Today 100's of 1,000's of people descended on Santa Barbara to partake in one of SB's annual events, known as the Solstice Parade. Those of you who know me know it has been a tradition to stake claim to a curb well in advance...OK the evening before, as soon as we're allowed to put down chairs. Years ago there were a few of us who would creep out to State St at 5am to assure ourselves a front row seat...but those days are over! Now the chairs start to go up around 4pm Friday afternoon...by 7pm there no spots to be found!
This year our neighbor, Mary Price was an artist in residence for the parade, which entails weeks and weeks of planning and creating a float for the parade and hours and hours of labor intensive preparation....I helped her one day with some paper mache'...note I said ONE day...not much help am I?
So as the Big Day approaches...let's say, about a week ago, it starts to get REALLY HOT!! Many of you know that AC is not a common appliance in SB....maybe at Von's and Macy's but not at my house!!!! Well, back to my story...
Every day I am thinking of poor Mary working tirelessly in the heat of the warehouse that has no AC, to build this float that she will be Merrily (get it? Mary...Merrily) following down State street in the now predicted 90+ degree weather....the theme of the parade is Solar Flare....how'd they know? So I asked her the other day how it was going...she told me the float was done (the float was a HUGE satellite dish with someone dressed up like Sputnik (how does one dress like Sputnik?) and other satellites dancing around it) and that they were now trying out costumes and the silver paint they were going to cover the exposed parts of their bodies with...
I want you to imagine for a moment standing on asphalt in 95 degree weather, the sun 'flaring' all over you, with a large paper mache sphere around your torso, your skin painted silver....and dancing around for 2 hours....hmmmm.
Today 100's of 1000's of people descended on Santa Barbara to partake in one of SB's annual events known as the Solstice Parade.
It was 70+ degrees all night last night, couple that with hot-flashes and you get...NOT SLEEP....at 4pm on friday it had not yet cooled down to 70, I was at home with some sort of cooling device (ice pack). At no time on friday was I on state St. claiming curb space. I awoke with my family, at, I don't know, let's say 7ish this morning, poured my coffee, fed and watched the fish in the pond....at no time did the thought enter my mind to join the now swelling crowds downtown. It was approaching 90 by 9am.
The parade generally starts at noon, we were out the front door 5 minutes past...no chairs, no coolers, just water and sunscreen. It was now 92 degrees.
Some people will tell you that there is no humidity in Santa Barbara...I would have been one of them in the past. We parked 4 blocks from State street and walked ..... we arrived on State St. 4 blocks from the beginning of the parade and the very 1st float was just passing, we stood in the shade of the Wendy Foster storefront and watched the first few groups go by.....ahhhh the shade...ooo those folks on the curb looked pretty hot! aww the shade...Oh did I mention we could see the parade just fine? Cuz, those hot folks on the curb just sit there in that solar flare and we see fine over the top of them!
So soon we see a HUGE satellite dish approaching...it was rather impressive...it was HUGE!!! and I look to see my neighbor and her group dancing Merrily with NO SILVER PAINT!!!!! Man.....I didn't know if I should be proud or disappointed?!?
Well I must say, they don't make Hippies like they use to...no one in the entire procession had body paint on!....OK there were a few with heavy robes and masks, but I think they had AC under those garbs???!!!
So we have all learned alot his year thanks to Global Warming....I enjoyed the parade so much more, arriving in a timely manner and standing in the shade (then going to see "Get Smart" in the AC theater), no chairs to carry, just a bottle of water and sunscreen....and apparently the Hippies learned that body paint is the stupidest thing you could put on your body when its 95 degrees outside ON THE ASPHALT in the Solar Flaring parade.
I didn't take any pictures.
OBTW I hate hot weather.
Have a nice day. Happy Summer.
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