Living On The Parade Route - St Patrick's Day

When I woke up this morning there was a flurry of activity outside my bedroom window. People were walking and running toward Old Town. Cars were milling the street looking for parking places. DMA Plaza's "extra" parking lot was already filled with cars. Almost everyone had green clothes, some had green hair and most had decorated their dogs in green scarves and kids in other green decorations. It was still two hours until the Saint Patrick's Day Parade would start at 10 am but the activity was already buzzing.

I have not ever been a big fan of parades (unless there are lots of marching bands) but since it is going past my front door, I had to go out and watch. By the time the parade had turned east on Magnolia Street and then north on Remington (my street) the curbside was filled with families and people sitting in lawn chairs or on the curbs or standing. I grabbed my camera and headed out to see the parade. Unfortunately, my batteries went dead, but I did manage to get a few pix.

The day was brisk, sunny and the slight wind chilled me even when standing in the sun. It was a gorgeous day for a parade. There were the patriotic marchers, the bag pipe players, the Irish dancers, the baton twirling girls with their batons glistening in the sun.

Most of my neighbors that live in the Plaza were out enjoying the parade as well, so it was good to visit with them. Several of the parade watchers couldn't read the reserved parking signs and parked in some of the resident's assigned parking places. One resident returned to find his spot and the one next taken by the interlopers and he parked his vehicle behind them. I look out that way from my livingroom window so I waited to see the reaction when the "illiterate" returned and found their vehicles blocked. They were in a quandry for a little bit, then, both vehicles drove forward over the curbs in front of them. It didn't stop them, but it slowed them down for a minute or so. I wish the curbs were a little bit higher, but at least they got the message.

All in all it was a beautiful day.