I just couldn’t leave you too long with the picture of that horse’s rear-end and have it associated with the 4^th of July parade. Two things - I was actually trying to get a side picture of that horse because it was beautiful but was moving very quickly - and I thought this year’s parade was very nice.

I’ve never been much of a parade person. Partly because I don’t really know how to relax and just sit back and watch things. I want to know when something is going to start, when it’s going to end, how big will the crowd be, who is that standing too close, where are the nearest exits. Once I got situated in my lawn chair, though, I was ready for the show.

The first group I witnessed parading through was the police force on motorcycles. They were moving at a pretty good clip, and I was glad that I had decided against crossing to the other side of the street because I would have been, as they say, toast. The movement continued with the fire department, the mayor, churches, cheerleaders, war veterans, clubs, dancers, Neptune and his friends, big dolls and various other sites not necessarily in that order. All in all it turned out to be a fun morning and it’s always a good time to see friends in town that I would not otherwise get the chance to see.

My only let down, and this really has nothing to do with the parade, was the fact that the city could not raise enough money to display fireworks that evening. Some years I have been able to just stand out on my front porch and watch, and other years I stood at the waterfront and watched them go off. It has been so nice to not have to go far to enjoy them and I hope they can come back soon.

On a happier note, I had been looking forward to hearing Norman Connors perform in Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza but I had been invited to my neighbor’s home to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. After it was all said and done, I was able to enjoy their company  and hear all of the performances from my neighbor's backyard at the same time. Now who says you can’t enjoy the good life in Vallejo?