bumper to bumper

This morning I was really late getting ready for work. It's usually cause I take my time making coffee & packing a lunch. Today I slept in. This monday morning followed a weekend of fesivals, BBQ's, and neighborhood parties. The party continued into Monday! I slept through the alarm, but then woke up at 7:30 am to the pounding of a "wadaiko" drum and chanting as a group of neighborhood guys carried a portable shrine down the street. In our town, every year the famous Iwa jinja (shrine) has a festival on October 16th- so, it's a Monday this year.
I left the apartment with about 10 minutes to get to work. Which is plenty of time, cause I was driving instead of biking. thought I was in the clear until I turned onto the main drag and joined a looooong line of traffic backed up too far for me to do any "rubber-necking". I just patiently turned up my music, askin' myself when I'll learn to leave on time and watching my students fly by on their bikes ;) (Damn! why didn't I ride today?)

A few minutes later (and after 10 or so students fly past on their bikes), I could see what the hold up was. The local firemen and police were making sure that the ancient, tassled, golden-ornamented portable shrine could safely make it up the main road!! It would've been awesome if I had my camera in the car, but instead have a look at the pictures takes the day before, when they were just practicing for today's festival...





Needless to say, I couldn't be the least bit annoyed when I saw the cause of the traffic jam. I was laughing and smiling to myself at how cool the situation was; trying to think if there might be some equivelent to this back home in the States. What do you think?

-Colleen