Happy Birthday George

Happy Birthday George Washington! (He's 279 years old.)

His "home town" celebrates with a parade, and the Monkeys were delighted to wave at George and Martha Washington in their carriage, Revolutionary reenactors marching just ahead of them. There were also Shriners aplenty in their red velvet fez hats and little racing cars. To our backs, on the hill, stood the George Washington Masonic Memorial, built in the 1920s "to honor and perpetuate the memory, character and virtues of the man who best exemplifies what Freemasons are and ought to be, Brother George Washington" according to the Monument information page.

Then more reenactors marching, some Revolutionary War, and some Civil War, including "Sons of Confederate Soldiers" which still shocks this Northerner. But the South lost, I always marvel, The war was about slavery, why is there such pride about this? However, the sense of The South runs much deeper, as one of my friends recently discovered with her five-year-old. When they were talking about the Civil War, her son wanted to know "which side" they were on. His mother hedged, saying that the Civil War was over a long time ago, there weren't "sides" any more. However, when further pressed, she admitted that they live, and her son was born in, a Southern state, which had been part of the Confederacy. To her surprise and dismay -- she is from Ohio, the North -- he promptly and adamantly sided with the South.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, so historical sites are promoting themselves a good deal more than usual. I'm curious if the "sides" issue will come up in our house, since of the four of us, two were born in the North, one in the South, and one in a border state which sent men to both armies. It may not, since princesses get rather more time than soldiers in our house. However, a lady in a hoop skirt looks a great deal like a princess...

What would a parade be without politicians? George Washington was walking with one party candidate, though I forget which one, followed by legions of boy scouts and girl scouts, seemingly a troop from every church in the city. The marching bands were great; Monkey2 had been sitting on dad's shoulders, but after being beaten by flailing limbs, perfectly in time with the music, he put her down.

And once again, my husband and I had to laugh that the mounted horses were immediately followed by two city street vacuum trucks, to keep the parade route tidy.

This was a nice "little" parade, and we're looking forward to St. Patrick's Day.