sousa marches were harder to hear at the back of the parade. This teen helped fill in the musical gap with some sprightly, patriotic fiddlin':
and right behind him, his momma carried his violin case:
This fife-and-drum corps also marched in the parade:
Love the costumes, don't you?:
The parade wound through our streets to end up at the park:
Where the local homeowners' association...
Greeted us with lots of goodies to eat, including corn dogs, watermelon...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvr1LjM0rd43QMCAARCPxgfBSvVpQLyWnuB-GSqMMLeZpvtI-O79uNPjyvI9slYImmS2CU5FHCW0aSqiGYWImkVAyWbIeBMVxC7m_AnMxiNHO-In5omHdJWzLgGfkO4yul0oliOo0MWTf/s400/P1100235.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkjmnlAZA87sWe6gal94ZQG25sBXs7Lt2m0EJxON6NMdLBX0aIgScRDfVxOaiVgsGfkVMJBAGlB7GBNg8WSFaxmUNBiQhyEkm-y_fT_jrAk7-LYjT0nlfc-eHLEO4hCncWYFE7lDvSs9S/s400/P1100238.JPG)
and cupcakes!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixS9_0qFeIeQ-XdIo0pwuxMlsF8sCQuS9wf4d9DBc8wCniTzMgXqVW1EceQyWJIwPPhZBz1Crl0-GLonep-wQkiTXjn9anE7-IRwthjbXBnx2FYW3mMvmhtqYK15DoHY7xJoNF5n2etUUB/s400/P1100227.JPG)
The cupcakes disappeared faster than you can say "Yankee Doodle Dandy":
One little girl managed to hang onto her cupcakes:
My dogs loooooove watermelon!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsZh3RSlKeIdl_B748_qIxxxRHoGMPaIU11xSzAfECp2GmtNrl_1SrU-FfWO0AGDxHZtKxfxw42dGe4ZAbtsK4Hdvtw6vV9XcLdDiNG1qpxtE3MwXF9I5RMl_cAh5LNPvn5VjzcitAZUj/s400/P1100225.JPG)
After we ate, we had a chance to meet some of the more unusual pets that people brought to the parade. There was "Chris," the chicken:
It's pretty rare to see a pet chicken around these parts. This bird wears a leash!:
Totally calm and composed, Chris tolerated the endless attention like a real lady:
She even kept her cool when Won Ton pushed in for a closer look--and smell:
Another flurry of excitement was going on alongside this van, which was parked near the food tents. These are wolf hybrids:
One of our neighbors has a license to raise them. According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, these particular hybrids are more wolf than dog:
And if wolves sticking their noses out of a van wasn't enough to cause a stir, they had seven 5-week old wolf puppies! (I asked the lady; she said they call them puppies, not cubs):
It wasn't easy to get a good shot of the puppies, because there were so many people eager to pet them:
Oh, my freakin' gosh. Is this not the cutest thing ever? Look at those toenails! Those are NOT dog toenails:
I love my neighborhood for many reasons, but one is because of its ethnic mix. We all came together to celebrate a day dear to all our hearts, no matter what our background:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuSzyP3fqin5MvtKNstYvjNx8KpJ61D4JbAF8-cBzor7fJNLHdOnDs1B9PyO8KU5WNZ5ToQwda9lmBJAJ6bF8yl9GXOyHKtfRN1DPxV6QedG3-biy0iffm-pXjK_u8Y2ceCb31gghBbsZ/s400/P1100154.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ot_oimUA2P0ZCl2kqNcx4jqDChvnr_UqNekhqirLtJC2g13tkVAhMJMZ2LSsmzZsJAcEaCiP7whFNGC0ZkIddlyCJpi4aUl3FPxJVJJWkc9yGOxT5e1ofj4_Hh-Gh5Qg_hGMt5r0x3Ba/s400/P1100270.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSK_z4f7RK-yXWof0YwiPnFC5Y3BoQ2GnxU0Jh83h5fXXawqpcie5F-IYx7QEnZCUrg7NU84-0rtc0grNAiQsOicSVFeGXvNhl7zEnvv-D381L8uCT_osrhmwB-NqYTSA2BADl-RlxLxAJ/s400/P1100161.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhXo-w0C0L8HGKshtH7k5t7kQM-K_0b1FHNxS6bR29IGHEzNdJG11xaKve84SVVUqrslUOdsxv7qoVbf1e8os29ijp10wiuOsHc-eLWIO6tSgWDs2nhPQSXAW5iNx2dcVZl5BJtGCDByF/s400/P1100168.JPG)
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It makes me happy for our future. Grateful I live in a land of freedom and opportunity. Aware of my blessings.
Folks decorate themselves:
Labels:
cupcakes,
cute,
dogs,
holidays,
los angeles,
pets,
pugs,
simple living
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Oh I love it! So darn cute and makes me a little homesick. And our fuzzy butt guys look great in their ribbons. So cute.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Fun! Heartwarming! Colorful! Nostalgic! Makes we want to break into song:"God Bless America"! I could almost hear the happy commotion and taste the watermelon. Thanks for the very professinal presentation! xoxo
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