Holi guacamole. Or, why you should listen to your little brother.

My brother came down for the Holi festival being held Saturday [yesterday.] His smartphone's GPS got him lost on the way to his destination, so it was a very panicked phone call I got heralding his arrival. [GET ME OUT OF THIS HOV TUNNEL!!!]

I wasn't intending to go to Holi; I saw the pictures from last year, and that was enough. But I went, intending to make sure he was okay and got where he needed to be. You made it, bro? This was his response:

"It's Holi. You're too clean." He said. "You had it coming."

I had to stay and return fire. And yes. It was fun. Hilariously, riotously, more fun than should be legal fun. No one gets hurt. You toss powder at people, or wipe it on their faces. I could have stood stock still in one spot, and hundreds of people would have run past, dumping powder on my shoulders, back, head, arms, torso. Or run up and wiped it on my cheeks and forehead, chirping, "Happy Holi!" 

Holi powder tastes kinda gross - you get used to it, but I'd just taken a powder bomb to the face, and my mouth had been open because I was laughing ... so, thanks to the photographer for that action shot there. My brother is now ready to sign up for the 5K Color Run in Cleveland in June. I don't run, but it's in two months. If I start now, I could get myself up from being able to run a quarter mile to running 5K in two months. Right? 5K is only a little more than 3 miles... 

K, Montour trail. Bring it. 

A word on Holi powder...

it took two separate shampoos to get all of it out of my hair. Not, oh, I think I'll stand here and wash my hair twice, since I'm trying to get cleaned up. Because I did that. Twice. On Saturday after Holi and again on Sunday, paying careful attention to my hairline. And watched as the water turned a decided shade of plum.

Also, how ever you get to your color run/Holi fest... if you weren't walking, consider the interior of the transportation. Pack some rugs, towels, tarps, something to cover the seats of the vehicle, and bring plastic bags to stash those extra colored-up layers in. Because having a base layer to strip down to isn't going to cut it. Holi powder gets everywhere.
It just does. 

My clothes fared a little better with the addition of a cup of Borax to the wash load, on a cold wash setting. I wouldn't know they had been covered in powder the day before. If you want the colors to set, wash on hot. Just ask the wash cloth I used to wash my face with hot water. It will be plum purple, I fear, for the rest of it's life. Bro recommends running the washer on an empty cycle following the Holi wash, just to make sure the machine is clear of Holi powder, lest you get it on the next load of clothes. [If you share a machine with other people, this would be a very kind thing to do. Or, if you believe in karma... I'm not sure how that would be phrased, but it would be bad karma not to clean out the washer.]