It's a Squirrel!

Each summer, the town of Claremont, California gussies itself up for its 4th of July celebration. There's even a competition amongst locals to see who can decorate their house the best. Amelia and I frolicked about the town, posing for photos in front of our favorites. We were particularly intrigued by this home:

The house had a cute arrangement with children of different ethnicities playing together. Though we found it cliched, we were particularly taken by the figure between the Native American and the Hawaiian. With all of these children, why is there a squirrel in the mix? And why is it playing a drum? After joking about the squirrel for a while, we dismiss it as someone's silly vision of patriotism: individuals of different races and... and species coming together to celebrate the country's indepedence.

Upon closer inspection, however, Amelia made an interesting discovery. That thing we were so certain was a squirrel turned out to be a black kid.

We laughed and laughed and laughed, and then felt a little horrible about it. I swear, that is only the second time in my life I have mistaken an African American child for a squirrel.