Multitudinous

This weekend featured a wedding ceremony of two of our bandmates, who hired the marching band to play their processional and recessional music, two of the tunes we played all marching season. It was our shortest parade of the year, and very enjoyable. The ceremony moved me most when the grandfather of one of the brides stood up and spoke in their honor. This man was probably in his late 80's, and could have been a close-minded old fart like so many of his generation, but his words were elegant, intelligent, accepting, and above all, loving. I almost cried. (I'm not a big fan of wedding ceremonies). The brides skipped away, and as we finished playing, the spectators called for encores. I thought "Ladies' Night" would be fun, but they got "Copacabana" instead. After the reception, we flew to the remainder of the band's annual greeting picnic, where two other friends had brought their bocci set. I like this game immensely; it's impossible or at least pointless to be intensely competitive during its course, and the game's so random in its development and minimal structure. What a sweet end to a fine day.

Solitudinous

Strange quiet week, with beloved spouse off paddling in the great north waters; family members arrived for part of the weekend, and we were able to celebrate one's birthday with sushi and gelati. Taken in appropriate order, since that combination sounds a bit weird. As someone quipped, summer fell on a weekend this year, and we had a warm evening to stroll with our frozen desserts. They are gone back to the great potato state, where school starts on Monday morning for some; seems inhumane. We'll cruise out the rest of the season.

Flight of the season

Whatever it is; we've already hit the numerical dead center of summer, but it seems later. Outlook cloudy, try again later.

VanGroovin'

Swell weekend up to Vancouver, B.C., for our band's final parade of the season; it was a humdinger, with hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the streets and cheering as we passed by, once we got going after waiting for two hours to join the procession. The night before, we watched amazing fireworks over a nearby bay; unfortunately they are sponsored by Big Nicotine, have been for years.
After the parade, we took a long walk around Stanley Park, along the seawall; along the eastern side, it was quieter, less crowded, and we were lucky to see several river otters swimming along or hunting for delectables below the tideline along the wall.
Vancouver's a very dense and expensive place, and the crowds got old for me, but we had a swell mini-vacation.