To celebrate the summer solstice, because he is hip & cool and does things like mark the celebration of solar calendar holidays, my friend John Travis and his roommates invited peeps over to the roof deck of their apartment building for an official "Midsommar" party (the traditional Scandinavian spelling according to google) complete with a towering Swedish maypole.
In true John Travis style, he and several others built the maypole with their own ten hands and $120. In case you don't know John, he likes to build things. In college, to spruce up an otherwise plain porch at the off-campus house he and a few classmates shared, John constructed fully-functional saloon doors that swung in and out making visitors feel like Clint Eastwood out of a scene from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. So this epic maypole was no surprise. In case you're curious about making your own, beware the streamers. I'm told they spent over four hours constructing them!
John's apartment building, located just a few subway stops over the river in Williamsburg, provides amazing views of Manhattan. Especially at sunset, which was conveniently timed to just as we arrived!
Being the incredible hosts that they are, John & his roomies (plus girlfriend Rachel!) had whipped up a full spread of homemade salmon lox + potato salad, grilled spicy sausage, a whole spiked watermelon, plus party favors in the form of flower head wreaths and bracelets. No detail overlooked, I tell you.
I tried very hard to showcase the flower bracelets at all times.
Of course, with a bona fide maypole in our midst, an awkward photo shoot was inevitable, during which we struggled against unpredictable billowing streamers.
The maypole dancing continued well into the night, long after the sun dipped below the horizon. And let me tell you, posing with streamers is exhausting. By the end of the night, with the rest of the party still in full swing, I snuck off to "nap" until the others were ready to head home. Thankfully, Kristin managed to capture the moment beautifully.
Thank you John, Max, Greg, Jake and Rachel for having us!
Loved the streaming photos....
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I'm not the only one who has napped at the end of a party while other are still going strong!
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