apparently we’ve become the family who attends parades. last week it was the Father’s Day Parade in hutchinson. this week it was the Dan Patch Days Parade in Savage. i didn’t know today was going to involve parade gazing. i thought it was just going to be a cute-off at the pancake feed down at the Legion.

see part of the Las Vegas contingent of mamala’s family is in town, and we had to go make nice with them. since most of them have kids, it turns into a cute-off, with the Vegas babes up against the kidlings. since i don’t have kids, i generally don’t care for these cute-offs. but, i thought i’d be a team player and join the fam at the pancake feed.

whomever decided it would be a good idea to happen upon the pancake feed at 10:30 a.m. the day of the dan patch days parade was clearly smoking something that bill clinton never inhaled. when we got to the legion, we were mere minutes behind the church rush, and the line for the pancake feed was winding it way from the cafeteria area all the way past the pull tab booth and the bar. as sister #4, jose (her boyfriend) and i nestled next to the dart board– i begged that we go elsewhere.

“but i brought peanut butter for my panacakes,” she said.
“how are you going to enjoy the peanut butter if you’re standing up against a wall next to some member of the ladies’ auxillary?”
“good point,” she said.

clearly sister #2 had the same thing in mind, and we made a break for it, ending up at a delightful perkins where she flirted with the obviously gay waiter and we made fun of her for giggling.

then of course came the parade watching. it was mostly uneventful. there were hardly any princesses and only one marching band– and they call that a parade.

but thankfully it was short, and i got to sit on a nice bench and not a rough, wet sidewalk. i’d have to say it was a good time.