Mardi Gras day 2, Highland Parade
there is no down time for mardi gras. we get up and keep going for another parade. this year we rode a float, we threw beads to mardi gras beggars.
it was a nice float too! the front was animated and of course it had a big loud sound system. it even had separate his/hers bathrooms. let's do this!
#1 son asked me get off so he could practice throwing beads to me before the parade started. turns out it's pretty easy.
there were many floats in the staging area. all pumping out different (and obnoxious) music.
this is the time to unpack and hang all the beads on hooks and organize the other throws (plush toys, moon pies, chinese new year candy).
we had rubber mardi gras crawfish, plush rats and finger puppets and a bunch of candy and chocolate from the chinese market since it was also chinese new years! Gung Hay Fat Choy means "Best wishes and Congratulations. Have a prosperous and good year."
the parade starts!
we are way up there on the second floor. there is a constant threat of being whacked in the head by street lights and trees. #2 son went to school yesterday and drew a picture of "the man with the microphone" from our float. he is the one that tries to give warning about low hanging obstacles.
#2 son quickly understood his role. for the past few weeks, he has been saying he did NOT want to throw from a float. he's been hiding some of his things, convinced we would make him throw his personal toys from the float.
#1 son took a bunch of broken bead strands and tied them in one long strand. he was using that to lower good beads to the lower deck. I got in on the fun as we teased the girl below us (marnie). she didn't look very amused at all as she kept swatting them out of her face. LOL
the parade is two hours long. kat and the two older kids had been throwing at a fast pace for the first 30 minutes and were nearly empty by the half way mark. I hadn't thrown much at all so we shared my stash.
it's work throwing all those beads and toys and moon pies... makes a man thirsty.
there is a great diversity in the Highland area. from historic mansions with their professionally catered parties under rented tents, to the let's pull a bunch of crap into the yard sort of parties.
kat ran out of beads... so she danced!
and that was the end. we jumped off the float in a big hurry, and drove back to austin. it was less than 48 hours of mardi gras. came home to sort around 1,000 images.
time to prep for the adventure that is next weekend.