July 4th Recap.

We had a perfectly American Independence Day. We started it off by sleeping in on a holiday Monday. It's what Uncle Sam would want. Then we loaded our bikes into the back of the car, drove a short distance to northwest DC and rode our bikes through Rock Creek Park and along Pennsylvania Avenue into downtown. Since the Metro wasn't too busy yet (I think everybody was watching the parade), we took the green line down to Nationals Park.

What is more American than baseball? Why, watching baseball from awesome seats, while eating a chili dog, drinking beer, and almost catching a foul ball, of course! I found myself rooting for the Nats and the Cubs. And even though the home team won, I serenaded the crown with "Go Cubs Go" as we were leaving the stands.

To skip the Metro chaos after the game, we walked from Nationals Stadium back to the Mall. The area around the stadium is still turning. There are quite a few new high rise office and residential buildings, but some old "New Condos" are still available.

Knowing that we were going to be waiting a while for the fireworks to start, we grabbed some beers and burgers at the Hawk 'n Dove on Capitol Hill before heading to the Mall to find a small piece of real estate from which to watch the show. We ended up sitting right at the foot of the Washington Monument looking west, and watched the fireworks pop with the Lincoln Memorial in the background.

The last time I went to see live fireworks on the 4th of July was in 2001 in Indianapolis. I'm not sure why it has taken me this long to realize how incredible a live fireworks display is. And fireworks on the 4th in Washington, DC, can't be beat. I think we've found a new tradition.

Wearing: July 4th Weekend.

Not very glamorous. Not very interesting. But very practical. This is what I'll be living in this weekend. In fact, I started wearing this outfit yesterday, slept in the T-shirt last night, and plan to (maybe, hopefully) wash it before wearing it again tonight tomorrow Monday. 

Our plans for Monday include riding our bikes into DC, listening to the reading of the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, watching the National Independence Day Parade, heading over to watch the Nats take on the Cubbies, and, more importantly, eat hot dogs and drink beer (God Bless America). Boy, it'll be hard to root for the home team when they're playing the Lovable Losers. Later in the night, we'll probably take in some fireworks. 

This outfit will keep me cool and comfy for my busy Fourth. This T-shirt is the most perfect thing on earth. I bought a medium so it is nice and loose and comfy and I have been wearing it tied in a knot at the waist (like this pretty lady). It looks great with this Gap skirt I got last year. I might wear a pair of bike shorts under my skirt, but I might not. Let's just hope I don't get pulled over for wearing a skirt on a bike like this woman in New York. My Toms will be perfect for biking and walking around in, and the wayfarers will be absolutely necessary as it is supposed to be hot and sunny. Oh, and don't think I have a pair of for-real for-real Wayfarers. I have $8 knockoffs from Old Navy. I'm still sporting Racey Rouge polish on my nails. It will be there all summer; don't forget to tip your waitress. 

And the backpack. I could lie and tell you I'm going to carry around some adorable straw tote or trendy crossbody bag. But, you know what? I won't be. My trusty Jansport will carry everything I need for the day - a blanket to splay on during fireworks on the Mall, my camera, and sunblock, sunblock and more sunblock. Seriously, we've been having summer-like weather for over a month now and I'm still pale as a ghost. And intend to stay that way, thank you very much.