I bet Ben Franklin didn’t care that his sundial couldn’t tell the time at night. “Early to bed”, etc. Who needs to know that it’s 3 A.M. anyhow? No good ever came from that. I wonder what he would have said to Kina if she’d asked him? I have no idea why I picked Ben Franklin for this imaginary conversation. I think I was going for the Philly angle.

We’re back now. The traffic was atrocious, but the trip was great, great fun. Thanks to Laurea for arranging it, and for our little Center City apartment for the marble table.

The Parade is a little serendipity today, no real theme. It’s worth noting that the little queen at the bottom left is all Kina, traced from a bracelet we bought at Claire’s in the mall across from our apartment and filled in (nose and all) by our esteemed publisher. The leaves are Laurea’s, traced from real leaves that Kina, ever the vandal, plucked from a magnolia in the park.

BONUS!!!!! Someday, when they produce an archive of these Parades, they’ll find this on the back (without the ribbons, the bracelet from Claire’s, and the little green glass bean she stole from Rittenhouse Square). The whole royal family (King Daddy on the right) makes a showing on the reverse. The squiggle might be a cloud.

dad