July 4th Parade-Melba, Idaho-Part 1 of 2
by GranpaVee on 07/06/08 at 2:53 pm
For the first time in seven years-the wife and I found ourselves alone over this holiday, without kids and grandkids in tow. We could have stayed home and watched events on TV. It certainly would have been less expensive-considering the price of fuel these days.
The second choice, would have been to stay near home and enjoy the parade in downtown Boise. It was only a few miles from our place, and would have been an easy commute. On the other hand, we could of drove the 30 or so miles to Melba, Idaho and continued a tradition we started with our grandkids.
The choice for us in the end was pretty simple. Both of us like small town atmosphere. The draw to going to Melba, seven years ago-was the birth of our first granddaughter. Her other grandpa had a dairy farm there. It was a joy to see her experience both the farm and small town life of rural Idaho.
The parade started at 10:30AM, but for various reasons we arrived late. I was able to find parking right near an intersection of the parade route. With camera in hand, we found a shady spot under some tree’s and next to a young lady whom was scooping candy off the gravel into her purse. When questioned, she told us she was saving it for her two daughters who were riding their pony and horse in the parade.
Our grandkids would have had a blast as in years past, but it wasn’t to be this time. Here was another day, just to the two of us growing old together and enjoying the sweet moments of our later years!
Any part of a good parade, is the assortment of antique cars and trucks. From Model A’s and T’s to cars of my era such as a Chevy Chevelle, or Pontiac GTO-or “GOAT,” as it was known in the day! I had a 1951 Ford P/U when I was a kid, and a special treat was seeing a string of old trucks.
There was a short pause in the parade, between the antique cars, trucks and the floats. Kids of all ages, tossed candy to the spectators lining the narrow street. Our new female friend had a pretty good stash of candy, by the time her two daughters rode by on their horses!
Part 2-Floats and Horses
