Uncharacteristic hours

I actually left the house by about 8:15, to drive over to a friend's house on a, uh, mission of something or other. I'd agreed to help her and her goddaughter paint their bodies for the annual Fremont Solstice Parade, a significant factor of which is hundreds of naked bicyclists. The goddaughter's boyfriend was there, too, but he and the girlfriend attended to his needs. he is German, and had a Viking helmet, and wound up looking like some kind of blend of Berserker and Where's Waldo. The women were green for the younger one, wine-colored for my friend, appropriate, as she loves a good Malbec, with silver and gold filigree custom-designed by moi.
I talked to her later, and it was fun, she said, to be in the midst of so many free spirits.
Should anyone be curious about this local tradaition of some twenty years, go to www.seattletimes.com and look for the Fremont Parade photos.