The 5th of July

Hope you had a nice Independence Day! If you live on the East Coast, no doubt you were drenched in torrential rain from Hurricane Arthur.

This picture (which looks a bit blurry--sorry) was taken at a local Fourth of July Parade. The morning was cloudy but rain free, so the town, Manchester-by-the-Sea, was able to get in a few events before the all-day downpour. 

I don't think I've ever been a part of a more quintessential New England event before. We sat curbside in lawn chairs and watched the parade go by. The crowd was decked out in red, white, and blue--like everyone shopped at Old Navy the night before. That being said, it was a fun parade, full of muskets, antique cars, classic bicycles, and homemade floats, as well as local marching bands and city representatives shaking hands and kissing babies. Nice to see some diversity in the parade with calypso bands and groups of color wearing traditional costumes. 

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I ate all day--I won't lie. Brunch turned into lunch turned into dinner with the same group of poet friends. After the rains came, it just seemed like the thing to do. And honestly, I'm halfway through Saturday--did a full workout at the gym, mind you--and still have not eaten. That's how much I ate yesterday. I'm still not hungry. Thanks to Kevin and Cindy for keeping me well-fed all day.

And that is how I celebrated my independence.