A Capitol Fourth
The Fourth of July in D.C. is a spectacular event, with great fireworks, all kinds of festivals and activities on the mall, and a really impressive parade. The problem is that it's so spectacular that we literally can't stand it. Too many people, too late at night, too few happy hours between naps. When the kids are elementary-school age, it will be really fun to take them downtown for all of the festivities, but for now we stick to more modest celebrations. Lucky for us, while a million tourists flock to the events on the west side of Capitol, the year-round residents of Capitol Hill throw their own little party here on the east side of the dome.
We have our own parade on the main street. The Marine Corps band leads the parade (their barracks is in the neighborhood) and all the little kids march with their schools. Henry will get to be in it next year! Henry wasn't so sure about the parade until we saw the high school marching band practicing around the park last weekend. We met up with some friends to watch the parade -- Henry got a frisbee and some candy, Ingrid stole a pinwheel from some other kid, and we called it a day. Then Ingrid and I hit up a barbecue at another friend's house while the boys went to pick up Grandma and Grandpa at the airport. We planned to see fireworks in the neighborhood after dinner, but parade + grandparents was tooooooo much excitement to stay up that late past bedtime. Hopefully next year!
It's one of those days when Capitol Hill really shines in its reputation as a small town tucked inside a big city.
We have our own parade on the main street. The Marine Corps band leads the parade (their barracks is in the neighborhood) and all the little kids march with their schools. Henry will get to be in it next year! Henry wasn't so sure about the parade until we saw the high school marching band practicing around the park last weekend. We met up with some friends to watch the parade -- Henry got a frisbee and some candy, Ingrid stole a pinwheel from some other kid, and we called it a day. Then Ingrid and I hit up a barbecue at another friend's house while the boys went to pick up Grandma and Grandpa at the airport. We planned to see fireworks in the neighborhood after dinner, but parade + grandparents was tooooooo much excitement to stay up that late past bedtime. Hopefully next year!
It's one of those days when Capitol Hill really shines in its reputation as a small town tucked inside a big city.
Photography tip: do not put your kids in red clothes on a brown chair and neglect to set your white balance. |
Comments
Post a Comment