vettecat | A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Today was Patriot's Day (I have to remind myself sometimes that it's a state holiday, and not everyone knows about it). It's also the day of the Boston Marathon. The weather was unseasonably warm, which was nice for the spectators, but I'm sure it was hard on the runners. Since the Marathon goes right by our store, we always go outside to watch the first few runners go by. (We can usually predict when that will be - the pace is pretty consistent.) It's a really nice community event. Kind of like a parade, but without the floats. People line both sides of the street, cheering as the runners go by, even though they're total strangers. You can tell where the runners are by the wave of sound. It's pretty cool to think that for the full 26.2 mile route, the runners hear people cheering them on. A band sets up on the corner opposite our store (Shriners, I think) and adds to the festive atmosphere.

mabfan had the day off, so he joined us for a while. We sat on the stairs of the building next door and ate gumdrops as we watched the crowds. Until the phone started ringing and it was time to go back inside... but it was a nice interlude.