Well it's that time of year again for the Nyack Halloween parade. And times are changing like they always do. In years past the four of us would drive down to meet Nancy in Nyack and we would all hang out and watch the parade. Some years the girls would dress up. For two years in a row they were lions, for two years they were vampires. We'd hang out over near the old movie theatre and other times we'd hang out at the corner of Main and Franklin. But during all the times all four of us would be there together.
This year Elena had to work. It was alright, I've really had my fill of the people at the parade and wasn't looking forward to any of it. Teri wanted to go, so since we don't do much together these days I went. Nastia was home and went with us.
Earlier in the day I was working on Elena's room (it's mostly insulated, mostly wired, about half sheet rocked) and my feet hurt, so I bought a chair. In past years a felt a little strange bringing a chair to the parade because people would move in front of me after I set up my chair and I wasn't old. Well I've started to embrace being 'older' , but not old yet. I'm started to accept that I might be getting a little grey, just like I might be going a little bald.
We left a little late for the fair, parked on Catherine street and tried to leave room for Karl who was going to go to the parade too. We walked down Catherine, down the street Teri calls lower Catherine all like usual. We join Nancy who has been down at the parade for several hours. She and some friends had set themselves up behind the barricade and had saved us some room. I wasn't going to set up my chair because I'd gone in front of some people and felt it was what I always complained about. Teri and Nancy insisted, so I did and was very glad for it. I was comfortable and had a great view toward South Broadway. Nastia was on my right and Teri stood to her right. We were late so we didn't have to wait long.
The parade was about forty-five minutes long and it was one of the best in the last few years. Maybe it was the comfortable seat or maybe it was the costumes I don't know. Floats were generally absent this year. In the past there were always several excellent ones, not this year. The parade started off with several old cars, then some fire trucks. It then graduated to kid in costumes, they then got a little older and older until the adults. The parade ended with a Santa Claus type person in a motorized wheelchair bringing up the rear. He was not in costume, but it was awful early for him too.
