Invasion Of The Pines 2012

Photos: Top to bottom - On board the ferry en route to the Pines, leaving Cherry Grove, the reception in The Pines, Ms. Flora Fauna. Yesterday July 4 was the occasion of the 36th annual Invasion Of The Pines. It was raining lightly in the morning, but the clouds magically disappeared by noon time. Hundreds of men in colorful, and imaginative drag costumes assembled in Cherry Grove. At about 1:30 PM they boarded a large ferry boat and departed for the short ride to the Fire Island Pines, where a huge and enthusiastic crowd was waiting for their arrival. Invasion originator Panzi entertained the crowd with her usual sometimes caustic comments. Free drinks for those in drag followed at the Pines Pool Deck bar. At 4 PM the boat took survivors of the Invasion back to Cherry Grove, where the festivities continued at several of the bars. It was my 13th Invasion, this year once again as Ms. Flora Fauna, and I had a lot of fun...what I remember of it, that is. :) I received a couple of very nice comments yesterday. One woman who took my photograph told me that "I have a whole collection of you." Another fellow invader on the boat told me in a quiet moment that when he sees me walking with my dog on the beach each morning in Cherry Grove that it signifies peace to him. I was very touched by that comment. The Invasion is not really something that I take very seriously or look forward to, but I did have a lot of fun this year.