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| Some have called Connecticut the "home of fife and drum corps" in the United States. |
We attended a spirited Christmas parade on the
Connecticut
shore. I had not seen so many pets in one place since October's Blessing of the
Animals.
Their local police department was kept very busy with all of the traffic.
I have a great affinity for Ancient Fife and Drum Corps, especially Essex, Connecticut's Sailing Masters of 1812, one of the best Fire and Drum Corps I have heard. I grew up listening to both them and the (also inspiring) Stony Creek Fife and Drum Corps.
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| Fife and Drum Corps meet the (made-up) criteria for preppy music of high quality, live, intimate, shared across generations, and ideally played in venues that don't involve tickets. |
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“Fife and Drum was the basic means of
communication between
the troops and their commanders. Different drum beats would signal
when to wake
up, load your guns, go get fire wood or water. A fifer and a
drummer were
assigned to each regiment, and they would be in charge of letting
the troops in
that regiment know what to do. The tunes would also be played for
moral or
death marches.” (Description from here.)
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(One of my 5th Great Grandfathers, Abel Corson (the Corsons were a Long Island whaling family in the 1600s), was a Fifer-Major in the Revolutionary War. He marched and played his fife for six years and seven months straight, after which he returned to the family's ship building business.)
The
Fire and Drum Corps provided some order in a sea of entropy.
I had the great pleasure of meeting a reader, who was willing to pose!
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| Apparently I had put up a photo of his wife's dogs in an earlier post.... |
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| ...so naturally I had to do it again. |
The event supported only the first supposition of the famous line: "That's the thing you gotta remember about WASPs. They love animals, but they can't stand people." (Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in the movie
Wall Street.)
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| Current parents and students from my former day school sported scarves with our school colors. |
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| Around New England, the volunteer firefighters are the backbone of almost any parade. |
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| We also got to learn a bit about Lincoln College at Oxford. |
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| A group poses for the local newspaper. And yes, the dogs are related. |
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| It can be far too easy to take for granted the efforts of volunteers, including from the Chambers of Commerce, who make such events happen year after year. |
And so thanks to so many, the Christmas season officially began, not with a bang but with a whimper. And a bark. And a lot of wags.
22 comments:
Nowadays, Muffy, it's your blog, no less than the fife & drum corps of old, "providing order in a sea of entropy!"
The pig in the wagon is priceless!
I loved these pictures! I especially loved all the animals - the dogs, the horses with bells, and yes the pig! I didn't realize it was a pig until I enlarged the photo. What a fun family event! The parade Corps looked very elegant in their uniforms! Thanks for sharing, Muffy!
Being pet sitters, we love the pictures of the animals. The ones we take care of are like having grand children: we take care of them, have fun and then give them back. It looks like it was a fun day for all concerned. Thanks for sharing.
I may never get over how ridiculously cute that pig looks in its red wagon. Thank you for sharing such lovely photos.
"That's the thing you gotta remember about WASPs. They love animals, but they can't stand people."
So that's what is wrong with me!!!
Great pics, the pig totally cracked me up.
There is nothing better than a small town parade-I always looked forward to the Memorial Day parade with a fife and drum band from Torrington-
These parades are always a good way to reconnect with neighbors.
What an utterly delightful post! I so enjoyed seeing all the animals. The dogs all seems so happy to be included in the celebration and the pig is a real charmer! This is how the season should be celebrated -- simply and with family and friends, of all species!
What a lovely Welsh springer spaniel!
What a pleasant surprise - it looks like this parade took place in my childhood hometown. Lovely pictures, makes me miss it so much.
Loved the fans' pose. I think he was awestruck to see you out and about. Great to see some African-Americans in your photos. And, they look quite familiar.
That seals it - I must be a wasp! I remember the dogs' names at the dog park, but not their people's names.
This is for the dog lovers who follow The Daily Prep.
In his autobiography, Roger Ebert writes about a friend who gave him a great definition for a bore. Ebert applied the observation to cats saying that a bore is someone who deprives you of your solitude without giving you companionship.
That's why I love dogs.
That's a wonderful quote, Cranky Yankee!
Lovely post! It is indeed easy to forget about the people who make events run properly (or at all).
Thank you so much for multiple shots of the charming, charming pig. :)
What a wonderful day: surrounded by beautiful dogs, horses, and that darling pot-bellied piglet. A grand time had by all! --Holly in PA
In the days of sail, especially in the early U.S. Navy, sailing masters were not quite commissioned officers, but not ordinnary seamen, either. They would be akin to what we call warrant officers today. Back then, they would have been responsible for seeing that the men in the foretops got out the sheets, according to the commands of the ship's captain. They would also supervise the maintenance of the hull by the seamen and bosun's mates.
The uniforms utilzed by this musical team are actually very accurate for the times represented and I was happy to see that they went to such trouble to preserve their history so faithfully.
All of those animals made me smile! I only wish my dog would allow me to put clothing on him. Even though I promise to keep it tasteful, he never goes for it.
This post reminds me of a quote - and I wish I could track it to its source but I can't remember where I read it, perhaps in a book about Sister Parish? - about the Dark Harbor dog show.
Islesboro: where the people have dog names and the dogs have people names.
;O)
.."the Christmas season officially began, not with a bang but with a whimper. And a bark. And a lot of wags"
.......and a lot of WASPS!
I am partial to the bulldog and the pig.
It's great to see such a nice variety of dogs. I get tired of seeing nothing but Labradoodles in my neighborhood.
@muffyaldrich Looking very Grace Kelly-esque in those Wayfarers
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