Crossdressers-Haven.com

Hi all,

Well, I just spent the day with Roxanne at the 2008 edition of the Montreal Pride Festival and Parade. Yes, I was in the parade, at the leading edge just behind all the politicos. No, I wasn't crossdressed (so, although I post this in the "Fun Stuff While CDing" section of the forum, it's mostly a matter of my having fun while other people crossdress ).

I took over a hundred photos and posted the three dozen or so best (or most intriguing) ones in a public album on Photobucket. No, you won't see me in the pix (I was the one taking them, remember? ) but those of you who are sharp-eyed may spot Roxanne in there somewhere.

I have to admit that it was a little different walking in the parade rather than being on the sidelines watching it go by. It certainly gave me a great view of the spectators (a few shots of which you'll find in the album). On the downside, when we left the parade (before it wound up), I had no place to stand and take photos of all those beautiful people walking or riding behind us. Many of the pix are therefore shots of the preparations or of the aftermath.

Oh! how I wished I were dressed in all my glory for this event, though! When Roxanne asked me a few days ago whether or not I wanted her to arrange for me to ride on a float (because she could), I turned her down; there would be too many questions asked of her that I didn't want to wind up having to answer. Maybe next year. Anyway, I had a great time, nonetheless. I hope you enjoy the album, folks.

Love,
CJ

CJ's 2008 Montreal Pride Photobucket Album

Wow, wonderful photos, CJ!!

Those photos make me want to visit Montreal and explore the area (during the warmer summer months, of course)

. . . hmmmm, where will I stay, where will I stay?



- SL

SilverLady(SO) wrote:. . . hmmmm, where will I stay, where will I stay?

Jeez, I dunno, SL. Do you know anyone in Montreal?

Thanks for the compliment, hun. I really enjoy taking photos, but I've always considered what's in the camera as raw material, ripe for some artist's hand. I always have a blast on the PC, turning sometimes ordinary photographs into something more.

About Montreal, though, if you go take a peek at the "Travel Tips" thread, I provided a link to a pretty cool two-minute bird's-eye view video tour of Montreal. I think you might enjoy it.

As for the link to the Montreal Pride Photobucket album, I left the album in "Grid View"; you can always change that by clicking on "Main" or "Slideshow" views, in the upper right-hand corner of the page. In the "Main" view, you get the opportunity to see the pix at their full size by clicking on them.

Glad you enjoyed them, SilverLady! Now that I know how to set up a public Photobucket album, I might create more of them in order to showcase photos of, well, whatever! me, Montreal, trips, friends, etc.

Love,
CJ

Oh, I almost forgot... an "interesting" anecdote: the man driving the golf cart (with the leggy gal...inspecting her nylons?... seated next to him) is the honorary co-president of the Pride Festival. He's a well-known journalist, radio jock, and television personality here. Well, later in the afternoon, once the parade was over and everyone converged on the Gay Village, we crossed paths with him again on the (packed, standing-room only) rooftop terrace of Montreal's top gay dance club. As he chatted with us--he was standing while Roxanne and I and our friends had had the good fortune to finagle a table for ourselves--he innocently reached down (to my utter surprise, I have to say) into my open shirt to tweak my nipple and was amused to discover that I had nipple rings. Which he then proceeded to tug. Roxanne's mouth fell open but we all had a good laugh, including Roxanne, who now had to explain to the entourage the purpose for which I was wearing said rings. Did it, perchance, have anything to do with her occasionally wearing a leather skirt (MY leather skirt, by the way!) and stiletto boots? Or her imperious stature (or, sometimes, attitude)? Heh. Like I said, we all had a good time. While having succeeded in avoiding to provide anyone and everyone with an answer to their questions, I might add.

CJ,
I enjoyed the pictures. Looks like a fine way to spend an afternoon.

xox
Sylvia

Unfortunately I could not view the photos-- a window came up saying ADOBE FLASH PLAYER 9 required. I am reluctant to deal with anything like that in case it does not work/something goes wrong and I get a problem that requires outside help (meanwhile the computer could be unusable).
I am NOT a techie, and the nearly constant changes with all of this stuff can get really frustrating.
Usually that message only comes up when I'm trying to stream a movie trailer, not still photos.
I'm assuming these are still photos.
I've not posted photos on this site for the same reason-- if I tried and something went wrong that I could not fix , I'd have to wait for outside help. Need a live-in tech therapist-- can't afford that.
By the way, would the "Roxanne" you referred to be "Roxanne Van Ness" who used to write a column for LADYLIKE?
I went to Montreal once for a music business convention and really enjoyed it. The Quebec folk/roots music (La Boittine Souriante, Yves Lambert's new group, La Vent Du Nord, Les Batinses, etc etc) is fantastic!!
Peace-- Kendra Lynn ("hippie cheerleader")

Hi all,

Kendra,

You need not worry about downloading and installing the Flash Player; it's harmless and very resource-friendly (it won't eat up your computer's memory and slow everything down). Flash is merely a standard platform that processes and displays multimedia content on your PC. Many web pages (games or videos or photo slideshows, for instance) use it, as do cell phone applications. Having said this, there are certain requirements your system must meet in order to function with Flash: you need to be running at least a Pentium II at 450 MHz (or the equivalent) and have at least 128 Mb of RAM memory (you can check your own machine's specs by clicking on Start, pointing to and right-clicking on My Computer, scrolling down the menu to, and then clicking on, Properties; everything you need to know will be listed there). A 450 MHz Pentium II with a 128 Mb of RAM is a machine born ten or twelve years ago. It should run Flash without a hitch.

Of course, if you're still nervous about installing the Flash Player, just create a restore point, first. A restore point is a "snapshot" of sorts your PC takes of its own internal organization so that, in the event something goes awry, it can, well, restore, itself to its previous functional state once you reboot it. Actually, every time you power on your machine, it takes such a snapshot automatically and stores it in the event something goes horribly wrong during the current session. It can then use that snapshot to right itself after, say, a fatal crash. But you can create a restore point yourself, too. Say, before installing a new piece of software. Here's how (and I'll be assuming you're using Windows XP here):

1. Click on Start
2. Point to, and click on, Help and Support
3. In the window that pops up, go to the Pick a Task category on the right-hand side and click on the Undo changes to your computer with System Restore link
4. In the Welcome to System Restore window that pops up, click on the Create a restore point button and then on the Next button at the bottom of that page
5. In the Create a Restore Point window that pops up, type in a name for the restore point in the Restore point description box (say, "Before the installation of Adobe Flash Player 9"), then point and click on the Create button at the bottom of that page
6. There you go; you'll have a confirmation that a restore point has been created--date and time stamp included. You can now click on the Close button (and also close the Help and Support window). Now, if, perchance, Flash installation has messed up your PC, you'll be given the opportunity, upon rebooting it, to use the restore point you created before installing Flash, and all mention of the Flash Player will disappear from your PC's internal organization (called the "registry"--the system files that hold information regarding your computer's configuration).

Of course, it remains your decision whether or not to install anything whatsoever on your PC, Kendra. Just remember that many web pages won't display properly (or at all) without Flash. It's a must, especially if you own a multimedia computer. Another couple of programs brought to you by the makers of Flash that are fairly important to have installed are the Adobe Reader (it lets you view files created in PDF format or "Portable Document File" format, a popular electronic document exchange format) and the Shockwave Player, which has uses similar to that of the Flash Player. You can find all three by clicking on the following link:

Adobe

Just take a peek on the right-hand side of the Adobe page and you'll spot the links for the Flash Player, Adobe Reader, and Shockwave downloads. Don't worry; they won't download right away; they'll bring you to the respective download pages that will allow you to pick and choose which versions you need, in the event you're running an older machine or something other than a Windows PC with Internet Explorer. Good luck, Kendra!

Now, to answer your questions, yes, the Photobucket Pride album is a set of photos that you can scroll forwards and backwards. Hence, the Photobucket site uses, what else? Flash technology. And, no, my SO, Roxanne, is not the Roxanne you're thinking about. I don't remember ever reading that particular Roxanne's column (although I have picked up the odd issue of Ladylike in the past). Plus, my SO's real name isn't Roxanne (oddly enough, it's a name she doesn't like and yet went and picked it for herself anyway--guess that says something about her ).

Love,
CJ

Hi CJ,
I too was unsure of downloading the player.Thanks to your advice I was able to download everything and view your photos.I enjoyed them and the diversity they represent.How did the regular folk respond to all of this?I know in my small town they would mostly have had heart attacks seeing this.

Brilliant pics CJ, I enjoyed looking at them! Think I spotted Roxanne too

Sounds like you had a good time. We have Pride in Brighton and Hove (not too far from where we live) but have never gone to any of their festivals or parades - just had a look at the website and am intrigued by the 'Pride Dog Show' - must try to remember to look out for it next year and get down there

Love,
Curly

Thanks for your pics CJ it looks like a great time! I can understand the fine line you have to walk too! I can only hope that in the future it will not be a tight rope but become a six lane highway!

Thanks again hon and remember SL and I are a package "three for one" if you will!

Love ya,

Virginia

Hi all,

I guess I ought to add a link to the official photos of the parade, here. Heh. I don't really want to, as the official photographer's shots are way better than mine but his pix are so funky and colourful that it would be a sin not to include them in this thread.

Once on the page, just click a photo to enlarge it, then use your keyboard's arrow keys to scroll back and forth through the pix. The first few shots are of the organizers and sundry politicians on the municipal, provincial, and federal levels. Then, the fun and colour begins. Hope you enjoy. (Oh, you'll find yours truly in the fourth photo in the series, wearing jeans and a blue shirt with a Pride flag sticking out of my backpack; sorry but I didn't mean to turn my back on y'all! )

Here's the link: Montreal Pride Official Photo Album 2008

Love,
CJ

Great pictures!!!