So...the DC Pride Parade.  I had a lot of fun, but it was obviously overshadowed by the Orlando attack Sunday morning, less that 12 hours after the parade's start.  I still a bit guilty talking about having fun when the wound and hurt from Orlando is still so raw.  But maybe talking about and reliving fun stuff will ease the hurt a bit.

I may have mentioned some of this stuff in a post a few days prior to the Parade, but it wouldn't hurt to refresh everyone's memory.

I was traveling to the DC Pride Parade with my annual companion/coworker StratCat and my FWB Derick.  StratCat's cousin, and frequent companion as well, CC and CC's son Josh had gotten a hotel room in DC to enjoy not only the parade but the festival on Pennsylvania Avenue on Sunday as well. And Josh's friend Matt was staying the DC as well, but I don't think with CC and Josh.  Also, Travis From Long Island (formerly, Paul's Insanely Cute Boyfriend Travis ) was taking the bus down to DC for the weekend as well.  When I was talking to my friend Diego From NYC on Thursday, I mentioned we were all going to be down there and then, it hit me: Diego should come down to Pride as well!  Well it turned out he got a train ticket and a hotel room, so then HE was coming down!  And this would be the first time he and I have ever met in person, although we've been talking on the phone since November and texting and emailing even prior to that.  So yeah, I was VERY excited about meeting him.

So, about noon, Derick, StratCat and I left home here.  We stopped in Frederick to have some lunch at aka Friscos!  YUMMY! And after that, off we go on our way to the closest Metro stop.  And then onto the Metro we went and the ride down to DuPont Circle.

When we got off the Metro, we started up Connecticut Avenue to the hotel CC and Josh were staying at.  And when I say up, I mean, up...UP the hill!  In the 90 degree heat.  without any shade to cover us.  Yeah, kinda sucked.  But luckily we didn't have to go all that far up the hill.

We picked up CC, Josh and his friend Matt (the later two were wearing crocheted booth shorts with suspenders.  No seriously, I'm not kidding.) and headed out, but on the way, we had to meet up with CC's sister-in-law (Josh's aunt) and her friend.  We did so actually by accident, in the way the where we usually stand.  Her name was Rhonda, her friend was named Dan.  Everybody shook hands and onward we continued.

Once we reached the place we always stand, everyone, except for Derick and I, decided they needed to have a drink.  So off they went to find some place.  Derick and I stayed behind not only to reserve our spot, but because we still had two people on their way.

Diego got there first.  It was the first time we had met each other in person.  Upon him getting to us, I gave him a big hug. Then another one!  It was such fun to finally see and meet the guy I've been chatting with on the phone since November!  We chatted until the others returned from their drinks.  I introduced Diego to everyone and about that time, I got a call from Travis from Long Island.  He was almost to us, but he couldn't find us.  I was waving my arm in the air, I could see him, but he wouldn't look my way.  Derick went after him, but he saw my arm first and started on his way to us.  I introduced him around (although StratCat, CC and Josh had met him before), and then we all started talking to and with one another.

Somehow in all the talking and stuff, I lost my place right up against the barriers that I had.  It ended up Diego and CC were there, and they spent the entire parade there, watching it and talking with each other.  I had actually thought, since Diego knew no one by me, that we'd spend most of the time talking.  But, I ended up doing something else totally unexpected.

It wasn't too far into the parade that it became clear that, as I had thought Travis cute almost from the first time I met him, he had felt the same about me.  At the time, of course, he was the boyfriend of my friend, so I never acted on it.  But since he and Paul have been broken up for years, and since neither of us were at the time dating anyone and since we were both attracted to each other, and knew it, well.....

We ended up spending the vast majority of the parade macking on each other.  We were kissing.  We were hugging.  We were holding hands.  We had our arms around each other, or one around the other.  I mean we were watching the parade too, but from behind the first time of spectators instead of right up front.  And we were still interested in it, but also interested in each other.  It was quite fun. The parade and the macking.

I got very thirsty, so Travis and I walked up the street and around the corner to a small bakery that I knew had a cooler with water in it.  I bought us both a bottle (and Diego, as he said he wanted one when I asked if he wanted one).  And, as I said, as we walked there, we held hands.  I finished the water in my bottle before we even returned to the standing place.  not 15 minutes later, we walked back there and I bought two bottles for just myself, that's how thirsty I was!

Travis and I stood for a time back on the sidewalk with StratCat watching the parade.  We were behind Deigo and CC watching the parade.  And were sometimes in between those two places.  We got plenty of swag that they threw our.  I couldn't see the parade as well as I had been able to before, which is unfortunate, and why I didn't take as many photos this year as I usually do.    But still the parade was fun as always.

Once it ended, the groups split.  Derick, StratCat, Travis, Diego and I went one way, the rest another way, after of course, we all said goodbye.  We walked towards Massachusetts Avenue, which is the road Travis had to take to get to his hotel.  On the way, Travis and I still held hands.  And as we went, we came upon one of those preachers announcing how we're all going to hell.  I decided Travis and I would kiss near him and I had Laura take a pic.  It was silly and stupid but it was my metaphorical middle finger up to him.  We were a good twenty feet away or so, but we did kiss.  One of the people with him apparently took our picture.

Diego ran over to us and told us to not do it.  That now they had our picture and they'd use it in their propaganda to show just how disgusting all us queers are.  So we stopped and all of us walked away. he said it might go viral, and but honestly, I didn't care.  Of course, what with happened that night/morning in Orlando, when the murderer apparently was set off by seeing two men kiss.....well, THAT gave me pause, to rethink the whole idea.  Of course, then it was too late.

But anyway, after giving Travis a goodbye hug and kiss and sending him on his way, we all then walked to the Metro Stop.  Diego was taking the train the opposite direction from us, but he still went down into the station with us.  It was there I said goodbye to him and gave him at least one, although possibly two, pretty big hugs.

Derick, StratCat and I got onto our train and rode it to the last stop, where we detrained, got into Belle and I drove us to Frederick.  This time to the Macaroni Grill, where we ate a late supper.  Of course I had pasta, regular Cokes, homemade bread and even some cheesecake for dessert....diabeeeeetus be damned!

And then I drove us all home.  I got home...well I dont remember the time, anymore, but I think it was before 11:00.  I jumped in the shower to clean up, and then into bed, where i read some and then to sleep.

I'll have the pictures possibly tomorrow, we'll see.  But that was the Pride Parade for this year.  And a great amount of fun it was! It's just very unfortunate it had to end the way it did with the news of Orlando the next morning.

POLT