I bet they don't do this in Piedmont, North Dakota

Drag Queen High Heel Race.  That's right, I said Drag Queen High Heel Race.  To add a little brevity to what could otherwise be quite a drag (drag...I just can't stop myself), I'm going to refer to this annual D.C. event as DQHHR for the remainder of this post.  To start things off, I believe we have a Cruella De Vil to the left, working her (his?) stuff on 17th Street before the start of the race.

Oh, speaking of acronyms, today at work I encountered LOB, MRPS, PEC, TAM, CFC, JCT, OID, EU, NAFTA, DGP, CV, PE, BVBA, LLC, FRPS, GSA, LRD, IP, and GRA, just to name a few.  I'm fairly certain that a few of these are clear to sane people outside of the tax world (EU or NAFTA, anyone?), but...yipes.  There has to be a better way...maybe I'll throw DQHHR into conversation tomorrow just to see if anyone questions it. 

Now back on track - DQHHR is an annual event traditionally held the Tuesday before Halloween where a drag queen crew takes to 17th Street between Church and Q in the Dupont neighborhood and...well...struts their stuff for a couple of hours before racing down the street in high heels.  I'm not sure if there's even a prize at the end, but I'm sure the pride that comes from winning is plenty for the queens.  Although after the end of this rainy, cold night, I'm sure a weekend getaway in Sedona or something kinda like it sounded pretty appealing.

Ok, tell me you're intrigued by the entire concept of this event.  I mean, really??  Seriously??  Those were the thoughts running through my head, and a combination of curiosity and a great desire to take out the new camera in some challenging conditions led to my maneuvering through crowds with an umbrella just to catch a few glimpses of the festivities.  I'm remarkably lacking in any stellar pictures from the event, which I'm going to blame on (1) the rainy, disgusting weather which led to attempted picture-taking while balancing the umbrella and fearing for water spots on the pricey lens and (b) larger than anticipated crowds and my somewhat late arrival due to work and some much-needed dinner.  I didn't have to heart to actually stay for the actual race, either, since it's very likely I wouldn't have seen but a mere glimpse of the queens through the crowd of umbrellas.  Hmmm, maybe next year.

Only in the city, my friends, only in the city.  I may have missed out on the much more wholesome activities of apple-picking and corn-mazing this fall, but I did make it to DQHHR.  Maybe I should be a little concerned about my priorities.

Since the pictures weren't amazing, I went all artsy on you and did some editing on Miss Piggy's backside for a little flair and drama.  Flair and drama - drag queen-esque, right?

Just check out the tongue on Madam Blue there in the middle - now there's someone ready to race!

An early departure from the race struts off into the rainy night.