We had an interesting, if not particularly fun Independence Day. The big event was naturally the parade. The Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts had decided to join forces as a large bike gang for the parade so we could make both the boys participate.
Mom got quite caught up in the whole enterprise deciding that since we never manage to park all that close anyway we would all ride bikes from the house to the parade. The low riding clouds spouting water on the landscape were going to slow her down. Nor were Corwin’s rather persistent and somewhat inventive efforts to delay things until it was too late to depart, nor Alice’s screams as she was placed on the Bike Buddy.
Naturally the debatable level of rain ceased as soon as we were on our way and turned in to a rather strong downpour. Of course, Corwin had argued with us about wearing a rain poncho. He declared he didn’t need it and wasn’t going to wear it or even take it along in a backpack but we, cruel villains that we are, forced it upon him. He grumpily refused to acknowledge the point.
Sadly, neither boy was up to Mom’s biking speed and I was detailed to watch them so the three of us fell further behind. About the time we were coming up on the first major intersection Corwin announced that he had lost his backpack, leaving it behind when he switched in to his poncho. It was a tough choice — if I sent him back to get it as appropriate, we might never arrive at the parade. So I went back for it while sending the boys ahead to a bus shelter.
Mom, meanwhile, was waiting for us at that intersection yet managed to remain completely undetected by the boys. She called to tell me this just as I arrived at Corwin’s abandoned backpack but refused to answer her phone when I called back. After a few minutes of that I gave up, got the backpack, got the boys, and headed on to the parade.
Eventually we arrived, rather damp, but at least at a place which had shelter from the rain. We waited there for a while but eventually the parade was canceled due to rain. Haha! We biked over to a coffee shop just a few blocks away and had hotty chocolates. Alice and Charles found that very amusing, although Alice tried to claim they were really called “hot” chocolates.
After a bit of relaxing Mom took Corwin with her to bike home and come back for the rest of us with the van. I thought about biking home anyway, as I was already totally soaked, but Mom wanted me to have a cell phone while I thought was already pushing my luck with it so we crammed the bikes in the back and headed out.
The fireworks ended up being canceled as well, which was fine with us by that time.