Yankee Doodle Baby

Eastern Market is home to a sub-neighborhood; Barracks Row. Home to the U.S. Marine Corp Band and Drill Squad, every Friday night of the summer the neighborhood boasts a huge performance. The streets are blocked off, 'free' tickets are made available at the beginning of the summer and gone within seconds, and Washington, D.C. residents turn out in high style.

Nate, Mayumi and I often ate out on Friday nights on Barracks Row and would weakly attempt to get into the 'standby line.' No luck. Especially not on the night that the President attended. We noticed that cars, parked on the surrounding streets, were being towed. Upon questioning some Secret Servicemen we learned that any owner of those cars would simply have to pick them up at a nearby lot if they wanted them any time soon. Needless to say, we never got a chance to see the Parade.

I've made a friend out here named Amanda. Amanda's husband is a Marine and actually has duty at the Parade each Friday night as an escort/usher. I was thrilled when Amanda said she'd get us tickets, and made it a surprise for Nate (arranging babysitting and the works). We went with Amanda, her husband Jesus, and our other great friends Rachel and Jeoff. It was a fun night full of pageantry and patriotic fanfare. Enjoy the following clip:



This was two days before the Fourth of July. On the morning of the Fourth we headed on over to the church for the annual breakfast. Here is the Cuteness exploring her patriotic side.

Later on that day we were excited to receive one of my best and oldest friends Marliss and her two adorable girls in our home. Here is Melia, the oldest of the two, at the ghetto park near our home. All in all, a great holiday.

In other random news, it turns out that Mayumi adores cheese. Here is a package of cheese I handed her without a thought in the grocery store to soothe her grumpiness. When I arrived at the register I found it...torn open and pockmarked by her razor sharp little teeth. That little cuteness!