Warren, Vermont
Jude and good buddy Charlotte
enjoy
artisanal New England cheese
on Jude's deck
The Warren Covered Bridge,
built over the Mad River in 1879-1880,
has an unusual asymmetrical
design. Vermont's covered
bridges are cool!
House beautifully situated
on the river. Available for US $950,000.
Crowds stream into Warren
Village for the
country's best Fourth of July parade.
The normal population of 700
swells to 10,000 every year on this day.
Warren Town Hall, 1872.
A sign posted out front says
"Where Every Vote Counts"
Tim watches the band set up
on the balcony of the Warren Store.
Inside, the sign on the antique
fridge said no booze till the band goes off
(that didn't stop the bring-your-owners,
of course).
I don't know if it's the best
store in the world, but it's a darn good store.
And that's George WASHINGTON
the folks are thanking there, not a certain Dubya.
Flag-bearers from the Essex
Junction, VT post of the National Guard begin the parade.
This and a short flyover by
two military planes comprised the traditional part of the program.
As always, the inimitable
Hap, Warren service station
owner extraordinaire, was
the parade's Grand Marshall.
Next up was Vermont Independent
Senator Jim Jeffords,
who famously quit the Republican
party in 2001 to try to dilute the
power of the Bushites. Jeffords
was cheered wildly by the crowd.
We were all pleased to see
the Department of Farmland Security...
Vermont being one of the few
states left where family farms are not totally a thing of the past.
This was the first time we
saw actual cows in the parade!
It was a very hot day and
shade was hard to come by...how many people do you know in this picture?
The little kids always occupy
the front row...
lots of floats toss them small
candies for which they scramble.
Dylan, Deb, Tim and Liese
at the parade
One patriotrically painted
fellow was giving the kids
ice pops called "justicles"
instead--a welcome treat in the heat!
This gigantic and inspiring
float featured a world of
corporate logos being turned
into a blue-and-green planet.
A nice sentiment
Here comes the Prickly
Mountain float,
always the parade's most anticipated.
Samantha and Haley hold a
headline we'd all like to read.
Vermont's former Governor
Howard Dean is fast becoming
a contender among potential
rivals to the incumbent.
Just Us For Y'All had something
for the hungry crowd...
A super-size of freedom fries!
(complete with toy weapon
of mass destruction)
Liese, Jude and Tim at the
parade
Liese was stopped three times
by people familiar
with Hot Dog Johnny's in Buttzville,
New Jersey!
These folks used the simple
game of foursquare as an analogy for politics...
and then set up and played
the game in the street!
Odds and sods: financial tips
from the Bible, a pigmobile and tree people
Uncle Sam enjoyed the parade
from an attic window and so did
Warren resident Jude, who
knew an astounding number of people there!
Afterwards many people (and
dogs) headed down to the river to cool off.
Sunsets
and Farewell
At
camp on North Hero Island
In
and on Lake Champlain