Sunday, June 19th

The art of Glen Hanson

PRIDEFEST

Sunday Pride.... The bars are all decorated with flags, banners and balloons. There are balloon arches on two corners and things look festive, but the streets are relatively quiet. To quote an article written in The Whiz Magazine June 16, 2005, "debauchery is more important than equal rights. The less money you have to spend on Pride, the more you have to spend on Decadence." Sad, yes but so New Orleans! Today was the birthday brunch at the Court of Two Sisters. Live Jazz was playing while we enjoyed a varied selection of brunch items. I had a "pick me up" bloody mary, an omelet, pate, peel and eat shrimp, crawfish pasta, sausage, and bread pudding. The food was great and the selections too varied to try everything. On the way back, we stopped by a couple of art galleries where I purchased three small prints and a tee shirt for my sister. then proceeded to the French Market and the adjoining flea market where Tim and I both picked up gift items including the ever popular vodoo dolls. I brought my purchases back to the guest house and finally set off for the Quarter and the Pride festivities.The parade began at 5:00 PM. Tim wanted to catch the parade at Rawhide but I preferred staying on Bourbon Street. The parade itself was small but the beads were flowing freely and the crowd was enthusiastic. It was difficult to photograph because the beads just kept coming from all over the place. After the parade, I stayed on Bourbon Street to socialize, and had a few drinks outside of the Bourbon Pub. I went back to my guest house early, rested and watched television until 10:00 AM and went out again. Bourbon Street was quiet and the clubs were relatively empty. I wasn't even in the mood for a drink, I've got the "I don't want to go home tomrrow" blues) so I took a walk thru Jackson Square and headed back to the guest house.