The above are the only photos I was able to snap before other participants arrived and before the rain came and before the parade took on a life of its own! From top to bottom:
1. The armor plate that our Soldier Joan, Caye Mitchell, wore. It was made by her amazing and multi-talented husband, Fred Mitchell, who rode next to Caye/Joan in the parade as The Bastard of Orleans!
2. Artist Julie Wallace, arriving with the butterfly sculptures she made: taffetta ties on real tree branches, painted white. Gorgeous, simple, and rain-proof! (In case you didn't know, legend has it that when she entered Orleans, Joan's banner was surrounded by white butterflies). Julie also made torches and two puppets of Joan's voices (St. Catherine and St. Margaret) that will need to debut next year...they were not as sturdy in the rain and had to sit out the evening in Julie's van...
3. Deb McDonald putting on her monk's robe, which was borrowed from a local Poor Clare (so I guess that makes it not a monk's robe?). Those are the ominous clouds looming over the Mississippi that showered us about 30 minutes later...despite that, doesn't it look great, the river, the light, the sculpture? It just feels...medieval? Kind of?
4. Kelley Faucheaux, our Saint Joan, covered in gold like the Joan of Arc statue on Decatur where our parade culminated! It was Kelley's birthday and she joked that I really "helped" her get over turning 40 by putting her age in our press release! Ha! Oops! But don't you think every woman should be covered in gold, riding a horse, on her 40th birthday? Especially if she is surrounded by angels, as Kelley was...and especially if you look as great as she does at 40!
5. Me, self-portrait in the John Scott sculpture. When I was still dry...
PLEASE SEND YOUR PHOTOS TO STJOANKREWE@YAHOO.COM
so I can post more and share them with both the public and the press for next year's parade!
