Good Times Never Seemed So Good

What a great day for a parade! Perfect fall weather, with blue skies and mild temperatures, plus my boss gave us her blessing to go ... it all worked out perfectly. And the parade itself was awesome. I headed down to Copley Square around 11 to meet up with Nina, staked out my place in front of 545 Boylston St. (not too far from where I was in 2004), and was ready for when the Sox came rolling through. I thought the parade would lose something without the water component, but I have to say, the second the duckboats got to Copley Square — coincidentally, the same time as when the sun moved to be right in the way of some picture-taking — and the crowds went crazy, I forgot there was anything lacking.

It was so cool, so exciting, so loud, so great out there. I had a blast. I even cheered for Dice-K. And when the boats passed us by, I didn't want the experience to end, so Nina and I separated and I darted up along the route, down Boylston, along the Four Seasons hotel, and up through the Common to right in front of the movie theater. There were a ton of people out there, but somehow I was able to be quite nimble and weave through the crowds.

Anyway, I got plenty of pictures of the day, though none, really, of Mike Lowell or Youk, and in all my photos of Beckett you can't see his face. But I got a ton of Jacoby Ellsbury and Bobby Kielty, and enough of Tina Cervasio to last me all through the winter. About two and a half hours after I left, I returned to the office a very happy guy. It was certainly difficult to concentrate the rest of the afternoon. Some folks I work with were bummed that they couldn't get out of the office to check it all out, but I told them not to worry — they'll just go next year.

I suppose the real bummer of it all is how quickly the whole thing went. The Sox just won the World Series on Sunday night at midnight, and by 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, the parade was over. There was hardly any time to let it all sink in, or for long distance members of the Nation (like my friend Rebecca) to get to town. Personally, I wish the parade had been on Thursday, not just because I have the day off from work, but because then the celebration could last a little longer. But these last couple weeks sure were fun while they lasted. There were ups and downs, but mostly ups. And frankly, I can't wait to do it all again a year from now. Go Sox! (And if you're interested, here's a link to my other parade photos.)