Day of the Dreich

These four fotos are cropped. I could not isolate the subjects. Other good candidates were in motion, and the shutter speed was too slow with the overcast clouds.

There is a fellow who has a facebook journal of Faces of Lakewood. It turned out the most interesting part of Saturday's festival was the painted faces of people. Good fotos were not easy to get. It was tight quarters (read below), and it was hard to get the clear still shot. I saw this couple leaving heir car, and went toward them, and got one good (cropped) picture. We began talking greyhounds, i had not realised (until my nephew jogged my memory) that we talked last year. They have a brindle greyhound, who came last year.

Well, before the year started, i took a calendar of the coming year and started to write in events. Some of which were photo opportunities. Many of these we went to as a crew, my nephew, our hounds, and me. The hounds travel well, and sometimes are swarmed, and we are pelted with questions. Usually taking pictures comes to a halt. The hounds, especially Captain, hate cacophony, and that usually involves percussion. Gunshots, cannon, and fireworks are a no-no, and stationary drumlines also. The last planned outdoor event was Dia de Muertos at the old Romanian church belonging to Cleveland Public Theater. When it started Saturday, it began with rain. With the cold rain near freezing, and with a little wind it was worse. The day was drab, and dark, even with the drizzle ended it was dreich. It was the first day of the season that the hounds wore coats, and they shivered.

The campus is too compact. The former parish hall, grass yard, church, and connecting cement (now mostly new, with new church steps made walking easier and safer) are cramped for this event. The weather made people stay inside longer. A couple had family and friends in the church renew wedding vows, which was unfortunate (read: stupid) timing.

The parade did not photograph well at all. It was not black and white, it was gray. We were at a spot away from the congestion nearer West 65th, and still that bane of other photographers was not avoided. Too many act as if they were the only spectator/photographer, with no regard in blocking the sightline of others (often this is getting in front of you, and some do this progressively, and the telephones with foto lenses make matters worse. Police had people register to parade, i can not say march, because they just walked awkwardly.

This hearse approaching the staging area, before the parade.