Red, White, and Blue on a Boat

Independence Day lived up to all its expectations with the annual village parade wending its circuitous new route along Coast Village and Hot Springs roads watched by colorful crowds, including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry holding his two-year-old daughter Lilibet.

Having played King George III with the late Santa Barbara Polo Club publicist Charles Ward as an imposing President George Washington in past years, this time I boarded the trolley of local realtor Adam McKaig, founder of the charity Adam’s Angels, along with One805Live founder Richard Weston-Smith and his bubbly wife Kirsten Cavendish, and uber snapper Fritz Olenberger and his wife Gretchen, and Donna Reeves, publicity whiz for the Old Mission.

Afterwards we headed to Via Vai in the Upper Village for beer, wine, pasta, pizza, and hot dogs.

In the evening I was off to the harbor with my trusty shutterbug Priscilla, still slowly recovering from a broken arm, to board PolarIIs, the 78-foot cruiser of former Santa Barbara Yacht Club commodore Roger Chrisman and his wife Sarah, who hosted 40 guests for a traditional barbecue on the stern, prepared by captain Johnny DeSalvo and crew member Allie Bessemer, while country music singer Phil Claypool, an old friend of the tony twosome, entertained before the 20-minute pyrotechnic display by Garden State Fireworks, sponsored by the Santa Barbara Waterfront Department with a concert by Spencer the Gardener beforehand.

Among those checking out the July 4 nautical fun were Kostis Protopapas, Caren Rager, Peter and Kathryn Martin, Gretchen Lieff, Ken Clement, Roberta Griffin, Michael Annese, Elsbeth Kleen, Laura Schlessinger, and Larry Harteck.