Fourth of July

Yesterday was, of course, the Fourth of July which is best known for the annual Takoma Park Independence Day Parade. This year I was, as you know, in Seattle and thus unable to attend. Margo and Quinn did, however, get to go and watched the parade from her co-worker Greg's house, an excellent vantage point. There was the usual assortment of nuts and weirdos as we've come to expect in the parade (photos courtesy if Margo).











Yesterday I went to George, Washington (in the middle of nowhere), and saw Willie Nelson and Family at the Gorge, a concert venue to rival, if not surpass Red Rocks. The stage backs to the Columbia River gorge which is pretty striking. On the way there I stopped at the Wild Horse Monument, a collection of metal horses on top of a hill. I was enticed by a sign on the highway that said "Scenic View." Margo will attest to the fact that I will not pass by a scenic view or a historical marker.

The show was great, with many of the stars of alt-country making appearances, notably Son Volt. Willie was fantastic and is a national treasure. His kids played, too. He has two young sons from his latest wife. They are 16 and 15, I think (Willie is 74). I thought they were his grandkids at first. The oldest of the two tries pretty hard to sound like his dad. He has the nasally sound but without the warmth.

I had long been tired of his kid by the time Willie came on. He looks every bit of his 74 years (and maybe a few more) but I guess I am surprised he is still alive, considering the hard living he's done. He played for two hours and sounded great. The Gorge has pretty lax enforcement of their photo and video policies. I took the photo you see here, and I saw several people actually using camcorders right in front of the stage.

I had to drive back to Seattle that night so it was around 3:00 a.m. by the time I got to bed. Definitely worth it to see an American icon.