Brooklyn, a Couple of Slugs, and No Mermaids

We are both so tired from our travels and I think the excitement of what we're doing that we arrived at my mother's house (that's what we who grew up in apartments call our apartments) and have become a couple of slugs.  Today, our second day here, we hung around the house in the morning, went out for lunch at a local diner, took hour-long naps, and then deserted my mother to walk the mile to Starbuck's to get online again.  My poor mother must think we're the most boring people around. 

A SHOT THIS EVENING OF THE RESTORED BRIGHTON BEACH AVENUE
SUBWAY STATION (THE EL... SHORT FOR ELEVATED) AT OCEAN PARKWAY.

This is a big holiday weekend (July 4th, Independence Day), and my mother lives within walking distance of the boardwalk and a very busy beach resort.  So, I don't think we'll be doing much for the next couple of days except avoiding the crowds.  (I'll think like a New Yorker here and also mention that I don't want to give up our good parking spot because we may not find another until Monday night.)  It might be fun, though, to take a walk along the boardwalk tomorrow and get shots of the holiday crowds in Coney Island.  Too bad we missed the annual "Mermaid Parade" in late June.  That's a tradition that began in 1981, but I didn't know about it until we stumbled on it during a stroll to Nathan's (for hot dogs) while here for my mother's birthday in 2007.

MERMAIDS ON THE SUBWAY.  SO, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE "REAL" MERMAIDS.
(I FOUND THIS SHOT ON THE WEB FROM THE 2011 MERMAID PARADE.)