4th of July ~ Sheepdog Style

Today we, as Americans, celebrate 232 years of growth as a nation. Together we have celebrated the sweetness of hard won victory, weathered a bloody civil war, reaped the benefits of innovative leaps in technology and through public debate changed perceptions of cultural norms. All of our victories and all of our losses have been shared by Americans through the years, we are all part of the story of this nation. Unlike Michelle Obama, I am proud to be part of the unfolding story of this nation. Here is to another 232 years of growth.

My first act to celebrate the 4th of July was to purchase ice cream from the Twistee Treat ice cream and water ice store in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia. The store is hard to miss as you can see in my cell phone photo above. The ice cream has never tasted sweeter than today. In addition to indulging in my chocolate ice cream addiction, I made a donation to the Injured Marine Semper Fi fund.

After indulging in the Dulce ice cream, I motored to Glenside to join my fellow Sheepdogs in the Independence Day Celebration & 105th Annual July 4th Parade. This is one of the largest, oldest and best-known parades in this region of the nation. The Chester County Victory Movement was honored to participate in this historic and patriotic parade in celebration of America.

A Heros Welcome is always a welcome addition to our Sheepdog road trips. One of our members participated in the parade on two wheels – two very nice wheels!

The Sheepdogs encountered cheers, clapping and shouts of encouragement from the crowd lining the sidewalk along the parade route. We were stunned by the outpouring of support from the parade attendees. The cheers continued from the begining to the end of the parade route – we felt like rock stars during the parade!

Along the route, we witnessed a father instructing his small children to stand up when our flags passed by. An elderly veteran slowly raised himself upright when he saw our flags passing by him. A couple of Sheepdogs took time to walk over to thank him for his service.

We had a wonderful time participating in this historic parade and look forward to next July 4th!