A few weeks ago, we went to the annual Boat Parade. We'd been hearing about it pretty much since we arrived, just like everything else that happens here. It's so small...even the tiniest flea market is BIG NEWS. And EVERYONE goes. So, the Boat Parade, being an actual event, obviously drew a crowd. And obviously, we went. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like...boats...parading. Except that they're all decorated with themes and Christmas lights. This year, there were 45 boats in the parade and though it was dark and difficult to see the actual boats themselves, I think that the smallest ones were probably no more than your standard dinghy and the largest ones were....well, multi-million dollar yachts. We found ourselves a seat in a park downtown, along with the rest of the population, and listened to Christmas music pumping over the loudspeakers until the parade started. The Aussie met us down there, and we were all set for the big show.

People were crammed in pretty tight along the waterfront and so I was fortunate enough to be sitting beside a particularly irritating 6 year-old, who was less than impressed with the wait. It was supposed to start at 6:30, but by 6:35 or so, when boats were still not appearing, she began rattling off her very astute observations about the tardiness in comparison with last year's prompt start, followed by an exasperated sigh and lament over how the boats probably wouldn't even be as good this year. By about 6:40, I was ready to shove her and her Crocs off the dock, but was saved by the timely appearance of Boat #1...the well-known-makers-of-rum's boat. When you're the biggest sponsor, you get to be #1. Apparently, there was a prize for "The Boat that Looks the Most Fun to be On", and though I didn't stick around long enough to see (or hear) the prizes handed out, I'm sure it won. I'm assuming being on the rum boat guarantees you just a little rum here and there, and by the time the boat got to us, the passengers were well on their way to a substantial law suit. It was awesome. Maybe not up to the high expectations of certain children awaiting a "realistic looking reindeer...FOR ONCE" (since apparently they ALWAYS look like just regular deer), but it certainly met all of my requirements for good times.