Sunshine for the Pride Parade

A half an hour before the OutHudson Parade was to begin, it started to sprinkle, but, by 2 p.m., when the parade stepped off, the rain had stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun came out. 

Since Gossips was part of the parade, I have no photographs to share, but I do have a parade story. Last year, my dog Joey rode with me in the Gossipsmobile, but he was so frightened and unhappy that no one saw him. He was lying down in the passenger seat. Because he was wearing his travel harness, to prevent him from possibly jumping out the open window, he couldn't escape to safety in the little cargo area in the back. Needless to say, I felt like the world's worst pet parent. So this year, we got a stand-in for Joey, one who was willing to wear a pink wig and a rainbow lei.

Photo: Andrea Lea Elliott

The first person to see "Parade Joey" told me he was initially concerned, thinking I might have taxidermied my dog. Others confessed to thinking, as we all waited for the parade to begin, that he was an amazingly well-behaved and tolerant dog, until they realized he was not real. As the Gossipsmobile made its way down Warren Street, Joey's double seemed to be a big hit with spectators on the north side of the street--the ones who had the better view of him--whether they thought he was real or not.

Many thanks to Andrea Lea Elliott for taking this amazing picture of "Parade Joey."
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