Squeaker and I went on a road trip this weekend. Given her attachment to hearing the Daddy person sing his old college songs, I thought it was about time that she got to hear the band play and watch the Keydets march. Since she asks about my students every night at bedtime (out of a genuine interest in them and in delaying my departure) I thought we would go to graduation together too. So we packed up an extra bow tie for me and a skirt for Squeaker and made a weekend of it.
Saturday was hot enough to melt little girls (let alone the big boys and girls in grey wool), so Squeaker did not enjoy waiting for the parade. Once they got started, she forgot about the heat, and throughly enjoyed it when the band marked time a few feet away from her. She was disappointed that the band didn't play the Spirit or the Doxology.
After the parade we walked to the second college on the tour, or more accurately through the second college, on our way to our real destination, an ice cream shop the Daddy person has frequented since the Gipper (Honorary '40) lived in the White House. Sustained by a cup of blue raspberry, I suggested that Squeaker should be able to walk all the way back to the car by herself. She shot back, "No, I need two cups of ice cream to be able to walk all the way back to the car."She did make it most of the way back to the car, but slept her way to the next college in the tour.
The Daddy person prepped well for graduation, we had a drawing pad, a blanket, and a shady spot far enough away from the action that a little girl's comments and questions wouldn't disturb people too much. It was a nice cool morning (at least in the shade) and she had fun observing the rituals and musical interludes of graduation. The awarding of the degrees was fun because we played the guess-what-her-name-starts-with-so-how-long-do-we-have-left-game. Squeaker did well with it and left with an understanding of where she would be in her procession, as well as with a strong desire to "get some awards".
The biggest surprise for the Daddy person was that when we finally got in the car and headed home on Sunday, Squeaker expressed a strong desire to go to another graduation. I think this was at least partly fueled by the fact that there was a ready supply of chocolate covered strawberries (the size of her fist) at the graduation...
Have a good week. If the rain ever stops we might get back into the woods for a camping trip.
