I'm still here, honest!

I was delaying posting because I was going to put up the pictures from May day, but there were so many of them and I've been so busy...argh. And so there have been quite a few days go by without a post, which really was not my intention. But all's been pretty good on the home front. Just busy.

I may yet get them up today. Although again, I have much to do. But I just wanted to poke my head again and say yes, I'm here.

I went to see a performance that Delia was in at her school, '8,' about the trial Perry v. Schwarzenegger which one of the students put on as part of his senior project. Delia played one of the expert witnesses. It was well done, and the audience discussion afterward was lively.

Delia has a summer job! She got it through the Step Up program here in Minneapolis, which is how she got her summer job last year. She will be working with a center for printmaking as an education intern; they partner with schools and the community to teach the process of printmaking. This is very exciting for her because she's thinking of a career in graphic design. She'll get about twenty hours of work a week. She's also lined up a yardwork job and some babysitting, so she'll be very busy this summer.

Fiona has caught up on her sleep and has now been home long enough to be very bored. She still needs a job. She's been looking, but nothing yet.

May Day pictures, belatedly

May Day was late this year, due to the rain date cancellation, and I am even later posting my pictures. But here they are. I no longer have my parade book so cannot give you much commentary on the intended meaning behind many of the characters, some of them very strange, that marched in the parade. But as Terry Garey once remarked (and this sort of a hazy paraphrase based on my memory of an email she sent out about the parade once years ago), it all sort of boils down to the same thing every year: good conquers evil because it's nicer.

The parade and ceremony seemed so much more successful to me this year than last year, mostly because of the weather. Whereas last year it felt we were unable to banish the gloom from the park, this year's weather was warm and marveleous. It almost felt that all our work was done before the parade even started. We found a good spot near our usual location, at the point where the parade turns from Bloomington Avenue to head for Powderhorn park. Here's Fiona with a couple of her friends (Delia had wandered off to meet up with several of her own friends).






Pictures follow. Lots of pictures.

( The parade begins )

( The Tree of Life is carried in the parade, shrouded )

( I loved the big cranes )

( With my interest in the heart of flesh/heart of stone theme, I was happy to see the heart here )

( Stiltwalkers appear throughout the parade, always traditional )

( Sloths appeared in the parade to remind us to slow down and smell the flowers )

( Yes, at the May Day parade we have violins in the marching band )

( All the floats in the parade are human-powered )

( Community May poles )

( Part of the South American dancer contingent )

( One of the four horses representing the four winds, I think )

( More marchers )

( The May Day parade keeps community front and center )

( Marching bees )

This may be my favorite picture of the day. It says it all:





( One thing I enjoy about the parade each year is that it's so colorful )

( After the parade ended... )

( We headed to the park to picnic and watch the ceremony. Here's the sun, preparing to be rowed across the lake )

( And when the sun finally arrives on the opposite shore )

( The Tree of Life miraculously rises up to bless the community )

Happy May Day!