Parade from the Fête des Brodeuses .. judy datesman

July 14 – The Fête des Brodeuses in Pont L'Abbé, which celebrates the talents of the local embroiderers, is one of my favorite summer folk festivals. It has color, music, costumes, ambiance, and crêpes on a scale that is quite manageable for a day's outing. The best day, of course, is Sunday, when the big parade starts at the top of the town and heads down to the park along the river. No need for me to make a lot of comments – this is one case when a picture is worth 1000 words and more – enjoy the parade!

Of course, music is a central theme ...

The costumes are amazing! Luckily, it was a gray and almost chilly day – it's much more comfortable for the parade participants, whose costumes are often made of wool! The folk groups are accompanied by "den mothers", who carry, among other things, large umbrellas, just in case gray becomes wet.

Children are a big hit, and this photo is my favorite one from this year's parade, in large part because we're having a hydrangea year this year (mine are huge and fabulous!).

In the "it's a small world" mode, I spotted Adela and Mark Meadows heading up the street in Pont L'Abbé; as Mark was carrying a very professional-looking camera, I would assume that they were in search of a good angle for their wonderful photos ... and one of my former students was there – Eileen is from Ohio, and she met her future Breton husband when she was in Africa with the Peace Corps; they live near Lorient, and their older child was playing the bagpipes with the Cercle Celtique from their town. Cross-cultural communication at its finest!

My nephew was my photographer for this event, and tomorrow I will share with you some of the more unusual participants of Sunday's parade!