[Klondike]

The word concerning the upcoming Fremont Solstice Parade on Saturday is ominous on several fronts, and I expect that his will impact pic taking as well as the overall enjoyment of the event. First (and a perrennial concern) is the weather which at this point is still forecast to be dry, but is deteriorating by the hour and may end up cold and soggy, at least for a good part of the day. Second is that the painting party is expected to be more closed off than last year although it will be held in the same location. This should curtail photography somewhat.

And then thirdly and most depressing is the news I got today from Crispus that the Seattle Police Department has stated that they will issue tickets for nudity in Gasworks Park if riders do not dress immediately after the ride is over. No more hanging around naked and posing, etc. So what would the Fremont Parade be like without Gasworks Park? What would a wedding be like without a wedding cake? I mean, I am trying to picture this and also picture what a thread here would be like without pics of nudes on that grassy hill, and, well, maybe it doesn't mean as much to you as it does to me, but still it basically SUCKS! The alternative for me at any rate is to wade back into the hoards along the parade route and become just another sidewalk snapper, spewing out yet another gallery of nudes on bikes as they wiz by me in the blink of an eye. Am I looking forward to this? Well, it still beats sitting at home, I guess, so I would do it, but do it under protest maybe. Should I wear a T-shirt saying "Save the Gaswork Park Nudes" or something like that then? Anyway, so thats the outlook for Saturday as it stands now, and maybe the Seattle cops will stop taking lessons from Los Angeles cops next year and give us back the parade we all know and love. Because if they don't, Fremonts glory years may be behind us.

At any rate, lets put pics here, and hope things work out better than it sounds at this point in time. Really though, my greatest fear would be the "Los Angelesification" of Seattle politically, which is a very real possibility and is often what happens when wealth and a sense that those without it are having too much fun occur together. Heaven forbid anyone should have more fun than the ones with all the money! The good news in all this though is that the will of the nudes is still very strong here, and that last years record turnout may have prompted a lot of this. So we will see where this goes and if it has any impact on other events here in the NW. Its a bit soon to be sounding the death knoll.....

KLondike