Photo Safari: St. Patrick's Day

The fourth installment of my Photo Safari Series finds me in Boston on St. Patrick's Day, if only for a coupla' hours.

Right off that bat, it needs to be said that I, too, was out there.

AND I was dressed in green, AND I wore my Irish Tri-Color Converse All Stars.

Everyone out there, in their over the top green attire was there to celebrate and have fun.

There. Now may I PLEASE begin mocking!?! Thank you.

We began our St. Paddy's Day Safari in the Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall area of Boston with original hopes of tossing a few coin over the bar at The Black Rose pub. These hopes were choked-out with the reality that The Black Rose was charging the stupidly exploitive price of $30.00 for a cover charge! Yeah! That's just to get in!

Feck that!

And there, like a big, beaming, green & white beacon in the darkness of our rejection; an angel of hope In the foreground...

And like a starter pistol, The Safari was on!

If Dark Colors Are Slenderizing...

...than the opposite is easy enough to prove, right?

Quick! Try to see where the pasty, pale-white legs end and the tights of the same color begin!

That tiny, little hat doesn't help the look, either.

Hey! We Got Green Beer in Here!

Yup. Drunk guys trying to pick up chicks from the back of rented stretch limo Hummers with promises of alcohol isn't limited to Ft. Lauderdale!

I wish him all the luck in the world!

Get Yer Green Shit Here!

Respect!

As I was exploiting the revelers with my camera, so was this "businessman" looking to turn a profit. He looked about as Irish as Tony Soprano, but hey! A job's a job.

I'd tip my big, green, floppy, stupid-looking, cat-in-the-hat hat to you, sir, if I had one.

How much?

Generic Punters

Speaking of floppy hats...

We find an oasis in the form of a $5.00-cover-charge-bar to wet our parched whistles. This was just a random selection of patrons and their headwear.

Chicks Dig Guys in Kilts

Outside, music was starting, and Boston Firefighters Pipe and Drum were, uh, "warming up."

The Green Derby Crowd Loves Us!

In the midst of Quincy Market and a throng of mass-produced, party-store novelty chapeaus, another band was in full swing.

Also among this band's audience was a real, live leprechaun, some chick in bright green stockings checking me out as I took her picture, and the bedazzling new technicolor uniform of

the Salvation Army's Special Forces.

And this year's Winner of the Brightest Shoes in the World award...

Cheers!

A Mother's Prayer

My mother was very proud of her Irish heritage, and she was insistent in passing that tradition on to her children. In fact, she used to take all six of us kids into Boston for Irish Step Dancing lessons every Saturday morning.

Even back then, it was rarely a pleasant trip and I recall one Saturday, we were running quite late. Upon arrival, there wasn’t a single parking spot anywhere to be found and my mother was getting nervous.

“Dear God,” she quickly prayed, “if you find me a parking spot I will give $100.00 in the collection plate tomorrow morning at Mass!”

Just then, almost miraculously, a car pulled out to leave right in front of us.

“Never mind, Lord,” she quickly added, “I found one myself.”