Happy Fourth!

After a night of thunderstorms, it turned into a nice cool day today. We headed out a little after 9 to register for the .1K Fun Run in downtown Husum. Downtown Husum is similar to a former home of mine, Downtown Saunderstown RI, basically a Post Office. Only Husum also boasts a FIRE STATION! It may be small town, but it's big on spirit.

First, we organized into a parade. Here's Hooba at the right, getting everyone lined up. We had everything a parade needs. A kazoo band playing patriotic songs, a float, a motorcyle (dirt bike), boy scouts with a banner, horses, a fledgling politician, and dogs, lots of dogs.

Here we have Mr. President with Regina, puppy Riley, and our Brindle (the Lunch Bunch might recognize the corsage she's sporting)


We marched from the PO through the block of town to the far side of the bridge over the raging White Salmon River. We played the Star Spangled Banner. Then we turned around and ran (well, sort of ran) to the finish line .1K away. Fortunately, there was a water station just on the other side of the bridge, 10 seconds away. Within a minute, even the most leisurely strollers had made it to the finish line, and we all gathered at Hooba's for hot dogs and brews. It was the first pre-noon brew I've consumed in many many years. We held ourselves to just one, though, because we had more fun in store.

The Gorge Winds Community Orchestra played at Rheingarten Park, downtown White Salmon (or, The Big City as it's known by the Husum folk). Lots of good old tunes and patriotic music. Got some ideas for next year's kazoo band. We don't have a fireworks display, but the National Guard showed up with howitzers to smoke us out during the 1812 Overture finale. What fun! Good thing the smoke dispersed quickly, we've had enough smoke around here.

What really cracked me up was that as soon as the first notes of the overture began to play, people put their fingers in their ears. How many July 4 concerts have they been to, you have to wonder, that they don't know the cannons don't fire til well into the piece, and then it's only a short burst. The big finale is where you need the fingers in your ears. I just have to guess that people just don't really listen to this awesome piece of music. They're only there for the booms and the fireworks. Sure glad I took Music Appreciation 101 in college as an elective. And that I had a dad who played all kinds of music for us when we were growing up. No fingers in my ears. Except maybe when I hear rap.

Anyway, I digress. For those with money to burn tonight, there will be a special area set aside in Marina Park, on the Columbia River in Bingen, so local pyros can set off their personal fireworks in a safe environment. Mostly because both White Salmon and Bingen are having water woes, and there's no guarantees any brush fires caused by errant fireworks would be contained. We're on our way to a cookout in the neighborhood. I met up with Laurance at the concert, and she told me she scored big on some good cheap French vino at the food outlet in The Dalles. She's French. She should know. So we might not make it down the hill....

I'll ready for the Boston Pops and Esplanade fireworks when they hit my big screen TV at 10.
Maybe I'll see the girls.

Happy Birthday, America.