To state the obvious: I've not been a very good blogger recently...I hope these photos make up for it just a little bit. Last Friday, July 18, after work, Elizabeth and I met friends at the Yarmouth Clam Festival and watched the parade at the top of Bridge Street. While we were driving there, there there was thunder and lightning, and it was pouring rain up until the very end of the parade, and then the rain just stopped. The parade was terrific, as always--lots of homemade floats, the Shriners' minicars, marching bands, firetrucks, and clowns. I was soaked by the end of it. Elizabeth, though, used her ladybug umbrella and wore her princess rain poncho and was as happy as a (dare I say it?) clam. (Why a clam would be so elated, I had no idea. It turns out that there is even more to the phrase. I googled it and learned this: "The saying is very definitely American, hardly known elsewhere. The fact is, we've lost its second half, which makes everything clear. The full expression is happy as a clam at high tide or happy as a clam at high water. Clam digging has to be done at low tide, when you stand a chance of finding them and extracting them. At high water, clams are comfortably covered in water and so able to feed, comparatively at ease and free of the risk that some hunter will rip them untimely from their sandy berths." I guess that's a pretty good definition of happy!). We finished up with dinner at Miss Donald's (that's McDonald's, for those of you who've been saying it incorrectly for years now). So, that was Friday. 
note the hospital bracelet on top of the crock...
On Sunday, Elizabeth and I went to the movies to see Kung Fu Panda (which was very sweet, by the way). This was her very first time at the movies, and, except for being a little frightened at the very beginning because it was so dark and the sound was so loud, she enjoyed herself very much (the large bag of popcorn might have had something to do with it, as well). Very cute: she kept waving to Po the Panda, saying, Hi! (but he didn't respond)...All in all, it was a very busy weekend!
note the hospital bracelet on top of the crock... On Saturday, friends invited us to their house for a birthday party for their two girls, who are three and five. My plan was to leave a little early so that I could stop at the store first to buy a new curtain rod. I got Elizabeth buckled into her car seat and then noticed that I'd forgotten my watch, so I left her in the car while I ran in to get my watch. On the way out of the house, I slipped and fell and landed on my back. In the process, I struck my head on the antique ceramic crock (pictured above) sitting on the floor next to the tv and cracked it from top to bottom. All I could think of was of a case that I'd just reviewed at work in which the victim was assaulted, fell backwards, struck his head on cement, and ended up having to have a craniotomy. I debated whether or not to just go to the party but then decided to do the responsible thing (what if I went to bed that night but never woke up the next morning?). So, off to the E.R. we went. The receptionist there actually recognized me (I'm somewhat of a frequent flyer). After the nurse confirmed that I was oriented to place and time, off we went to the birthday party. Amazingly, we were only an hour late...The party was great! In addition to eating cake and ice cream, Elizabeth rode Shoney the Pony (from No Baloney Pony!) and drove a battery-operated car all over the yard. I swore that my child would never drive one of those cars--well, never say never! She loved it--as you can see by the pictures. Look at her face--I think I have a race car driver on my hands! And we went blueberry-picking--another first for Elizabeth! What a wonderful day! So, that was Saturday...
On Sunday, Elizabeth and I went to the movies to see Kung Fu Panda (which was very sweet, by the way). This was her very first time at the movies, and, except for being a little frightened at the very beginning because it was so dark and the sound was so loud, she enjoyed herself very much (the large bag of popcorn might have had something to do with it, as well). Very cute: she kept waving to Po the Panda, saying, Hi! (but he didn't respond)...All in all, it was a very busy weekend!
