"P"- Parade

Good Morning Bloggers,

Todays letter will be "P", and all though I have visited a few places which begin with the letter "P" I wanted to spice it up a little bit.  Those who have been following this blog through the month of April know that I love to travel. To some far off lands, and some that are not so far off.  One of the activities you can always participate in is Parade Watching.



 On our recent to Greece, they were celebrating their Independence Day.  The Greeks put on a great parade showing their First responders along with many other units in the military.  The people who attended the parade seemed to have a real good time.  The units that marched in the parade were regular military units.  They did not seem to have the performance down for the marching.  They marching bands from the military as well.  Unlike the parades you see in the united states, there were no floats.

The picture to the right is from one of the three Cherry Blossom parades I have attended.  These parades have many different sponsors.  In addition to community groups, floats, and performance marching groups, we also have high schools that get to march in a lot of our parades  The colors and the people are always fun.  Normally the Cherry Blossom Parade day is more pleasant than the Fourth of July Parade.  In our fine city, there are many parades throughout the year.  Two days ago there was a parede in Washington DC, however, I had to work. (So did Sunshine)

When we travel to the Disney parks, it is always fun to catch their parades.  They have professional dancers and singers, and you can normally good a seat along main-street.  During the summer, the Parade is pretty late.  I have not seen the Parade of Lights in the fall or winter. I think that would be really cool.

Some advice for you before going to a parade.  Do your homework and know the route.  Also when it will start. Then try to find a good place and get there early.  Know the time when the parade will start and carry some water with you.  Especially for the July parades.

Keep on Exploring!

"C" Cherry Blossum

My wife and I love to travel.  We have been to few exotic locations.  But one of the places we go every year is to the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC.  A little closer to home, but a fun time. The northern VA home base locations give us a launching point for our visitors.  We typically have friends visit every year about this time to see the Cherry Blossoms.

Sometime around the end of March or the beginning of April is the peak season for Cherry Blossoms.  This year it should occur in about a week from now.  The entire reflecting pool is covered with Cherry Blossoms and the area is alive with pink and white flowers.  I think only the pink are Cherry Blossoms.

 In 1912 the Mayor of Tokyo presented the USA with 3000 Cherry Blossom trees.  Over the years gifts have been exchanged between Washington DC and Tokyo.  In 1915 Washington DC gave Dogwood trees to the people of Japan.  Then in 1981 Washington also presented cuttings from the Cherry Blossoms to Japan to replace trees that were destroyed in a flood.

There are parades and culture events through-out the city during the festival.  If you every have the chance to stop by DC during the festival, you should come and see the scene.  Some years are cold, some years are warm, but all the times we have visited the festival, we have had a good time.

Have a great day.