Pride

I was trying to figure out why exactly I hadn't participated in the Pride parade here before; in 2008 I would have been down at Tassajara before the fire, and then last year I was in London for Pride weekend - which I mainly remembered because Simon just passed on an Independent which had listings for this year's event. The friends I was staying with live right in the middle of town, so we walked down to Soho as crowds milled happily around the streets and everyone else drank a lot of beer at the end of a warm afternoon, before we went back to watch more of the World Cup.
After dark, this was the view from the living room:

On the rainbow theme, I like this picture better, which has been used a few times around Zen Center, and was on the flyer we were handing out today. I confess that when I took it, I was mainly thinking about the colour and light, and not of the apt shape of the window:

 

Tova gave the talk yesterday, and one of the things I took away from it was that it was great to be able to celebrate the progress that has been made in fighting oppression on various fronts on the last forty years. Taking part in the parade today, with a great contingent from all parts of Zen Center, I had the feeling that everyone was special - the spectators just as much as the participants - and it was wonderful just to be there for that feeling. In a way, it felt hardly any different from being at the Giants' parade at the end of last year.
There was a lot of waiting around before we got underway. We did a service with the Lovingkindness Meditation when we thought we were about to leave, which felt nice and solid, but then we were still sitting there a couple of hours later, parked between a troupe of Colombian dancers and a Rocky Horror Show float. Everyone roused themselves once we started, and just being able to walk along Market Street in the midst of the huge crowds was completely exhilarating.
I promised people I would get some pictures up, so here is the preliminary selection:

Fixing up the banner

Daigan dresses the Buddha

Blanche on the truck - she sat for a very long time

Issho waits

Down Market St

Behind the banner

Dancing Devas at the head of the procession