UMTravels

I was correct about the long day.

Dan I were out of the house and to the shop before 8am — Lisa is down with a bit of the flu — really bad timing, guess it’s really a good thing that I’m here. The rest of the staff starts rolling in at 8 and we start assembling the booth that they use for their presence at the Saturday Market in St. Pete which closes down for the summer due to the heat (and lack of tourists, who are all in Seattle, except me).

Mostly open by 9 with the parade starting around 10am. Turns out St. Pete Pride is the largest gay pride parade in Florida — but only in it’s fifth year. The scuttlebutt is that Orlando’s is smaller but better organized — must be all those gay boys and girls who work for Disney. 

Had a banana and coffee at the house, had a iced chai and a bagel before we opened, and a pork rib sandwich for lunch — good, but odd. Imagine two pieces of white bread (that part isn’t odd — it’s the south) with three pork ribs (and their bones still on) between them. But Gilli’s does a great job. Bought Dan lunch after we sprinted between floats.

First part of the parade went fast, then it dwindled into a float every five minutes. We shut down the booth and shop at four — got it packed up and back in the warehouse and headed home.

Highlight of the afternoon — handing out the bamboo towelettes that had been soaked in ice water for people necks — I got an offer of marriage and several invitations for other things (which usually involved their partner as well).

Haven’t a clue what dinner or the evening will bring. Both Dan and I are whipped. Flip-flops don’t provide much arch support. Lisa is still feeling under the weather.

Time for another Gin and Tonic.