Tuvalu Day

For Tuvalu Day there is always a parade.
I like parades very much.
And for the past couple of years, Middle has marched with the high school band.
So there's a double whammy of excitement for me.
But it's a busy day, with many exciting events to commemorate the celebration -
follow me if you will, and we'll see what we see...

As the day began, I was forced to help Middle determine what he would wear under his uniform.
His uniform, you see, is itchy itchy itchy - but jeans cannot be worn under it as it is fitted fitted fitted (and, really, the trick would be to somehow get a shot of him up close in the uniform as it is, by turns, hysterically adorable and very swank looking) involving pants that are quite narrow, as he is thin, and hit between his navel and his chest. These are paired with a short, crisply tailored jacket. Of course there is a priceless hat, coated completely in plastic - one would almost think the hat was dipped in a vat of molten plastic and then set out to cool.

Shorts and a long sleeved tee shirt were decided upon, and so, with that accomplished the next bit of business was to drive him to the school, where the uniform was donned, and then he was supposed to walk into town to a meeting place.
But, see, I have a problem with the walking through town part. In full uniform, with one's sax.
Isn't that anticlimactic? to see the entire band walking through town to the meeting place and then 30 minutes later watch them march back with their uniforms?
So I drove him and a friend of his from the old bar mitzvah circuit to the meeting place.
And then I flew home as all the streets were being closed and got on the scooter with K.
(K had spent the early morning picking up a lyre for Middle's sax as Middle lost his - but more on this later.)
I hopped on the scooter and we took an impossibly circuitous route into town to where Middle was meeting the rest of the band.
And because we embarrassed him thusly (by showing up on the scooter, which is exactly the same as showing up naked) he refused to take the lyre from us and insisted we meet him back at the school with it - after the parade.
Isn't this shaping up to be a long long story? well, don't worry - there will be pictures soon.
We scooted through many impassable streets and found our viewing spots.
But then, because we were early, we had to watch everyone walking through town to their meeting places...sigh.





There is no showmanship in THAT.
See? I don't want to watch the Tuvalettes walk down the block if I can SEE them do their routine during the marching five minutes later!



If I was one of these guys I would totally drum the whole way between the school and Kiwi Street...



Anyway, I got over it just in time to see the band leading the parade.



Then I started straining to see my Middle...

And it took a while...
and I was forced to run along side the band for a while -


but I found him.

You don't think it's awkward to have your mother photograph you while you are marching, do you?



He seems to smile as he plays when I find him -



Or maybe it's a grimace.
I don't care what you say anyway. He is too damn cute.

After the band -



there is the Queen of The Tuvalu Day Parade - who is different than the ACTUAL QUEEN in that she in high school.



And she is not Joan.

And she gets to ride in a red car - because red cars are special.





The raptor float frightens and delights the children - and chocolates are thrown from it to signify the day that men took the island from the beasts.

Finally, the great map of Italy makes its way down the street.



with pipers serenading the map to signify the unity of Scot and Italian under the Tuvalan sunset.



Or something.

Then a mad dash around all the crowded streets to bring Middle the lyre.
I know he is a liar (ha!) and that he should have had it in the parade and can imagine him getting chewed out by the Maestro about not having it on the field...

After a crazy roundabout way through town and through police blockades, I find the band.
On the new turf (you can probably smell it from there).



The problem?
The fence. (carefully shot through for the photo above)



The fence and the security guards.
NO ONE ALLOWED ON THE FIELD.
Except band members and cheerleaders.
meh.

And what are they playing? In practice for the big game?
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC WHITE BOY.



Which was fitting as our football team was playing the team from Ghana.
(And, in a surprise twist, WE WON.)

One of the guards was good enough to bring the lyre to another guard who brought it to a drum major who brought it to the Maestro who pulled Middle out of the line and handed it to him.




You can just feel the embarrassment from here, can't you.
Being pulled out of the line and all?
Whilst the entire band waits for you to receive your lyre from your mommy?

Well, I figured that was all I could make Middle endure for one day -
and got back on the scooter and had K take me to see the famous red cars.
The red cars for Tuvalu Day...



And they were pretty...



but I had much more fun looking at chairs with him...but that's another story.