July 4th in the Valley

We've been trying to get this posted all weekend but technology is not always a friend, anyway...

Not knowing what to do for the Fourth of July this year (and not wanting to be holed up with our window unit A/C) we decided to head over to Staunton for the day. We left Tuesday evening and spent Tuesday night at Mimi's house (Sue's grandmother). Having lived there for four months last summer Dixie instantly knew where we were within a mile of the house. She certainly is not a city dog and loves running through Mimi's wooded lot. Of course this also tends to wear her out for the rest of the week, as you can see here.

Struggling to stay awake!

And she knows where to run when she thinks she's in trouble.

The morning of July 4th we headed out to Gypsy Hill Park with Sue's Aunt Jan and Uncle Lulu (and everyone else in Staunton apparently) for back to back parades. We started out with the Classic Car/Sports Car/Super Trucks/Tractor parade.

This last car is Woodrow Wilson's (Staunton native) Presidential limo

Festive tractors on the Fourth!

No, the South is not going to rise again, but this is the 5th Va. Co. E, otherwise known as the "Augusta Grays"

We didn't get too many other pictures of the marching parade. The only disappointment was the lack of a marching band. One of the more poignant moments I thought was the 3 National Guardsmen marching on their own. At first I thought it a little strange that just 3 guys were casually marching. Then Aunt Jan mentioned that the rest of them were on the way to Iraq. When you follow that up with the float full of family members holding photos of their soldiers overseas, some of whom are coming home, you realize the weight of what Independence day celebrates. Regardless of opinions on the current war, or any other war, loss and sacrifice is incredibly sobering. Fortunately we can also freely celebrate the freedom that sacrifice and loss has brought about.


Later that afternoon Dixie and I took a little walk around downtown Staunton which is a great example of a classic small town downtown. When we lived in Staunton we often enjoyed Saturday mornings walking around downtown and checking out the farmers market.

A view of downtown Staunton from above the Amtrak station.

A view of Beverly Street in Staunton.

A view the other direction on Beverly Street