Will people show up for a parade in the rain on a work day?

They will. If it's really coming down though, I won't. I'm comfortable if not too happy with that. Let the younger, better water proofed photographers attend.

You sure?

Not totally, but pretty close to it.

Later. The rain stopped and it looked as if it were clearing to the west discounting the nasty grey looking stuff far on the horizon. Was it more of the same coming in over San Francisco? Still, what the hell, on the bus and then BART to the Embarcadero to see what I might find of the Saint Stupid's Day Parade. Would Wavy Gravy show up? Would the Doggie Diner heads be in attendance?

No one had obviously arrived for the parade when I emerged from the Embarcadero BART station at eleven, so I walked to the Ferry building to take a quick look inside, a fair sized crowd so soon after a rain, so I left the building and walked toward the assembly area again to then find what I assumed to be one or two people who were indeed preparing for the parade. Just three or four people, so a short walk on to Noah's Bagels on Market to tarry over a toasted bagel and coffee, a walk back then to find people now arriving in earnest.

A good hour or so of walking about shooting, a hundred people or so in costume, some in costume by not wearing a costume, Wavy Gravy indeed holding court. So a good decision, a good session, the sun now out in earnest, a train arriving at the platform as I broke off from the parade to descend the BART station stairs, a bus pulling up to pick me up one minute after arriving in Oakland. I'd had the same luck now both ways: no fuss, no muss, no waiting on bus or train.

You really didn't think you were going to make it this morning.

True, but coming in and looking at the picture up top you'd have realized the rain had indeed stopped and I'd changed my mind.

Anyway, to work on the photographs before walking to the morning café for lunch around two (turkey and Swiss sandwich, Mango ice cream and a lemonade - too much, really, but I was hungry), a bus then back to the apartment. The bus was coming and I was tired.

Photographs again with the news running in the background for the rest of the afternoon. I really did want to shoot this thing and give thanks to the weather. Once you've done a few of these you really don't want to miss a year and leave a hole in the section.

Evening. I pretty much dropped the usual evening routine and worked on the photographs, more a compulsion, but a pleasant compulsion. That's the way it's always been. I skipped most of what I might have watched on television, got in maybe fifteen minutes on the guitar and spent the rest of the time with the photographs. Two sections, I'd say, they'll be ready tomorrow. Nothing great, but I'm happy enough with the outcome. Happy there was an outcome.