The Mermaid Parade, a fabulous time all around pt. 1

They said about a quarter of a million people would come.



I think at least that many, maybe more came. The above photo was taken from inside the F train, unfortunately through a dirty window... For those of you who don't know, that's Surf Avenue and Astroland in the background.

This is one of the first sights I saw. :) This happy Lady was one of the first picture I took.





The self-proclaimed Squid Boy was a favorite. As were the sea horses below.







There were marching bands being attacked by giant squids.



And accompanying flag girls.



Dead brides, and seamen.




And stinky fish. Yes, there really were dead fish in that tank. I was glad there was a strong breeze that day, and pitied the parade entrant behind him.



Stoic Captains and a first lady.



And cries of Joy!



They even had a fabulous accordian marching band. And yes, they were fabulous. Being the owner of a coupld accordian CD's I know. (don't ask)



It was a grand day altogether.



I have another few hundred photos to sort through before I have all my favorites up on flickr, but if you would like to see the first half that I've posted, then follow the links below. Just a word of caution, not all photos contain clothing, just paint and stickers of some sort... I've posted them in batches of thirty or so.

Mermaid Parade slideshow 1
Mermaid Parade slideshow 2
Mermaid Parade slideshow 3
Mermaid Parade slideshow 4

Enjoy,
-Bitter

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

I was driving The Awesome Co-Worker crazy. Or at least that's what I knew she was thinking, but didn't say. She didn't say it, because The Awesome Co-Worker happens to be super nice as well as being awesome.

All last week I vacillated between buying a camera and not buying a camera. On Thursday evening, I finally gave in and went shopping. Down to B&H I went, wallet in hand, debit card swiping. (So much for paying double on that one bill.) I've been happy as a clam ever since.

Here's a sample of what I've been up to. This one's probably my favorite. Which one's yours?

This one was particularly beautiful! All frothy white and goodness.

These cascading blossoms were breathtaking. I have another photo I'll post later in the week showing the drape of branches.

So whadayuthink? Was it money well spent? Scratch that. (The frugal ones in my family will say no.) Which one did you love?

-Bitter

Cherry Blossom Festival, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Just a short post tonight, I'm going to head off to bed early. What's that you say? It's already 10:00pm? Oh. I guess that means I'm going to head off to bed semi-early tonight.

I have been burning the candle at both ends all week long, and would love to sleep in tomorrow, but the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is calling. The annual Cherry Blossom Festival is this weekend and I'm going. (Before you rant that I spelled BBG, it really is Botanic, I checked twice.)

Although this will be my first time attending here in NYC, I've been to a Cherry Blossom Festival before. When I lived in Washington DC, I went twice. Loved it with a capital L.

So I did a little shopping yesterday...I won't tell you what I bought yet. I'm going to save it for a surprise on Monday, but I'll give you a hint. I've been salivating over one recently, and it starts with a C and ends with an N.

-Bitter