The sky on Thursday morning at the World Parkinson Congress was overcast and gray. Where could we find some parking suns?
Let’s start with an early morning power breakfast meeting with some of my sunshiny fellow WPC Official Bloggers: Laura Kennedy Gould (The Magic Trick); Natasha McCarthy (A Broken Body’s Journey); Marcus Cranston (444 Parkinson’s Traveler).
Natasha’s hair counts as a yellow sun parked in a blue sky. But wait! There’s more!
Check out Natasha’s sunshiny high heels! It turns out that she needs to wear heels to counteract the dystonia in her calves. Lookin’ good and feelin’ fine! That’s what it’s all about!
Outside the convention center, we spot an enormous temple bell from Sapporo, Japan. It’s surrounded by bright yellow parking suns roses – and this hilarious sign. Convention goers, beware!
Next to the convention center: the trolley stop and this bright orange bike share station. Note the solar panel parked on the pay-o-meter!
Down the street is a parking lot with delightful sunflowers!
Parking lot, sunflowers…what store is lucky enough to have both?
Oh, I see! … Oregon’s Finest Cannabis. *Now Serving*
Back inside the convention center, there’s a powerful display of quilts made by and for people with Parkinson’s. Think we’ll find some parked suns there?
See any?
Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
Overhead is a dragon boat that looks like a parking sun in a blue sky. Are we sure?
Yes!
It’s important to remember that traditionally, Parkinson’s disease brought to mind a negative black-and-white image.
It’s true – this image still predominates on Google searches and Wikipedia.
But Anders Leines, a Norwegian artist with PD, is flipping that image on its head with his This Is Parkinsons art project. Note parked sun in upper right corner, shining light where it belongs!
For his project, he takes portraits of young people with PD, instructing them to look straight into the camera and “think proud thoughts.”
Parking sun – and sons – up above, as always!
Looks like a very sunny trip 🙂
BBL missed you, see you next week!
Vanessa
You are skilled at finding sunshine wherever you go. I think you bring it with you!! 🙂
Love the color photos of people with PD to replace the dreary and depressing sketches from long ago. We have come a long way!!