Continuing from the previous posts...

The last of the photos from the trip to Baltimore & DC! April 4th was the Cherry Blossom Festival and Parade in Washington. I took up my spot at the corner of Constitution Ave & 14th St around 9:55am, and the parade began at 10:00am. This wasn't the best spot to choose, as it was just a block from the reviewing stand, so all of the bands were taking a breather before their big performances. The parade was OK. Not spectacular. The usual run of clowns, costumes and high school marching bands, but also quite a few famous faces!

Oh, in the middle of the street, was a sign, mounted on one of those damage-resistant flexible plastic post, that indicated that cars should stop for people in the crosswalk. The marching bands had to try to walk around it while staying in their neat rows. When they approached it, they looked confused, as if they had not been warned about it. It was pretty funny.

The flags of the Cherry Blossom Festival and the city of Washington, DC.

United States Marine Corp Band.

The redcoats, wondering when the war will end...

Soldiers marching.

Alex Trebek, grand marshal of the parade. He looks older in person than on television.

Southwest Airlines was the primary sponsor of the festival, and had a nifty airplane float.

Horses and cowboys / cowgirls always seem to make it into parades. So that they didn't leave a lingering presence, a cleanup guy followed them with a shovel and trash can.

Thelma Houston, disco diva.

From my own state of Nevada, the Elko High School Band.

A flutist in some unidentified marching band.

A big-headed President Lincoln, one of the mascots (I think) for the Washington Nationals.

Another big-headed mascot, President Roosevelt.

Yet another big-headed mascot, President Washington.

I'm not sure exactly who these ladies were, but they look like lesbians with drums.

Tuba player in an unidentified marching band.

Navy JROTC boys and girl carrying a banner. I felt sorry for them, as their hats kept flying off in the blustery wind.

A unknown boy with the Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko, the Ryukyu Kingdom Festival Drums.

This may be a mascot for something, but I have no idea what. People in the crowd around me kept referring to it as the Geico gecko, which it may be. It doesn't much look like the one on TV, but nothing ever does.

The Cherry Blossom Queens float had some unidentified ladies upon, with sashes and ribbons and evening dresses. I suppose they won some beauty contest. The float was accompanied by someone carrying the flag of my home state, South Carolina. It's possible that one of the chicks was from SC. I don't know. Our flag is pretty though!

The Cherry Blossom Queens float.

The Cherry Blossom Queens.

One of the more entertaining groups to march in the parade was this troupe of young unicyclist.

The oldest of the unicyclist was this guy, who also had the largest unicycle. It had three wheels, so I'm not sure if it's still a unicycle.

Shave The Whales! Every parade has at least one clown.

This one had at least two...

Bagpipers. I don't remember hearing them play, though.

Kimberley Locke, of American Idol.

Trombone player in an unidentified marching band.

A dog and girl.

Drummer in an unidentified marching band.

I'm sure this is very common with marching bands, but this was the first time I'd seen it. This lady went around with a bottle of water, squirting a bit into the open mouths of the marchers. Little chicks waiting for their regurgitated food. That's all I could think about!

Bert, Ernie and The Count, from Sesame Street.

Elmo and his blonde bitch, from Sesame Street.

The Easter bunny rode in style in a white horse-drawn carriage bedecked with flowers.

One of the strangest acts of the morning was this group of rollerskating superheros. Accompanying them was a lady in a van with a megaphone, shouting things like, "You go Wonder Woman! Obama Man! Flex those muscles!" Ever pictured The Flash as an out-of-shape middle-aged black man on wheels? Here he is.

You go Wonder Woman!

The rollerskating pimp!

Yet another oddity... Obama Man.

I nearly died from laughter when I saw who was tailing the all-black superhero gang: Southern Belles! Was that planned?? Ha!

Thus ended the 2009 Cherry Blossom Parade.

My friend James took me skydiving this past Saturday, at Skydive Las Vegas, in Boulder City. It was the first time for both of us, and it was fantastic! I wish the freefall had been a little longer, but cloud cover prevented us from jumping from a higher elevation. It sure gets your heart pumping to see the ground racing up at you at Ferrari speeds. Even so, my hands were freezing!

Continuing from the previous post...

I've combined days 3 and 6. I took none on day 5, and day 4, the Cherry Blossom Parade, I'll post seperately.

Day 3: The Hotel

I rode the train down to DC on the third day of the trip, and checked into the Washington Marriott at Wardman Park. It's the largest hotel in the city, with 1,300 rooms. I only stayed in one of them.

Room #3010.

I was a bit disappointed that there was no free internet, there was no refrigerator (despite the cabinet for it), and that when I called to get the code for the safe, nobody ever came to give it despite their promise to "send somebody up right away." The pros: excellent location, comfortable rooms, well maintained facilities, beautiful lawn, at a great price. And this data port thing...

The view from my room, looking southeast.

Day 6: The Tidal Basin

Due to rain and crowds, I didn't take a whole lot of photos on the trip. The light drizzle on the morning of my last day in DC kept some of the people away from the monuments, and I was able to take a few photos. They're all pretty crappy. I'm sleep, so no individual captions. It's the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and cherry trees around the tidal basin. You can figure it out.