It has been awhile.
We are settled into winter. It is damply and unpleasantly cold this week, and the cold seems to bother me more in drafty old Grey Gardens. We have plans to pump a whole lot of insulation in, but first there is some rewiring, which will result in part from the bathroom remodeling we have yet to do, which in turn relies on switching the bedroom with the TV room, which in turn relies on getting some windows fixed, etc.--all of which relies on us coming up with the money and time for all of the above. It's the house that Jack built, in reverse.
So we are in the grey winter doldrums. But when I get aweary, I think of the great things. For instance, Gary's brand new granddaughter, and a possible trip to Copenhagen for a conference (which I will extend in one or another delicious direction) next summer, and, very soon, the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade, where I get to dress up like an idiot and gleefully throw plastic crap at people begging for it and be completely irresponsible for a whole day. This year on or float we have to be vikings. I'm working on it.
Here we are a few years back
The icon of Spanish Town, an old neighborhood in downtown BR, is of course the pink flamingo. As you might be able to tell from the float, the tone of the parade is risqué--down and dirty, also much political satire--the year after Katrina was hugely cathartic. The parade has resisted commercialization, and all the profits from the Spanish Town ball and parade fees go to charity. It's pretty darn pure, and I adore it. It's also ballooned since I've lived here. There are many traditions that attend it and lead up to the parade; one of my favorites is the "flocking" of the University lakes: giant plywood flamingos show up around town on roofs, in people's yards, and always in the lakes during the night several weeks before the parade, and after that people try to get them out, using boats.
While we're on pink things, here's the latest photo of Addison Louise.
