Our landlord had recommended Maxwelton as the best place for a 4th July parade. We all set off before 11 am to the destination which was no more than 20 minutes away, despite the fact that the event wasn’t starting until midday.
We arrived and were directed to a parking spot in the middle of the village. We wandered along the main thoroughfare which was also the route of the parade until we found a place to sit in the shade.
After a few minutes our neighbour offered us all a blanket to sit on. We sat there and ate our sandwiches until the parade began when everyone stood up. The kids are at the event to collect as many sweets as possible and the parents and grandparents are there because the kids are desperate for free sweets. Next door to us sat a very elderly lady and she determinedly tried to grab as much candy as she could.
The actual floats disappoint from the Grand Marshal who leads off the parade to the last. They are made up of local societies, small businesses and the odd local weirdos and show-offs.
The parade lasted for just over an hour and was followed by the national anthem played by one of the locals. We came back to the house and I rested my eyes in our room.
After a couple of hours Maggi, Alex, Bennett and I drove down to the car park at Glendale and walked along the beach. Alex and I paddled in the relatively warm ocean. The sharp rocks made it difficult to walk far so it was only a brief encounter with the water.
We made a quick drive down to the local shops to buy a few more beers and some ice cream. Sarah had made lasagne and salad. We finished off with ice cream and cream.
A small dip in the hot tub chatting to Greg while Adam played hunger games with the kids.
The evening closed when the light faded and the sky lit up with thousands of fireworks across the horizon. I’m sure if we had been close to some of the displays they would have been magnificent. Certainly there were plenty that made a lot of noise. From our bedroom balcony they looked like magical lanterns that came and went for a brief moment in time.