Havre de Grace Parade 2012

The Havre de Grace parade today was the worst parade in I have ever experienced! And that’s saying a lot. It was just sooo hot. And on top of that, I didn’t have my music memorized :-( The highlights were, as usual, seeing people I know from work, and this year, I did something different. Some of my coworkers, when they heard I was going to be in the parade, asked me if I’d throw candy to them. I would remind them that I was in the band, and we don’t throw candy. So, just to see if it was possible, I found some candy at home and put it in my pocket so I could throw it at them. It worked! I only had enough candy for three throws, but it was fun.
After we finished marching, I joined Mel and the gang along the parade route to watch the rest of the parade. The funniest part of that was the guy from the National Guard who was walking down the street in his uniform, with his young son, pulling a wagon and doing some informal recruiting. The boy went to the wagon, grabbed some candy, and threw it at our group. Then he grabbed some more candy and was throwing it directly at me. By then, his dad had moved down the street a few feet. The boy went to the wagon, grabbed some more candy, and threw it in my direction. Then he grabbed some candy, walked back in front of me, and threw the candy at me again. I now have a baseball cap full of candy due to this young man :-)
After the parade, I went to Mel’s house for her annual cookout. There was a lot of good food (and a bit of alcohol). Regulars from the Tidewater, as well as coworkers who had the evening off attended the party, and it was a really nice time. In addition to the usual picnic type foods, Steve steamed a bushel of crabs and Amie steamed shrimp. It was really nice to hang out with friends outside of work. I left around 8 (before the fireworks) so that I could get to the hospital for a sleep study to test for sleep apnea.

Overall, it was a good day.