Doth parade, thou knowest not, my dim witted friend, the picture thou hast made...

Okay, Pride 2009 photos. I've got 178 of them, a ridiculously large amount of just random cute guys. But then, for what other reason does one go to a Gay Pride celebration but to see hordes and flocks of random cute guys? I'll not be posting all of them (although it may well seem like it), so you don't have to wait hours for this post to load.

Oh, and one thing I meant to include in the write-up, when Laura and I ate on the way down, we had my traditionaly toast to my Fairy Godfather Mark, who helped me so much and went to many of these with me, and would like to be at this one too, but is living in Michigan and can't. And then we toasted AJ, cause after last year's parade, he made me promise I'd take him along to this year's...and I would have, if I could have. SoO even though AJ wasn't with us in body, he was definitely there in spirit.

And so, having totten that out of the way, here we go:



Prior to the Parade, while we all waited for it, I got a shot of some cute spectators.


And the guy in the hat and blue wife beater. I took to calling him Cute Tall Blonde Boy (heretofore known as CTBB) in my mind. We'll be seeing a lot more of him.


CTBB, from the back. Tall, lean, blonde, young....what more could you ask for?


Another spectator who saw me taking his photo. It seemed that that happened a LOT this parade. And each time, the person who saw me smiled afterwards, sometimes waved.


The parade always starts with a contingent from the police. There have a police liason to the gay community and even several open and out police officers. Each year, there's more and more of them walking in the parade. Here's two particularly cute ones.


And here's an older one, but still cute as well.


The grand marshall of the parade was Valerie Harper! Yes THAT Valerie Harper!!!!


How AWESOME was it for me to be THIS close to Rhoda??????


Two cute black guys with something painted on their chests. No I don't know what it says either.


Two cute Asians.


This little girl was on her daddy's shoulders through most of the parade. She got all kinda of candy just handed to her, as well as numerous beads. Even a banana from one drag queen. This particular driver stopped and held out an inflated ball for her, which she wouldn't take, but her mom did. She was just the cutest thing.


And there is mommy with the ball. Daddy was quite the hottie too.


Southwest Airlines always has a big float in the parade with all their gay employees participating. This year, they had drag queen stewardesses leading the float.


Eleanor Holmes Norton, DC non-voting member of the House Of Representatives. She's been in every parade I've ever been to and I've been doing to them for over a decade.


Next was DC's mayor Fenty, that's him on the far right. But to the left is a rather hot aide of his. Laura managed to get a Fenty sticker when one of the aides came by and just put it on her.


Mayor Fenty himself. Quite the hottie. And he always throws the green beads behind his back when he's near where I'm standing! Crazy coincidence.


Another exceptionally hot and sexy Fenty aide.


No idea what group this guy was with, but he was pretty hot. And just as I snapped the photo, he had turned around to go get more beads. So I got an unintentional backside shot. NOT that I'm complaining.


Same guy as last photo, but showing his beads and biceps. Still missed getting a face shot.


Liked this guy cause not only was he cute, but he was in all purple!


The first of many puppies walking the parade, showing thier rainbow colored pride.


And this guy was already tuckered out from walking when he reached us. He has more beads than any one person I saw all day.


These signs were all over. DC's council is going to vote to recognize gay marriages performed elsewhere, even though they'll not allow anyone to get married in DC....yet.


During a break, cute spectators across the way.


No idea who Adam Ebbin is, but these were two cuties campaigning for him.


The white guy on the left turned his head at the wrong moment, but you can still see the pecs, arms and legs. And the black guy behind him was another who saw me taking his photo and waved...after I had taken it.


Sexy guy in a wifebeater.


No idea what the group is, but they've got five hot guys in the photo alone walking.


There seemed to be an inordinate amount of kids this year as well, compared to previous years. Again, I'm not complaining, I love to see kids walking with thier parents, friends, churches, organizations, or just spectating. Most of them were just so darn cute.


Another batch of kids, but that's THE way to do a parade: be pulled in a rainbow decorated wagon!


And again, an adorable little girl walking in the parade.


Most of these were from a gay families with kids group. This boy's got the right idea "Let my moms (plural) marry"


A cute kid filming the parade behind him.


CTBB, somewhat obstructed by his pack of faghags.


A cute black and cute Asian guy who got some award from the local gay weekly.


This guy was the coverman of the year on the local weekly. They have a different local guy each week, and ask him a series of questions and put some photos up of him. No nudity (that I'm aware of), but several shirtless pics. At any rate, I see why this guy was the coverman of the year: he was freakin' HOT!


Two cute identical twins boys watching the parade.


Laura and I. Not sure what she's doing, probably yelling at some hot half naked guy.


Again, no idea who this float is from, but it's filled with guys and gals in 70's style clothes dancing under a disco ball to disco music. Any float playing disco music deserves a photo.


And of course, if they're showing guys in short shorts, that deserves a photo even more.


And if they have a logn stream of rainbow balloons, that's a hat trick!


Gay clergy. Cute gay clergy.


This was from some home management firm, they had guys wearing "Rent Me" t-shirts as well as this guy's "Manage Me" one. Yeah, I'd manage him REAL good.


These are not THE dancing cowboys, although they were dressed as cowboys and dancing on the float.


Okay, THIS is Joe-Joe. This was before I really started talking to him and the group he was with. I had been trying to sneak a photo of him for some time, and i managed to get this one. The look of the guy behind him cracks me up, cause he knows what I'm doing, and is probably thinking the same things I am.


A roller derby team. Got this one mainly for Corey, as his girlfriend does roller derby.


Some spectators during a break. Right in front of the black guy is an Asian kid with his head down (you can only see his hair). THAT boy I really wanted a photo of, cause his shirt was hanging open and he had THE most muscle definition in both his abs and pecs I've ever seen on such a small guy. But twas not meant to be.


I DID however, manage a pretty nice shot of his black shirtless friend.


This was, i think, for an AIDS testing group. Two hot Asian guys holding the banner.


Some random hot guys. The black guy in the grass skirt was stopped by this black chick in a long low cut red dress standing next to us, and they posed together for a photo. Grass skirt boy was FIERCE!


Really cute guy holding a banner and sucking on a, I believe, pacifier. At least he's practicing his skills while walking in the parade.


Uncle Polt at the parade. I've got several strings of beads, but have yet to get the final one, a silver strand.


"God Made The Rainbow"...indeed he did.


Cute guy with two cute kids. This is another that saw me taking his photo, and he smiled for me, cutie that he is.


Asian guy this time who saw me as well.


CTBB, during a break, went into the street and danced for us.


This cute Asian guy was part of the DC Gay Men's Chorus.


No idea what it's for, but it's a purple float, with a hot guy wearing a purple tu-tu!


There was one lone fire truck in the parade, and when it got to our place this guy stuck his upper body out of the window and was shouting for us to get into it and clapping and stuff.


PFLAG, always a favorite, MY Favorite actually, despite not having any shirtless guys in it. It's just parents caring signs proclaiming their love for their kids. One lady had two college aged, very attractive sons walking on either side of her, and her sign read, "I love my sons, the straight AND the gay one!" I only have this one shot of PFLAG (and none of the ladies hot sons) cause I always clap during time they pass shouting and thanking them.


Yet another guy who looked right at me as I snapped it. He broke out into THE cutest of smiles right after I got the photo. It was only when I was loading them on the computer that I saw he was carrying a purple bottle!!


Another cute guy carrying a banner.


Another puppy wearing her rainbow colors.


Pretty cute guy with nice biceps standing on a jeep.


Cute guy driving said Jeep.


Cute guy handing out blue beads from back of Jeep.


Two cute Aisan kids riding in back of car and just taking in the whole thing.


Not only can you see CTBB here, but the guy wearing the green headband was smoking hot. Unfortunately, he too turned at a bad point in time. You can still, however, check out his bulging bicep.


Two pretty cute guys carrying a banner.


A group of motorcyclists went by (Dykes On Bikes were in the front of the parade). They never had hot guys riding motorcycles in the parade before. Check out these two cuties.


And this cutie as well.


A somewhat nerdy looking, but still really cute, black guy.


CTBB waving, I think, for some beads. Pfft, like he needs anymore.


This guy could really twirl his...weapon. Even threw it up like twenty feet or more into the air and caught it when it came down.


Finally, during another break, I just could not STAND it anymore, and I turned around to Joe-Joe and said, "Would you mind if I took a picture of you, because I've been standing here all this time wanting too, and I just can't help anymore but ask." He said, simply, "Of course." Although his family there laughed and laughed. That's his sister on the right, and it's obviously his sister, cause they look so much alike in the face. From this point forward Joe-Joe's family and I were like BFF!!


While taking the first photo, Joe-Joe's aunt said, "Make sure you get his nipple!" They had attached some sticker to his nipple. It was a rainbow colored thing. Anyway, I immediately said, "Oh, yeah, don't want to miss that." Well of COURSE I got his nipples in the first photo, but like I'm gonna give up the chance to take a second photo of this cutie. And this time his eyes were actually open.


This is a drag queen who i think is called Ella Fitzgerald. She is the hostess at Zeigfeld's/Secrets. Its a club down there that has drag shows and strippers both. I've only been to it's old location, which is now somewhere around the pitchers mound in the stadium that the Washington Nationals play in. But apparently, it relocated somewhere and is still in business.


And this is the float full of the strippers.


The float and some strippers walking beside it.


The walking strippers. I'm pretty sure at this point I mumbled someting like "Jesus, Mary AND Joseph...." God they were FINE.


The float also had a Tina Turner drag queen singing "Proud Mary." With strippers surrounding her.


And some stripper butts...as well as an interesting stripper hairdo.


No clue what this was for, I just took it and titled it "Rainbow Balloons And Bulbous Bottocks".


Now these are THE Dancing Cowboys. Some were dancing in front, and I got their photo. There were many more cute ones, including at least one Asian, on the flatbed, and they were wearing little more than these guys, and damn if I didn't have a camera malfunction and not get them at ALL!


Looking at the hair and sideburns, I had no idea Wolverine was gonna be in the parade!


A cart full of drag queens.


Drag queens in a car again. The second photo was necessary because of the purple gloves and hair.


Random cute guy from the gay bowling league.


See those hot guys in the harnesses?


These hot guys? They're pulling something...


Here they go pulling....


Not one, but TWO red Volkswagens! Pulled by six hot guys. Man, I wish I had a video.


The DC Eagle leather bar float.


I'm not much into leather, but I'm diggin' the black guy in the front.


This was a group of dancers dancing to a thumping dancing beat. And man could THEY move.


And we're they just SO hot whilst they were moving?


One cute dancer at the back of the group.


And this drag queen, with a whip, followed the dancers...presumably to keep them in line, or to keep them dancing?


Cute shirtless Asian guy and another cute guy who again, looked right at me as I took his photo. I think so many did that because I was surrounded by Laura and Joe-Joe's family, and, other than Joe-Joe himself, I towered above them all. I imagine I with my camera held high was pretty obvious.


As this car moved the drag queen in heels pretended to push it. Kinda funny that, but frankly, I only took the photo because of the heels. Who in God's name BUT a drag queen could wear something like that and yet NOT fall over and break an ankle or crack their head open?


Four cute guys, and one sign, walking for DC Gay Marriage.


This cutie saw me and my camer just as I snapped the photo. Then he decided to pose for me.


But before I could snap a photo, this next group walked into him with their banner, so he threw his head back and then took off running, smiling. Still, I did manage to get two photos of his lean, young shirtlessness.


I like both the sentiment and the coloring.


I first thought these were drag queens, but I think they were actually women. British women. Not sure what group they were with, but they were from London.


And behind them was a Patsy Stone drag queen!


Blonde beehive intact, bottle of Stoly in hand. I LURVE me some Patsy Stone, sweetie darling! Right cheers, thanks a lot!


A drag queen and real princess.


Dorothy, and check out the size of the martini glass that Judy Garland has!


The flying monkeys! I local radio station, 99.5, did this float. According to T, their morning show gang was playing most of the parts.


Munchkins and a drag Glenda the good witch.


A rather cute tins woodsman and big old drag Dorothy!


A cute blurry Asian from some float.


A marching band from NYC. I Love the white uniforms with rainbow sashes. And particularly, I'm diggin' the purple feathers in the hats!


A very cute gay rugby player. I'm not sure how just he turned out non-blurry, but I really rather like this photo because of it.


A pair of genies from some group. Joe-Joe decided to go out and dance with them.


Then, Joe-Joe squatted down at my feet. *Le Sigh*


Then these guys with these long neon balloons came by. Joe-Joe's favorite color is green, and the green guy WAS rather hot, so he ran out to dance with him as well. Funny, isn't it, how anytime Joe-Joe went out to dance with people, they never refused him?


The orange balloon guy.


They may look blue, but this is the purple balloon guy.


CTBB a bit blurry, but still cute.


Okay, now I'm talking to Laura while a group walks past us. I turn my head and looked back out into the group, and there's this guy walking by. Painted in the rainbow colors and fully, totally competely NAKED! Not even wearing shoes! His thickish, floppy greenie weenie hanging for God and country to see. Luckily, I had my camera right in front of me, so I just snapped a photo. I would have liked to have gotten a better shot, but frankly, it took my completely by surprise. I mean, I'm used to the topless Dykes On Bykes. I used to the assless chaps. I'm used to guys in little more than a string and postage stamp covering their unmentionables. But never have I ever seen full frontal total nudity at the Gay Pride parade. I was more shocked than tittilated. But then me and the Dallas aunties just started laughing our asses off.


This and the next one are for Michelle M., cause I KNOW how much she LOVES Wonder Woman!


See Michelle M., you could wear the Wonder Woman underoos and look better than this guy, right?


This was a pretty cute Asian guy in a kilt, who saw me, and smiled for the photo, and kept smiling and looking at me after I lowered the camera until he had to turn around to keep walking. I was smiling back at him even after he turned away and continued walking.


Joe-Joe again decided to jump out and dance with some people in the parade.


Some really cute soccer players, playing soccer as they walked. I think this might have been the group from London, or Seattle. There was also a rowing group, a swimming group, a rugby group, and a tennis group that walked in the parade.


The traffic jam on I-270. It rained a short time then. But the weather as a whole was quite beautiful.


Our breakfast at 11:00 in the evening at Waffle House.


And once I got home, I could finally get a photo with the bearclaw the cute bearish guy in a suit walked right over during the parade and handed to me directly.

Phew, it was almost as exhausting making this post as the whole parade was. I know it took longer to do it than the parade itself did. And I didn't even use all the photos. But I think I used enough to show what a great and fun time it was.

POLT Listening to "Beautiful Stranger" by Madonna

It's weird going on a date. It's so...hetero! - Mike, Queer As Folk