Saturday, July 4, 2009

A breath of hope

The Fourth of July is a big deal on the little street where I live. We start the day with an all-Sandspit Pancake Breakfast (This year all the proceeds -- and we raised more than $1500! -- go to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life).

And then, at 1:00, we hold the annual Sandspit Fourth of July Parade, which begins at our end of the Spit with a 21 gun salute fired across the lagoon by our neighbor's cannon, and ends with all of us seated on a hillside at the park (at the other end of the street) singing patriotic songs.

I know. It's pretty funky -- and too corny and precious for words. But I love our little bit of Americana, and love that all of us -- even the ones who squabble -- can gather in harmony, if only for a day. It gives me hope.

1 comment:

altar ego said...

I love that you all have this neighborhood tradition, including two meals! And aren't you lucky to have a resident cannon! Funky or not, it sounds great, and any occasion for hope is a good thing.