Sunday, January 2, 2011

Floats Up Close


Sun, Jan 2, 2011

Today I went to see all the Rose Parade floats up close. John didn't want to see any more floats and even volunteered to do the laundry instead. The floats are lined up along a divided street at the end of the parade route. Then all afternoon on the 1st and all day on the 2nd you can inspect them and see all the wonderful detail on each one. There were docents at each float that could help with descriptions and names of flowers, seeds, etc.

Sun, Jan 2, 2011

The best way to describe what the floats are decorated with is to imagine you are in a bulk seed store. All you see can be used to decorate -- seeds, beans, grass seed and grasses, herbs - dried and fresh, rices. Then go to the grocery produce department and everything there is used and then wander down the spice aisle and everything there is used! Plus all the wonderful fresh flowers, especially roses. Cinnamon was used to darken crushed rice, cayenne was blush on a girls face, the horses manes were pampas grass, the shade on a lamp was onion skin, the warriors chest plate was made of cumquats and cranberries, the shiny black tires were from sea weed, the 'wool' on the teddy bears was from a type of palm tree. Lots of button mums, red, white, pink and yellow mums, daisies, and blue stasis filled in the larger pictures. Roses of all sizes and colors decorated the skirting of each float.

Sun, Jan 2, 2011

By the time I left to go back to the RV, the rain that had threatened all day finally fell and turned into snow! Just 5 miles north of the RV, they had to shut down the freeway due to 5" of the white stuff on the road. Talk about a California traffic jam! Snow in this area was last seen 17 years ago.

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