Cole and I join the crowd to watch the DC Fourth of July parade.

Fourth of July includes lots of fun and patriotism in the Capital. No better place to celebrate on our day off. We started the day off at the parade. The sun poured down on us as we watched band march, float riders wave and dancers shuffle down Constitution Avenue. We stood right in front of the National Archives.

George Washington waves.

Lots of cultures join in the celebration.

Tweedy Bird spins down the street.

These boys were part of a huge group with costumes, hats and boot bells.

After the parade, we classed it up and went to the National Gallery of Art. While we are not art buffs, we did enjoy it and found the Leonardo da Vinci. It's the only one here in America. There is so much art to see though, so we didn't get through it all before it closed. We will just have to go back sometime.

After sweltering in the sun, we stepped inside the National Gallery of Art.

Back out in the sun, we got tired so we stopped at the basin to rest with the ducks.

Cole rests on the stone wall in the shade with me.

The ducks swim around and catch bugs.

We had a nice view of the Washington Memorial from our resting spot.

Finally, after walking all the way around, we made it over to the Lincoln Memorial. So many people agreed this wold be a great place to watch the fireworks from.

Good seats.

Cole's face illuminates as the fireworks explode.

They lit fireworks from the edge of the Reflecting Pool. You could see them shooting right out of the base.

White fireworks explode over and over again.

To avoid the rush, we checked out the Lincoln Memorial. Shadows play across the back of the memorial.