New Year's Day, Philadelphia Style

Happy New Year!

Malcolm had a rough NYE.

(not really, he actually slept through the loud and very close 

fireworks, which went off ALL NIGHT in our neighborhood.)

(gratuitous parent brag: and he proceded to sleep TEN HOURS straight the next night! 

good work buddy, let's keep practicing those skills)

If you've never been to the Mummer's parade, well . . .  

you probably won't understand these pictures

from our vantage point on Washington and Broad.

But as it was Malcolm's first parade, 

we did our duty as new parents and documented it well.

 

The wikipedia article is worth skimming to get a general idea of why these groups of burly men spend all year working on their costumes, floats, dancing, and musical routines.  

This year, the Mummers were joined by 

beautifully done-up transvestites in full makeup and fancy outfits:

lookin' good girls.
and mummers - well, I like dem golden slippers

Hot Chocolate

COFFEE

Green Champagne

courtesy of Philadelphia's Police department.

I think Malcolm enjoyed it.

Always fun to enjoy the experiences that only Philadelphia offers.

Rick's History Lesson in Philadelphia

Welcome to Philly!

It was so fun to play tour guide in our fun city.

We saw the Liberty Bell.

And Independence Hall.

Ben is such a good tour guide,
"In the adjacent room is a portrait of the King of France,
requested by us since they helped us gain our independence from Britain."

And Christ Church. 

this was the Washington family pew.

William Penn also rented a pew here.

And Benjamin Franklin sat in pew 70,
taking the pew over from his wife's family.

The previous weekend, we happened by Christ Church during Sunday services.

They have had services here since before the United States was a country!

But they do not have air conditioning.

 We drove out to New Hope to see where George Washington 

and his troops crossed the Delaware prior to the Battle of Trenton.

Outside one of the original structures with a "bar & grill" (to keep people from stealing booze),
wood burning ovens, and an ice pit that kept ice frozen well into the summer.

And we climbed 146 spiral steps to the top of Bowman's Tower,

the lookout point for the troops at New Hope.

Rick took the elevator back down.

That's the Delaware river in the background.

The view was gorgeous.

But it was still 100 degrees.