Herein is the first of two summer vacation slideshows that I thought I might be able to post last week. However, I have been a busy unemployee lately. It isn't that I haven't had enough time, but that I haven't had enough time in one continuous chunk. Part of my busy-ness was making sure that the US Women's National Team won that World Cup thing to justify all that swagger.
This first gallery comprises photos from the Fremont Solstice Parade, held almost three weeks ago on a chilly Saturday in "Junuary." It contains no photos of the procession in which I participated, the nearly one thousand paint-clad cyclists and skaters who rolled down the parade route before the parade itself began. If you're curious, you can search on Flickr for Fremont Solstice Cyclists to find photos of nekkid humans on bikes and skateboards.
You'll find the other gallery here.
I present to you these 60 photos with minimal context or explanation. You can look at the pictures and form your own conclusions on what it all means. The context I will provide is that the Fremont Arts Council in its various incarnations has for 30 years staged these deliciously trippy parades through this artsy district just west of the University of Washington.
The FAC takes pains to remind the public that the Solstice Cyclists are a separate entity, and that the wheeled procession is not part of the parade. The organizers of the Cyclist group maintain friendly relations with the FAC mostly by following the FAC's rules and dictates, which purportedly exist for reasons of logistics and safety. This leads inevitably to some grumbling among the cyclist participants, along the lines of Why must we do A this year? Why can't we do B? We've done B for years, and it's never caused any problems. The two entities usually negotiate a satisfactory compromise.
The rules for entries in the parade are fairly simple, per the website:
This first gallery comprises photos from the Fremont Solstice Parade, held almost three weeks ago on a chilly Saturday in "Junuary." It contains no photos of the procession in which I participated, the nearly one thousand paint-clad cyclists and skaters who rolled down the parade route before the parade itself began. If you're curious, you can search on Flickr for Fremont Solstice Cyclists to find photos of nekkid humans on bikes and skateboards.
You'll find the other gallery here.
I present to you these 60 photos with minimal context or explanation. You can look at the pictures and form your own conclusions on what it all means. The context I will provide is that the Fremont Arts Council in its various incarnations has for 30 years staged these deliciously trippy parades through this artsy district just west of the University of Washington.
The FAC takes pains to remind the public that the Solstice Cyclists are a separate entity, and that the wheeled procession is not part of the parade. The organizers of the Cyclist group maintain friendly relations with the FAC mostly by following the FAC's rules and dictates, which purportedly exist for reasons of logistics and safety. This leads inevitably to some grumbling among the cyclist participants, along the lines of Why must we do A this year? Why can't we do B? We've done B for years, and it's never caused any problems. The two entities usually negotiate a satisfactory compromise.
The rules for entries in the parade are fairly simple, per the website:
☼ No printed words or logos: Please do not wear your team jersey or a t-shirt with words printed on it. We ask that you do not carry signage identifying your crew during the parade. Also, please do not pass out handbills or flyers to the crowds during the parade. Your group will be identified in our publications, website, and will be announced to the crowds as you pass by in parade.
☼ No live animals (except guide animals): Please leave your pets at home for this event. We ask that no animals join the parade for both safety and sanitation of the parade route.
☼ No motorized vehicles: We allow motorized vehicles for handicapped access only. Our parade is a human-powered parade!
☼ No actual weapons or fire: Safety first!
In no particular order, my favorite parade entries in this, the third Solstice Parade I've attended, are:
- the Alice in Wonderland group
- the Flying Spaghetti Monster (which I wound up explaining to a young mom with her toddler)
- the samba school
- the group from Extinction Rebellion
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