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Sunday, March 09, 2008

The Best Part of the Parade

Sally HP invited the Giraffe family to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade with her and her son. I have mixed feelings about parades. As a kid I loved them. However I hated being cold. Plus I have a distinct memory of having to wait and wait and wait...and wait and wait. All that being said, the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago was my favorite one. They dye the Chicago river green leading to the old joke that if that can be done, why can't the river be dyed blue the rest of the year?

The parade was, well let's just say not quite up to par with Chicago. More on that on Wednesday over at New England Mamas. It was pretty cold out, but we had brought blankets and the kids were dressed warmly. The waiting wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The parade started up and all I can say was there were a ton of bagpipe players. At first I thought there was just one marching band with bagpipers...and then two bands...and then three bands...then four bands... then we left so for all I know there could have been 100. (The Big Giraffe was pleased that 100% of the bands played in front of us, which is a statistic that he started keeping when he went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York City every year.) I commented that I didn't personally know anyone who played the bagpipes. Seriously, I know someone who grew up on a llama farm and had to take the llamas on daily "walks" on a giant leash, but as for bag pipers, well I've seen them play before, but I've never been friends with one. Given the number of bagpipers who apparently live near me, it would seem that there must be some sort of 6 degrees of separation game that would allow me to know one. Sure enough, one of the women at my college club meeting this afternoon plays bagpipes, and two of their daughters do as well.

After we had settled into the car and began our drive home, I asked my older son (OS) his favorite part of the parade. I was sort of expecting him to say the bagpipes. His favorite part was the donut we got for him at the Dunkin Donuts near where we were standing. His second favorite part was when one of the paraders gave him a handful of candy. We could have saved ourselves a lot of shivering by just going through a drivethrough and then giving OS a handful of the old Halloween candy that we still have.

A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: When trying to create fond childhood memories, remember to ask yourself whose childhood memories you're trying to create: your child's or your inner child's.

Labels: Holidays

posted by Alex Elliot @ 6:26 PM 8 comments

8 Comments:

At 3/09/2008 8:24 PM, Heather said…

That's too funny. I'll have to remember that should I start to go crazy and think it's a good idea to stand in the cold and watch a parade. Skip it and hit the drive through. Good tip.
At 3/09/2008 8:38 PM, Wonderful World of Weiners said…

YOU LIKE SHAMROCK SHAKES TOO? I KNEW I COULDNT BE THE ONLY ONE!!!

YEEHAW!!

Hallie
At 3/09/2008 9:21 PM, Mayberry said…

Here's another one for ya -- my coworker's husband plays the bagpipes (in NYC).
At 3/09/2008 9:45 PM, Count Mockula said…

When I was a kid, I desperately wanted to play the bagpipes, and begged my parents for pipes and lessons. I got the mouthpiece (called a chaunter, if I remember correctly) and a book, and that was pretty much the end of that.
At 3/10/2008 12:14 PM, Tracey said…

Having lived my entire life just outside of Chicago, I can honestly say that I have NEVER been to a St. Patrick's day parade... am I really missing out? It seems awfully cold to go sit on the side of the street for some candy and bagpipes...
At 3/10/2008 12:15 PM, Lizzy in the Burbs said…

Hi!

Had to laugh, they had the "Un-official St. Paddy's Day Parade" on the South Side here in Chi-town yesterday, which was attended by, I think they said, 300,000 people. Next weekend is the "Official" parade, which is less of a crowd favorite, I guess. Which one did you go to as a kid?

Even if OS's favorite part of the parade was the donut and candy, I'm sure he'll remember the bagpipes and floats, too!

Lizzy
At 3/10/2008 9:07 PM, Jen of A2eatwrite said…

I used to have a bagpipe marching band practice right outside my dorm window from 5 - 6 pm EVERY day for the first semester of college. It was LOUD.
At 3/11/2008 10:03 PM, painted maypole said…

At the St. Patrick's day parades here in New Orleans, in addition to the usual beads, etc, they chuck produce at you: potatos, cabbage, and the biggest carrots you've ever seen. You have to be careful, because if you're not looking a well aimed cabbage could render you unconscious.

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Name:	Alex Elliot
Home:	MA, United States
About Me:	Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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