We have had a wonderful New Year so far. Family was here during part of the day yesterday and we have had the privilege of keeping our latest and newest grandson, Harold McDuff Salazar while the younger Salazar family did their traditional thing for the holiday.
Each year they go to their good friend's home with all of the children and they play games, sip champagne and then spend the night. Beth and Jennifer have been friends all their lives and now their children are all best friends, so it's a wonderful tradition to keep going for this generation and hopefully many more to come.
We decided to stay home as we have had many years of parties and late nights. I cooked us a wonderful pot roast with potatoes, carrots and gravy and we had hot fudge sundaes for dessert. At midnight we heard these loud sounds and discovered that it was a grandiose fireworks display at the ballpark and it went on for over 15 minutes. It was glorious. What more could one ask for on New Year's Eve!
For many years in the past, Frank would always get this mysterious virus that lasted from about 6:00 p.m. until midnight every New Year's Eve. He was miraculously cured the next morning in time to go to the New Year's Day parade in downtown Dallas. We have been fortunate enough to be able to do special things during the year, so New Year's Eve has never been that special to us. The past several years we've celebrated in friend's homes or entertained in our own, so just staying home with the puppy and having a delicious dinner and a good bottle of wine was enough for us this year. Do you think our age is starting to show???
One of Frank's favorite things in the world next to a football game is a parade. I don't think he's ever missed a Cotton Bowl parade. We would bundle the children up when they were little and head for Dallas very early on New Year's morning so we could have a good place to see the parade and drink hot chocolate and eat donuts. When they all got older, we would leave Dad on the corner and go into a local hotel and have Bloody Mary's inside where it was warm while he watched the parade. Afterward we would all go to breakfast at Brennan's. That was a tradition of ours for years.
Today was different but no exception. We watched the Rose Bowl Parade from start to finish in High Definition. Those of you who watched it know what I mean! The crowds start to gather very early and apparently it was cold in California this year.
The Tournament of Roses Parade has followed the same route for many decades. It starts by going north on South Orange Grove Boulevard, beginning at Ellis Street. Twenty-four hours ahead of time, the entire environs of the neighborhood streets are sealed off and reserved for the massive parade marshaling of the dozens of floats that are participating. On parade morning, it proceeds east on Colorado Boulevard to Sierra Madre Boulevard. Turning north on Sierra Madre, it ends at Paloma Street. In total, this route is 5½ miles long; the assembled bands, horse units, and floats take approximately 2.5 hours to pass by.
The floats are exquisite. Every square inch of the exposed surface of a float entered in the Rose Parade strictly must be covered with flowers or other natural materials. These other decorative applicants include bark, seed and leaves.
Many floats, along with drive train, include computer-controlled robotic mechanisms, to animate the floats. Most float drivers can only see the ground below them. An observer communicates by intercom to the driver. Most observers are hidden within the float and have limited visibility. Each float has a Tournament Member assigned to it who shepherds the float from the float barn to the formation area area and down the parade route. Most ride on motor scooters although some walk. They communicate with the float's observer by hand signals or radio.
In the days following Christmas, the natural additions to the float are applied by volunteers or hired workers. Many people end each day covered in glue and petals. Delicate flowers are even set up in individual vials of water, set into the float one-by-one.
The Tournament of Roses is the largest consumer of flowers in the world, and flowers arrive from all over the world.
It is estimated that it takes 60 volunteers working 10 hours a day for 10 days to decorate one float.
Harry got a little bored with this after a while, so he started making faces at the TV and acting silly.
He has learned to get up in the window in the media room, so that kept him busy for a while since he could see the squirrels scampering around outside.
Since he really isn't a football fan, he finally gave up and curled up on the ottoman in front of the TV set and took a long winter nap.
Once again, I want to wish you mostly a healthy and then a very happy New Year. It's been a wonderful 24 hours for us and I'm looking forward to the coming year. You'll be hearing from me again soon.
XOXO, Pcasso
1 comment:
I can relate to Harry, the dog. I am not a football fan either. I have been reading a good book this New Year's day. I painted at the gallery and came home to heat up blackeyed peas and yeast rolls and that was dinner for Phil and me.
So glad you had a relaxing New Years. So have we.
luvu,
maw
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