MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

A lot of people march with the People's Joy Parade but some prefer rotation. The apparatus in the second picture looks like fun - if you are young and strong.             

MADELEINE MONDAY

Pictures will go back and forth for a while between the People's Joy Parade and the Cinco de Mayo festival.

Ellie likes face painting but often what's available is very basic. However, at the festival we met an extraordinary makeup artist, Debra Filipelli, https://www.facebook.com/debrafilipellic/photos?lst=842012312%3A1063685161%3A1557090501 . Her range of skills is exceptional.

The kid loved it. She wanted her mom to text her teacher and ask if she could wear it to school on Monday. Um, no.            

Freude, schöner Götterfunken

Don't know how many years it's been going on or if the Cinco de Mayo street party tacked onto it or the other way around. It's one of the reasons why I like living in STL. Some local artists cooked up an everybody-has-a-good-time freestyle parade, the People's Joy Parade. It heads east on funky Cherokee Street precisely at 1:11 PM (no idea why but it's a tradition). Nobody tries to sing Beethoven, which would be great for the theme except you can't march to it. Since the occasion is loosely Mexican, everyone strides off to Cielito Lindo. 

The cast of characters is engaging. We will meet more of them.             

AND THEY MEAN IT

Big Muddy is on a big rise. This was the scene in Laclede's Landing yesterday afternoon. It's been raining a lot in the region and some towns upstream are in serious danger. A distance beyond the water line here is a street with sidewalks on both sides and a cobblestone levee that is usually uncovered for some way down. The forecast is for more rise until Monday.

 

I have worked a short distance from the Mississippi for more than 40 years. I believe that it breathes, but oh so slowly - in and out, up and down. Right now it's doing a big inhale, swelling its chest. The circle continues. 

VIOLA AND PIANO

There was an intermezzo of sorts during the folkloric dance show seen earlier. Two women played selections of classical music that I did not recognize. From a distance I thought the one in the center was playing a violin, perhaps in its lower registers. Using my long telephoto lens I now see that it was a viola. The coordination and expression were excellent.            

Elegance

Our Chinese festival has a parade every year. It was smaller this time and I wonder if there were dropouts due to the rainy morning. This group of women, though, projected elegance and style. Their costumes made me think of spring and new flower shoots.              

CITY DAILY PHOTO MAY THEME DAY - PURPLE

Well, I don't have any pictures handy of something purple - it's not my color -  and I'll be damned if I'm going to post a pretty purple flower. I came up with this idea when I saw a coaster in a local restaurant called Big Sky Cafe. You can see other City Daily menbers blends of red and blue at http://cdpbthemeday.blogspot.com/

It occurs to me that I must relate to Jimi Hendrix about the way my parents related to, say, Tommy Dorsey. All things must pass.