Last Sunday had a beautiful ride in beautiful weather, Rode the River levee from Williams blvd to Audubon Park, caroused in the Park a while, took St Charles to the Quarter, caroused the quarter a bit, decided to traverse Treme in my new protective St Michael Jersey , started down St Phillip, the 2nd block off Rampart I looked to the right checking traffic, I see police cars with lights on , many bikers in the street,
I close in to see what gives, kinda meld in with the crowd, I'm better dressed than them and certainly a better bicyclist," so what's up" .... I ask a nice looking man next to me sans helmet, "what's going on, do you mind if I join in" , he replies "please join in" , "we're having a riding 2nd line parade to protest violence at 2nd line parades" . I thought a minute and decided that to explain to this nut how outrageous this was would be and exercise in futility.. First , no bike ride ever stopped a shooter from gunning down anyone..
2nd, no one wore a helmet so life wasn't that important to them anyway.. 3rd and most importantly where I grew up I sat on my stoop and watched 2nd lines ( not called parades), pass . When a member of the African American community died the funeral procession started with a dirge, everyone was in sorry,, wiping their tears and sweat with white handkerchiefs, at a certain point in the procession the trumpeter would blow the traditional 2nd line riff, at that time the dirge , sorrow and mourning was over, now the task was to celebrate the deceased movement to a better world, everyone is happy, and rejoicing,... There is no 2nd line season, Its not a dance to do at weddings and parties, its parts of an African American funeral Service and should be respected as such... Its not a bike ride in a old neighborhood. Where did all this crap come from, I guess from the same people that claim Mardi gras is a time to show your tits, a French Catholic holiday where everyone gets to dress up and mock the monarchy without deadly repercussions , The kings and queens of mardi gras are mocking Louis XIV, People put up their hands to mockingly praise the f aux Kings and Queens. How did that turn to show me your tits? It's all sad, someone lost a history book somewhere. Book, who reads them anymore..but then some people have never read one. Real history and traditions are written in books not passed between beer bottles on a curb or spoke between tokes in a back alley. Back to the ride, they were so slow I gave up on them , left and crossed Treme, to City Park, out to the Lakefront , did Lake shore drive, rode the new Lake path to Williams and back to the house , 45 miles,
Great weather, great work out, riding along the lake was wonderland. Put my bike in the shop for spring tune up, get back at it next week. Time to start the MS Tour training, longer faster and better.
Remember Monday we celebrate Memorial Day, that's the day we memorialize the soldiers that died in wars that we sent them to . It's not a Bar B Que thon, or a see how much beer I can drink before passing out contest , memorialize a fallen soldier not a fallen pig that donated his ribs for your pit. At the least stop a minute during the day and say to yourself , "sorry someone had to die for my country to be free", then thank God it wasn't you....cause it could've been....
Gary Gauthier
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| blackberries have disappeared.. hummm... beast or humans? |
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| Giant Anaconda Laying in wait behind the River Levee. |
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| Me. My transit Connect bike carrier, Bike and my new Jersey. |
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| Paid a camera Man to take this Pic. |
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| Treme ride with helmetless people |
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| I see one helmet ...St Phillip St. |
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| approaching Rampart. |
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| My St Michael with a sword jersey. |
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| Treme and Barracks,.. cant stay long.... |
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| They stopping for water and haven't went anywhere... | | |
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| That nut on the sidewalk has a dog in his baby carrier. |
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| And the band played on .....beautiful neighborhood | . |
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