a Kiwi in cognito on the 4th of July

Today is 4 July, 2012. 

As you probably know, aside from being our friend Robyn's birthday, the 4th of July is also American Independence Day. The day people across the US celebrate breaking away from us. Today was my first time being in the USA (behind enemy lines, as it were) for the occasion. And it was fun!

Saint Michaels is a tiny little colonial town, so when I heard that they were having a 4th of July "parade", I sure wasn't expecting towering floats like in Gion Festival in Kyoto or anything like that. What they had was pretty much exactly what I expected: a small, community-based celebration more about having fun and getting together as a community than about pomp and show. 

We left the house not long before it was set to start and walked down to the main street. It wasn't long before traffic was (more-or-less) stopped and the parade started. First came an old fire engine, followed by various groups such as the boy scouts, bikers, swim team, Little Miss Miles River Yacht Club, and so on, each waving at the small crowd of people lining the street to cheer them on. There were many small children riding their bikes or walking along with the parade as well, many of them throwing candy or bead necklaces at the on-lookers.   

 

After the parade, we headed to St Mary's Square, where there were some food and activity stalls, and so on. We got corn dogs. It was my first ever real American corn dog. It tasted just like an "American Dog" at Lawson (Japanese convenience store), which means it was pretty bloody awesome!

 

 It's hard to see clearly in this photo, but that's actually a long line for ice cream. It has been pretty warm here for a while now, and clearly ice cream was a more popular option than corn dogs... but I'd choose corn dogs over ice cream any day.

Anyway, that's all I have to say about that. Basically, from what I've seen today, the 4th of July here in St Michaels means lots of American flags, some silly patriotic hats, face painting, laughter, relaxation and people just enjoying a day off. Pretty nice indeed.

DC on the 3rd of July

It's summer now. Summer vacation, to be more specific, and we're making the most of it by relaxing in beautiful Saint Michaels, Maryland, USA. It's fantastic to be amongst so much greenery, so many birds, squirrels and fireflies... nature all around, peace, quiet and warm-but-comfortable temperatures. Loving it.

Today we drove over to Washington DC so that Liz could take one of her teaching certificate exams. The exam started at 8am, so after having breakfast at Starbucks next door to the exam venue, Liz went in to do her exam and Tom and I went for a walk around downtown DC to waste time until she was done. The touristy district of down town DC is really beautiful. I had my camera with me, so below are some photos:

 

Lots of newspapers to choose from...

 

Beautiful architecture

 

green parks in the centre of the city

 

Statue of Gen. Andrew Jackson in front of a big white house.

 

It's a pretty fancy-looking big white house. I guess someone important lives there.

 

Street in the early morning

 

The executive office building. This building is HUGE and very ornate. I was quite impressed.

 

Big stick in the ground. Beautiful.

 

Art gallery. Today was the 3rd of July, so there were lots of flags around in preparation for the 4th of July celebrations. Well... I guess that's why...

 

Lady Liberty glistening in the morning sun.

 

The front of that famous white house.

 

Treasury

 

Do you see the capitol building in the distance? Really beautiful city.

 

Flags galore

 

Pretty church on Thomas Circle!!

If I had a boat...

Bryn's birthday was in February.  It was about that time that Robert and Jan said that for his birthday present, they would like to treat us all to a chartered boat ride out into the Arabian Gulf!  Well, it took a while with everyone's busy schedules, but last weekend we finally made it out to Dubai for the trip. 

It was a beautiful day, as most of them are here - clear and sunny.  It was also hot, hot, HOT!  (For the past few weeks it has been going up to 40/100+ degrees).  However being on the water made a huge difference.

Our Vessel

 Bryn and his Dad (staying in the shade)

Jan - videographer for the day!

Me, getting every bit of sun I can! 

The boat ride was really nice.  It took about an hour, and went through the canals in the city and out into the Gulf for some spectacular views of Dubai and the Burj al Arab.  The Gulf was surprisingly smooth, so it was really pleasant to stretch out on the boat and get some sun (for me at least!)

A different - very cool - view of Dubai

 Burj Al Arab

I even stuck my toes into the water when we stopped for a photo op...man, I was tempted to jump in!  The water was nice and warm, and would have been perfect for a swim. 

All in all it was a really great day - thanks so much for the treat, Robert and Jan!! 

In other news...

We are counting down our last 5 weeks til summer vacation.  I think Bryn and I are both ready to get away for a while (two whole months!  Yay!)  We already have some home improvement plans in the works for when we get back though...a little more painting, gardening, and I think we are even going to claim ourselves a little patio behind the building.

I am officially finished with my teacher's certification course!  While we are away this summer I need to take a couple of exams to finish the official certification process, but everything is working out well.  I have been offered and accepted a position for next school year...teaching 1st grade :)  In fact, the teacher I am replacing will be leaving the country a bit early, so they have asked me to take over her class for the last month of school. Very exciting!