a regular parade

when i was a kid, i spent a lot of time with my grandparents at their house out in hampton bays.  one summer day we were driving through town and we happened upon a parade.  there were baton twirlers and marching bands and guys from the local elks club, etc.  as we watched the parade go by we started to wonder what the reason for the parade was.  it wasn't memorial day or 4th of july or any of the other typical parade-inducing holidays.  then when my grandfather asked a passing policeman "what is this parade for?"  the policeman said, "oh you know, it's just a regular parade."  then the rest of the day we pondered what a "regular parade" was.

you may find it hard to believe, but every time we go to a south american country, the bolshevik and i are welcomed with a parade.  true story.  for instance, when we went to buenos aires last fall we were awoken the first morning by singing in the streets.  when we looked out our window we saw thousands of people parading down the main avenue, throwing flowers on the ground as they passed.   later we found out it was actually a funeral procession for a beloved folk singer who had recently passed away,  but why get caught up in the details?

anyway, today was our first day in lima and we had breakfast on this cute little garden cafe on the roof of our hotel.  we could hear marching bands parading down below.  when we walked to the main plaza we saw all these different groups of dancers and musicians in various costumes.  obviously, they knew we were coming.  south america hearts us.