'I was determined to hang a rainbow flag on the houseboat this year. I obsessed over the project in advance. We got to the boat and there was absolute no way I could rig it or reach where I wanted it to go... thank heavens for tall models!'
I totally understand with the obsession to hang the rainbow flag, especially in today's toxic political climate. It's fascinating to me, that I only fully realized my connection to the rainbow this year. I've always loved the flag, and have one hung on my clothes line during Pride each year, but had forgotten an early experience with showing pride.
The pride wasn't exactly gay pride, at least not directly, but it was most certainly connected. When I was about 15, I was working as a Jr counsellor at a summer camp. There was a variety show, I chose to sing The Rainbow Connection, Kermit's big song from The Muppet Movie. I rehearsed walking through the woods, in my cabin, on the beach. I rehearsed so much, that I was given a hard time, and told to 'shut up' by many of my fellow counsellors.
The night of the talent show, those shut ups proved fatal, and I froze before I was up, and backed out of singing when it was my turn. I was gutted, but the camp cook, a wonderful woman I thought I was in love with at the time, gave me a pep talk, and encouraged (forced) me to get up and sing the damned song. I thought about that for the first time this past summer, and was grateful for the strength of that rainbow, many years before I was brave enough to come out of the closet. I was planning on posting about this next pride, but thought of that memory when seeing these images. I totally understood the need to sail down Lake Powell out and proud.
