Tuesday, March 17, 2009

ST PADDY"S DAY

Jamie, the best little sister anyone could ever have.

The Robert's Dairy Cow, only in Iowa.

The color guard.

There's nothing so American as kids at a parade, is there?

And of course, Saint Patrick.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa has had a Saint Patrick's Day parade every year since the 1940's.  For the past several years I have gone to the parade with my little sister, Jamie.  It's kind of become our tradition.  Usually the weather is not so great, either windy and rainy or snowy and blustery.  Not so today, though.  Today, it was 77 degrees with a sky as blue as could be.  Very unusual.  We got downtown late, and still found a great parking space a block away from the action and a good place to stand and watch the parade.  It's always fun, but this year it was a little more special to see all of those folks gathered on streets that less than a years ago where inundated by floods.  Downtown Cedar Rapids is no where near back to normal, but things are beginning to happen. Some former businesses are coming back and new ones are springing up.  If that's not a hopeful sign of spring, I don't know what is.
Read about Cedar Rapids' rebuilding effort here.

2 comments:

Gail said...

Saint Patrick looks like Santa Claus...only in green. Where's his brother Steve?

Cristina Leonard said...

I really like Saint Patrick's shoes. Not really 5th century are they?