Seattle Pride 2012

WOW! 
What an amazing weekend, despite the rain we had all Saturday day. (Of course!)

Sir and I went out on Friday after work in the hopes of getting to meet Ms. Sharon Needles at the Broadway Grill but the show was much later than they implied on their promotional materials. I was very disappointed but also falling asleep on my feet so we had to leave before Sharon arrived.

We decided to just go home and call it a night and curled up in bed while the rain rolled in; as I mentioned, it was pretty ugly out on Saturday when we left to go up to Cal Anderson Park and meet up for the Leather Pride Picnic. It was very disheartening to stand in the wind & rain and know that the forecast said more of the same for Sunday. I wasn't looking forward to marching in the rain again but if that's the way it would be, I'd just wear rubber pants again and make do with it.

After an hour or so in the rain, enjoying conversations and a very yummy hot dog, Sir and I decided to head home and recoup before going out for the night. Wouldn't you know it but around the time I peeled of my wet clothes, set my boots by the heater to dry and curled up to get warm, the sun came out and the temp started to rise as well. 
Sir and I decided to take a nap and warm up a little before deciding what to do for the evening. After a few hours of snuggling, we realized neither of us felt like going to the play party being hosted by GLPW before a parade and the other play parties would also make us feel odd to be there and not have a scene so we talked and decided the idea of curling up and just sleeping lots before the parade sounded like the best option. It was delightful to just stay in and snuggle.

We got up bright and early Sunday, got ready and drove out to Seattle. Lo and behold, we found a parking spot right near the Cuff so we parked, paid for the day and then grabbed our Block Party wrist bands before starting for Downtown. 
And can I just say that I love how Seattle Downtown is literally down the hill from EVERYTHING? It makes getting there on foot a simple matter of tumbling downhill with grace, style and not a little good fortune.

We got down to the sex positive / kinky / leather contingent with lots of time to spare; so much so that we got the chance to run around and see some of the other groups - which was totally fun before starting out ourselves. First rolled out the SEA-PAH Puppies group - oh those tails a-wagging was so cute!!! Then there was the SgoL group, what a pink group to follow! After that came the remainder of the leather contingent including Sir & myself as well as the GLPW group and title holders.

We started marching and wow, just wow! 
There were so many people on the streets - which was a really big change from marching at Spokane or Boise where it felt like the entire crowd was in the parade but it felt like the crowd was smaller than last year, but who knows. It was my 3rd parade in 3 weekends... 
The energy was great and getting to march with so many other leather lifestyle titles and community members was such a blessing. I could not have asked for a more lovely day, or for a better group of people to get to march with. Despite the heat, I couldn't help feeling ecstatic as we waved and cheered and posed for random photos. (Some of which were emailed to us and are awesome!!!)

After the parade, we stopped and posed with the GLPW & Oregon state title holders (including International Mr Bootblack!!! squee goes the fangirl of all things made of pretty leather) for a couple of posterity-photos before we marched ourselves across the City Center park and caught a bus back up to the Hill for the block party. 
I wish we could have stayed in the park longer but I was in a corset & we were both in leather and there was no breeze or shade to speak of when we got there so we opted to just head upHill.

The Cuff block party was crazy! We got there pretty darn quick and it was already filling up fast when we got there. So after a cocktail and a quick tour of the area, we settled into a corner and started enjoying the weather, the music and the crowd. After a little while, and while in conversation with a friend, I admitted my leathers have only ever been cared for by me - mostly because I'm always working on leather when other people are too. So Shawn, bless him, decided as soon as we finished our drinks he was going to get his kit from the car.

I got my first ever boot blacking, and was treated to my pants and vest also being treated. It was lovely and as I stood there under the truly summer sun, I couldn't help but just bliss out and enjoy the experience. I also was a bashful little girl over the entire thing and it made me giggle and skip after. I've officially had my first boot blacking and it was SO MUCH FUN!!!

We stayed until the sun started to make my head hurt (that is what we get for forgetting our SPF) which was into the early evening. Sir and I decided we'd like some real dinner and a bit of shade so home we went and that was Seattle Pride as Washington State Ms Leather 2012.

I am glad to have this weekend off from Prides but excited to go to Bellingham next weekend. Bears!!!