May Day

Today we went to the May Day Parade in Minneapolis.  Usually we are late to things, but I misread the information and we ended up being down there an hour and a half before the parade started so we decided to drive by the school where I use to teach. 

I couldn't believe it.  The concrete slab outside the school had been turned into an amazing playground.  We begged and begged for even a tether ball to no avail.  Not only that, but now they also have the most amazing rain garden.  Jim and Evan ended up finding a plastic bag and cleaning up all of the trash around the garden.  Mia made friends with to pre-teen Latina girls.  It cracked me up because she did the same thing when we thought we lost her in the Kennedy Space Center Rocket Garden.  By the time we had to leave, she had the girls pushing her on the swing, giving her a ride on a teeter totter and rocking her on a springy, toy horse.

We headed a few blocks west towards the parade route.  We stopped for some water and sunscreen (which I forgot thinking that we were late.)  We headed toward the end of the parade route so we could walk to the park for the post-parade celebration.  We walked up and got a great spot behind some older ladies who were organized enough to bring chairs.  They were among the few. And then we waited.  And waited and waited and waited because two things.  One: the May Day Parade is put on by artists, but also is hijacked by anarchists every year.  It's tradition that the group jumps in before the parade with their altered bicycles and political float.  Second: we were at the end of the parade route.  Pushing giant floats down a parade route takes a really long time.  The kids took to laying on the street.  They were hungry, hot and tired.  BUT, when the parade finally made it's way to us, they were enthralled.  It's hard not to be when you see three-story puppets, people in eccentric costumes (see extra photos,) and, most of all, a community of like-minded people celebrating what is right, just and beautiful in the world.

We decided not endure the long lines at the food carts and the long wait for the sun ceremony at the part.  Instead we stopped at a taco truck outside a convenience store, grabbed some treats and headed home.

As if the day wasn't already rejuvenating, nature decided to show us it's power and glory.  We had an intense hail storm followed by a DOUBLE rainbow!  It's hard to see the second arch, but if you look in the top, right corner of the photo, you can see a glimpse.

It was truly an amazing day.  I hope to add more photos when I get some time to edit them.  The end of the school year can be rough, but when you add the appointments for a broken arm and a whacked-out back, it's almost impossible to keep up with.