Once again my wife and I along with several of our neighbors decided to brave the scorching summer sun and join in the annual Great Northwest Independence Day Parade. The parade which starts at Zachry Middle School and follows Timber Path to the Lodge of the Great Northwest is a fun way to get out and celebrate the 4th.
This year, the Grand Marshal was District 6 Councilman Ray Lopez, seen here riding in the Corvette of Robert Rodkey. In addition to Robert's 'vette, there were 8 or 9 other Corvette's from the local owners club.
Members of the San Antonio Fire Department were quite a hit with youngsters along the parade route. And of course, members of the San Antonio Police Department were out in force to direct traffic and make sure the parade travelled smoothly down the road.
The parade had numerous groups from the local Northwest Vikings youth football team to the Boy Scouts.
And then of course, there was out motley crew of characters. With Ol' Betsy pulling a trailer, and several of us manning electric scooters, our theme was Timber Five-O. Okay, I know some explanation is in order. 
Bear with me on this. Our zip code is 78250 (or The Five Oh for short). Next, you think back to the old Hawaii Five-O TV show, and the fact that most of the streets in our neighborhood start with the word "Timber", and the next thing you know, we are in Hawaiian shirts, palm trees and we are Timber Five-O. I know, it really is a stretch, but we had fun anyway.
And in spite of the record 103 degree temperature, many people found enough shade needed to keep cool and lined the parade route and enjoyed the spectacle of it all.
And for those who couldn't witness it in person... video taken by my son who is home for the weekend. Enjoy!
Let's face it, everybody loves a parade, right? And why not get out and enjoy the short spectacle as The Great Northwest holds our annual 4th of July Parade, Saturday beginning at 11AM.
You can line the street along Timber Path with probably the best view being the parking lot in front of the soccer fields at Silver Creek. The parade route will start at Zachry Middle School, then follow Timber Path through Emerald Valley, The Commons and Stage Coach Run, Ridge Creek and across Tezel Road into Silver Creek, and finally turn onto Timberwilde to finish up at the Lodge.
Don't wanna just watch? Why not join in? I'm sure nobody would notice a few extra walkers, bikes, mopeds or scooters joining the parade. My wife and I along with assorted neighbors and friends will join in. Hope to see you there!
I have an ongoing project of scanning in the hard copy photographs that fill boxes of photo albums throughout the house. As I was going through yet another shoebox full of pictures taken over the years, tossed in no particular order, I came across a picture I took from my hotel room balcony at the Outrigger in Waikiki, Hi.
It just so happened that I was attending a conference in, I think 2000, and by pure chance, I got a room over looking a main street in Waikiki. I was pretty upset at first because the beach was in the total opposite direction. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a ruckus outside the window so I stepped out onto the balcony. A parade celebrating some sort of Pan-Asian Festival was taking place. So, for the next hour I sat on the balcony and watched a parade.
I dig me a good parade.
We got up Saturday morning and when I walked out into the hall way, I could see the street in front of our hotel being blocked off. A trailer had been parked directly across the street and a podium and seats were being set-up in a fashion similar to a rally or something. I wondered to myself if a delegation of vagabonds was going to protest the lack of soup kitchens or some such madness.
I waltzed down to the front desk so as to inquire within, and none of the assembled staff had a clue as to what was transpiring. Being the curious type, I headed across the street to discuss same with a gentleman setting up a sound mixer and microphones. As if I were Sam Donaldson or some other obnoxious reporter, I held my crappy digital camera in front of me and asked the gentleman what all the commotion was about, and why would microphones and podiums be needed? He helpfully informed me that they were having a parade to celebrate Mexican Independence. I asked him, "From Wichita Falls?" and he promptly laughed telling me no, from Spain.
Now I'm no math expert but I quickly ran upstairs to ask my wife if it was already the 16th of September, and she informed me that it was not. So, as close as we could figure, either the people in Wichita Falls were off on the dates, or all the Mexican people of Wichita Falls will be busy watching the Cowboys next Sunday, and figured they would knock it out on Saturday the 8th. That is flexibility if you ask me, and I like flexibility.
The good news is, I like a nice parade and we had great seats. So, without further ado - a few pictures of the event.
No Parade is complete without a visit from the fire department - Wichita Falls finest...
Lots of nice pick-ups and flags and traditional costumes... 
High School bands were out in force...
And it is good to know that there are portly children everywhere, not just San Antonio.
I should mention that at the beginning of the parade, a kind lady annouced that parents should keep an eye on the little ones as some of the parade participants would be passing out candy. And all of the sudden, it was on!
This little kid seemed to notice before others!
Then suddenly, as if an unexpected verdict had been reached in the Phil Specter trial, there was near pandimonium of youngsters scrambling everywhere...
As some kids ignored all rules of civility, others seemed to look for guidance from parents...
And then some parents even joined the fray...
Finally, one young man had put a halt to the chaos by simply taking all the candy from the other little children. Thank God, it was over.
I was proud to salute the Mexican-American Vets as they passed by, in honor of my late father-in-law, who served in Korea.
No parade is complete without representation from the Boy Scouts. This proud troop reminded me of our own recent GNW Labor Day Parade and the Scouts who came out.
Perhaps at our next parade, the Scouts can have thier own go-kart to enter.
Cheerleaders got the crowd back into the spirit following the short mele'...
And then tiny little people dressed in traditional Mexican outfits made an appearance.
I don't believe this is the actual Taco Bell dog, at least he didn't talk like him, but the crowd cheered wildly as he walked by. As a side note, they should make tiny little Chihuahua jock straps. This little doggy was swingin'.
This parade had many really unique automobiles as participants...
Clowns in Clown cars...
People on horses...
I'm not sure this dude was actually in the parade, but he had a flag, so his bike fit right in...
And Grizzly Adams here looks as though he walked off quite a few pounds down the route...
And when all was said and done... we danced. 
Well, some people danced. We went gambling at the Indian Casinos in Oklahoma. 
As a make-up for the annual 4th of July parade that had to be canceled due to inclement weather, the Board and Staff of the Great Northwest Community Improvement Association put on the 1st annual Labor Day Parade this morning. Though the sky was a tad bit cloudy, rain failed to put a damper on the assembled parade participants or the crowd that gathered along the route to watch the patriotic event. Yet another reason to be proud to live in this area.
The parade was escorted by members of San Antonio's finest, on motorcycles, patrol cars and truck units.
As the festive parade participants made their way from Zachary Middle School down Timber Path, The Grand Marshall, Mr. Lee Besing was driven in the "mini-'Vette" (or Geo Metro) by fellow board director, Mr. Richard Garcia.
Next, a large group of Scouts who show up for parades, rain or shine, walked, rode, and sang Jodies along the route.
Another board director, Mr. Guy Pucci passed in review cool as can be in an old LTD, accompanied by his beautiful pooches!
Director Janet Doherty showed the patriotic spirit with her van fully decorated for the occasion.
As the parade made its way toward the turn onto Timberwilde and the Lodge, residents of the old folks home enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance.
In fact, residents of all ages enjoyed the short but enjoyable parade including this couple who cheered on the parade as it passed in review.
When the parade ended at the Lodge, participants readied themselves for a nice Labor Day Picnic.
Smells like it's time for a hot dog!
Sadly, this little spell of rain has ruined more than just my thoughts of mowing my yard today. The much awaited Great Northwest Parade scheduled for 11AM today was officially canceled by HOA Board of Directors Chairman, Mr. Lee Besing (and several other staff - see comments). Lee told me that frequent checks of the weather radar were not looking good.
A group of local Scouts, eager to show their 4th of July spirit posed in full gear along with Mr. Besing and other disappointed parade fans.
Not allowing the weather to, uh, rain on their parade, members of Gardeners Galore of the GNW rode out the route in fine fashion, stopping by the Old Folks Home on Timber Path to let residents appreciate the one float parade.
This is the type of community spirit that makes me proud to live in Silver Creek and the GNW.
Happy 4th of July!
Update: Lee sent me two photos worth adding to the entry: The first shows the weather radar picture which clearly shows why it is so wet outside. I know that there were small handfuls of people at various spots along the parade route, umbrellas in hand, raincoat at the ready, but really, Lee's decision to cancel was the right thing to do.
It turns out that McGruff the Crime Dog was ready for the rain, fully decked out in his crime fighting London-Fog jacket. In addition to McGruff (who seems to be wearing pajama pants under that jacket), a few patriotic residents and our GNW SAPD SAFFE officer, Officer Cowan plus one of the police academy cadets, posed for Lee.
This year, the Grand Marshal was District 6 Councilman Ray Lopez, seen here riding in the Corvette of Robert Rodkey. In addition to Robert's 'vette, there were 8 or 9 other Corvette's from the local owners club.
Members of the San Antonio Fire Department were quite a hit with youngsters along the parade route. And of course, members of the San Antonio Police Department were out in force to direct traffic and make sure the parade travelled smoothly down the road.
The parade had numerous groups from the local Northwest Vikings youth football team to the Boy Scouts.
Bear with me on this. Our zip code is 78250 (or The Five Oh for short). Next, you think back to the old Hawaii Five-O TV show, and the fact that most of the streets in our neighborhood start with the word "Timber", and the next thing you know, we are in Hawaiian shirts, palm trees and we are Timber Five-O. I know, it really is a stretch, but we had fun anyway.
And in spite of the record 103 degree temperature, many people found enough shade needed to keep cool and lined the parade route and enjoyed the spectacle of it all.
