Tiny Adventures: The Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade
Ever since we moved to the canals, we’ve been attending the annual holiday boat parade, which is my favorite neighborhood event of the year.
In the past, we’ve decorated bridges for the occasion, and in recent years we’ve begun participating in the parade from within our canoe.
This year we didn’t dress a bridge, but we did reuse two oversized peace sign wreaths (made of vines) we had on-hand.
Adam joined the wreaths to the front and rear of the canoe with the gripping poles from our over-the-table iron rod, and added two strands of rechargeable battery-operated twinkle lights. They were sweet and simple. (One sign eventually toppled over in the strong wind, but that provided us with a better view anyway!)
The boat parade is a charmingly homespun affair, as there are no motors allowed on these waterways and the collective mood is more of the attraction than the actual floats.
That’s one of the things I love so much about this event. It’s just so.… Venice.
This post includes some photos I captured this year, along with shots of our canoe snapped by my friend Sara Toufali of Black and Blooms, who rode in tandem with us in a boat generously loaned to us by a neighbor.
Here’s to those who showed up to cheer each other on, sing out in unison, and embrace the wildly creative spirit of our lil’ beachside community.
Our Youngest Resident Turns 2
And just like that, the youngest resident of the Cottage turned 2.
As with every major celebration here at home, we tried to center the events around each other and our shared experience, rather than tilting the focus towards “stuff.” However, a few days before West’s birthday, we received a beautiful, handmade, folding (and thus space-savvy) climbing ladder and board from Wiwiurka Toys, and it rightfully (and delightfully) stole the show.
Other than enjoying the new climbing gym, we spent most of the day slowly rolling the cargo bike through the nearby, annual Abbot Kinney Festival, reading “new” library books, and paddling down the canals during sunset.
Instead of buying new books for West and wrapping them in disposable paper, I decided to borrow a stack of books from the county library, and bundle them up in one of my scarves. This gift didn’t cost a penny, it produced no waste, and was every bit as fun for West to unwrap, discover, and dive into as a pricey gift in specialty wrappings. (And the books will spark happiness for weeks.)
West was also given some musical greeting cards from our family members. We love these because they keep our squirmy son entertained during diaper changes.
Our sunset paddle was a particularly gorgeous one— the sky was thick with layered gold and pink clouds. After floating home, West ate a slice of pumpkin pie (in lieu of a birthday cake), and he blew out a candle for the first time.
Happy birthday, lil’ West. Our love for you is beyond anything I could’ve ever possibly imagined.