ROSE PARADE! In Living Color!

[3113]

Good moring and Happy New Year, AH'ers!

It's time for the Rose Parade, Live and TiVo'ed from Pasadena! I'm 3113, your commentator. Feel free to join in any time.

For those not in the know, the Rose Parade is a New Year's Day parade put on by a city in Southern California. It was started as a Tourism advertisement. While everyone is freezing their butts off in snow and cold, California had a parade where all the floats were made, originally, of Roses. This showed how wonderfully sunny, etc. California was and got folk to move.

That was 118 years ago. The Parade floats are quite elaborate now (and images of them can be seen on the internet, of course). They must be made of organic materials--seeds, leaves, petals, bark. And there are many prizes for things like "most beautiful float" etc.

Inbetween floats are marching bands and people riding horses. So let's begin, shall we?

 

[3113]

Now here's the weird part. Our Parade begins with a fly over by a Stealth Bomber.

Yes, a Stealth Bomber. I imagine it goes back to the days when parades began with fly overs by Bi-Planes in formation, most of them flown by WWI pilots. Moving up from there to WWII airforce, etc.

And I gotta admit, that Bomber is incredibly cool. Like seeing the Batplane.

But it's also very strange that a parade that goes out of its way to have a kid-like themes for the floats ("Imagination" and "Fantasy land" and "world peace") starts with a display of raw power. With a plane that is meant to, well, drop bombs.

But there you go. The Stealth bomber has flown over, the crowd cheers, and the parade begins!

 

[ElizabethWest]

It's on at my house, but I'm not really watching.

Tell me when it gets good.

 

[3113]

Our Good Nature

Well, I am running behind on TiVo

The Theme of the parade: "Our Good Nature."



What the hell does that mean? Anyway, it's the theme that all the floats have to display.

 

[rgraham666]

Now here's the weird part. Our Parade begins with a fly over by a Stealth Bomber.

Yes, a Stealth Bomber. I imagine it goes back to the days when parades began with fly overs by Bi-Planes in formation, most of them flown by WWI pilots. Moving up from there to WWII airforce, etc.

And I gotta admit, that Bomber is incredibly cool. Like seeing the Batplane.

But it's also very strange that a parade that goes out of its way to have a kid-like themes for the floats ("Imagination" and "Fantasy land" and "world peace") starts with a display of raw power. With a plane that is meant to, well, drop bombs.

But there you go. The Stealth bomber has flown over, the crowd cheers, and the parade begins!

At over $1 billion per plane I think the Rose Bowl is the only time they fly it.

All it takes is one bird in an engine and there goes a year's salary for two CEOs.

 

[3113]

First Float is "Mother Nature." Mother nature is white, by the way, with brown hair. And butterflies and flowers in her hair and squirrels and such around her.

2nd Float "Jewels of Nature"--flowers and butterflies and humming birds. Lots and lots of huge butterflies with wings drifting up and down.

And onto the marching bands....

Are we having fun yet?

 

[ElizabethWest]

Well, I am running behind on TiVo

The Theme of the parade: "Our Good Nature."



What the hell does that mean? Anyway, it's the theme that all the floats have to display.

I was wondering that myself. And with George Lucas as Grand Marshall? The theme just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[ElizabethWest]

And onto the marching bands....

Are we having fun yet?

Don't forget the horses. I'm glad I'm not marching behind them. Three different groups of them I've seen so far.

 

[3113]

Llamas! There just marched by the sweetest group of Llamas! So cute!

Followed by a float of lizards. Big lizards representing the Rain Forest. Kinda creepy.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Wait until you see the dragon float. Totally cool.

 

[3113]

Queen's trophy goes to a "Gazebo" of roses (big float types and real roses).

And there's the Rose Queen and her court (yes, there's a Rose Queen).

 

[ltnsfr007]

Good moring and Happy New Year, AH'ers!

It's time for the Rose Parade, Live and TiVo'ed from Pasadena! I'm 3113, your commentator. Feel free to join in any time.

For those not in the know, the Rose Parade is a New Year's Day parade put on by a city in Southern California. It was started as a Tourism advertisement. While everyone is freezing their butts off in snow and cold, California had a parade where all the floats were made, originally, of Roses. This showed how wonderfully sunny, etc. California was and got folk to move.

That was 118 years ago. The Parade floats are quite elaborate now (and images of them can be seen on the internet, of course). They must be made of organic materials--seeds, leaves, petals, bark. And there are many prizes for things like "most beautiful float" etc.

Inbetween floats are marching bands and people riding horses. So let's begin, shall we?

BUTT it's cold out (for here )

 

[ElizabethWest]

Wait until you see the dragon float. Totally cool.

I must have missed that one. I had to dry my hair.

The Travel Channel has it live with no commercials, so I keep missing things.

Alas, no tivo at my house.

 

[ElizabethWest]

BUTT it's cold out (for here )

I saw everyone in coats. This may give Michigan an advantage.

 

[3113]

"National Harmonies" float. A float that carries a choir singing the national athem. I kid you not! Lots of flags and little fireworks! Also has an Eagle and the Oak Ridge Boys. The real Oak Ridge Boys, not made out of flowers.

 

[rgraham666]

"National Harmonies" float. A float that carries a choir singing the national athem. I kid you not! Lots of flags and little fireworks! Also has an Eagle and the Oak Ridge Boys. The real Oak Ridge Boys, not made out of flowers.

For a moment I read that as "National Hemorrhoids".

 

[ElizabethWest]

The Ewok village was cute, but I'm a Star Wars fan from way back.

 

[3113]

"Our Wonderful Wisteria"--a float with humming birds celebrating Wisteria. That's a lavendar flower vine that takes over everything.

Float with ducks. Yawn.

Float of desert tortoises! Cool. Like this one. The heads move.

 

[3113]

Ooo. Underwater Float. Go Trader Joes! Whales and dolphins and octopus.

Kareem, yes the basketball player, is riding on a stage coach. In a parade. Oh, Kareem

Dragon float! And oh! COOL! Honda--so it's mechanized/anamated. Evil and good dragons fighting. And they breathe fire!

THIS one is worth checking out.

 

[3113]

Did I mention that George Lucas was the Grand Marshal?

Well, he gets a float, an Ewok village.

And a marching band. Yes. A marching band of Empire dressed band guys and, yes...Stormtroopers. And Darth Vader.

Geek out, Star Wars fans!

 

[3113]

Breakfast break folks. I'll be back with highlights later....

 

[3113]

Back from breakfast and I'm a good hour behind now. Good thing I'm not mentioning Marching Bands....

Speaking of marching bands, my fave so far as been Michigan. They take little mincing steps and they're all rigidly coordinated. Go Wolverines!

We've had a marvelous Oklahoma float (featured a huge cowbow, oil well, etc.)

And we've had an animated float with a frog jumping and sticking out it's tongue.

And now (from my TiVo viewing) we've seeing tiny little horses pulling carts. Sooo cute!

 

[3113]

Mayor's Trophy goes to an Anaheim float with palm trees and grapes and Disneyland and oranges and...an American Idol. The 2nd in the parade. I don't get it.

 

[3113]

Float: Oklahoma Rising. A guy just rose out of a birthday present weaing...A JET PACK!!!

OMG! he's rising and flying over the parade route!!!

Where's my frigging jet pack???

 

[3113]

Oklahoma is celebrating is centennial, by the way.

And there's George Lucas. He's talking to the rocket man.

Winner of Fantasy Trophy follows him (apt): and it's a family of squirrels who've just moved into a new tree house

Bands, Palominos....

Nature Rocks Float--won the humor award. A rock band of dinosaurs. The Dyno-Mites How do they come up with these wacky ideas?