Today we are at the Cape. Eva and her Grandfather spent a little time on the porch to start off the day.

Another 4th in Falmouth. Things are changing all over the place. It is so different now that I am a father. Each year our neighborhood has a little parade. It starts off with a bunch of patriotic songs sung by the neighborhood kids. Then some speeches and more songs and the Pledge of Allegiance. Then a 60 foot flag is unwrapped and carried by a team of volunteers. A truck carries a band and the whole neighborhood joins the parade.

Eva is still a bit young for going on the parade so we went home to watch it come by the house, except this year it turned down the street before ours. We missed them coming by and Eva was in her pretty little red white and blue dress. That is okay though she had fun waving to everyone walking and driving by.

Later in the afternoon Allison and I took Eva to the beach. Eva went in the ocean two more times today and it was so nice. She absolutely loved being at the beach. With the water much more calm today we could do many of the swimming lesson things that she learned.

As I was walking out of the water the second time an other father asked me, “How did you get her to go in?” Well, for one thing she is nearly 9 months old so I didn’t ask her I just carried her and in we went. I don’t plop her directly into the water. I lift her, dip her toes, then dunk her again to the knees and each time lift her high into the air and make fun faces. I make it fun and that is why she enjoys going into the cold ocean with me. I noticed later that this father tried the same thing with his one year old and that kid did end up enjoying a bit of the water today.

For dinner we had a nice meal with just the immediate family. This was a quiet year for the 4th. Usually we have a large party but this year we were lo-key. It was a nice relaxed meal with all the traditional 4th fixings. We had hot dogs and hamburgers as well as salads, chips and beans. It was a nice evening. My sister Tara took this photo of us.

Tonight we watched the Falmouth Heights Fireworks. This has been a tradition since 1981. Each year the fireworks are set to music and they are incredible. WMVY is the station that has sponsored the music and the fireworks are paid for by many generous donations.

I went up to the attic of the house and set up my tripod to get the best shots that I could. I read a few posts about taking fireworks shots. I got upstairs and played with the settings over and over. I was happy to have the tripod and the remote for the camera, I think what I ended up with turned out pretty sweet over all. Let me know what you think. And if you know of any shooting fireworks posts let me know and drop me the link in the comments. I’d love to learn more before the next fireworks display.

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