rose parade float viewing

Happy New Year! :) Did you have a fun New Year's Eve? We went to my sister's and ate (and ate and ate) and played games (including Wii Sports . . . I am really in love with Wii bowling and Wii tennis, and wish they burned more calories) and had a lot of fun.

Hey, did any of you watch the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade (a.k.a. "The Rose Parade") on t.v. New Year's Day? We got up and ate cinnamon rolls and watched it (might I add that I never made it out of my jammies that day -- a very lazy yet wonderful start to a new year), and then yesterday morning we went down to see the post-parade float viewing.

I expected the floats to be less beautiful close up, but they were more beautiful.

This was the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association's "3-D Double Feature" float. The T-Rex's nose looked like it had been knitted. (Or do I mean crocheted?)

Big Bird looked like he was made of gigantic, sparkly corn flakes.

I was amazed at how many full flowers are on many of the floats . . . I guess I had just imagined petals and seeds and palm fronds and what not pasted on the frame, but there were thousands and thousands of flowers in small water-filled vials, as you see here.

(One of the "white suiters," the parade volunteers, told us that each float loses about five percent of its flowers during the parade, and then maybe ten percent more en route to the post-parade viewing. But this was the only placed I noticed it, when he was talking about it. Everything looked fresh and beautiful.)

Did you see the skateboarding bulldog? This was Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., float, called "Natural Entertainers." You can see the track in the second photo, and then in the next there's the skateboarding bulldog, Tillman, chilling out between runs.

One of my favorite floats when I watched the parade on t.v. was the city of Sierra Madre's "Bollywood Dreams", so I was excited to see it up close. You can see the full flowers on the elephant's blanket, which just look like big patches of color when you're far away.

I liked seeing the flowers made from . . . flowers. :)

Everything was really very lush.

Another of my favorite floats was the Ronald McDonald House Charities float, which featured a bunch of interlocking houses that were just my style. :) If you watch the parade, you hear them mention every year that the taller floats have to be able to lower themselves to go under a freeway overpass during the parade. This float came apart like a puzzle to lower itself. It was very interesting.

I saw plenty of things I didn't notice during the parade. For instance, I liked Western Assets' salute to Leonardo Da Vinci, but hadn't noticed the scroll featuring Leonardo himself during the parade.

And I somehow missed the Kiwanis International "Sharing the Great Outdoors" float during the parade (I was probably getting more cinnamon rolls), which was one of the most beautiful floats in real life for me.

It was a foggy day, but the City of Los Angeles' salute to itself was sunny and fun.

More flowers made from flowers.

Have you read Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life, or read (or seen) William Gibson's play The Miracle Worker, or seen the movie with Anne Bancroft and Pattie Duke?

The portraits made with seeds are incredible. They're called "floragraphs." They used this same technique in the Donate Life float.

The Wizard of Oz float was a favorite with everybody in our family. It was really spectacular.

This is one of those mean apple-throwing trees.

They opened up the cockpit so we could see where the driver sits. The driver can't see anything. A describer (that's not what they're called, but I can't remember their real title . . . explainer? looker? spotter?) sits outside the float and radios back telling the driver when to stop, turn, etc.

Follow the Yellow Rose Road.

When Bob and I saw this Farmer's Insurance float during the parade, we were vehement that they shouldn't give out these "special permissions" to allow some non-flower-covered items, such as this 1926 Cadillac Phaeton. It seems contrary to the spirit of the parade. But then when I saw it in real life, it was really a beautiful car, and I felt unconcerned about the parade protocol. :)

Claire was excited to get a chance to sit in the cockpit of one of her favorite floats.

Hey, Mary Jo and mom, this was the St. Louis float that was pulled by the Clydesdales. (Did you SEE that one gigantic one? He was the biggest horse I've ever seen.) It was really beautiful, but I couldn't get far enough back to take a big photo of the whole thing. And of course the horses weren't there during the float viewing.

I don't know why the car on the City of Glendale's float had to cover up with flowers while the other didn't, but it sure looked pretty. This theater (in real life and as a float) is neat . . . it's art deco style, and very Golden Age of Cinema-ish. :)

What a fun day we had. When we were tired and hungry, we left and went to the Paseo for lunch at the Yardhouse and then a showing of Despereaux, which I have now seen (enthusiastically) twice.

I love my family.

Comments

[posted by: emily (justem)]

Oh I LOVE your photos!! I was in the Rose Parade twice in college, but we never got to see the floats close up. These are amazing!

[posted by: nadine]

The photos are awesome Suzie! :) That's so cool that they let you come down after for viewing the floats. They look so pretty.

[posted by: Jenny L.]

Beautiful, I hope my sister sees these. I will tell her to look. She so wanted to go see the floats this year, maybe next year. Your photos are so clear.

[posted by: Katy]

I'm so happy you shared these with us. They are lovely.
IF I ever get out to L.A. I will have to go to float viewing... I am in love with them.

[posted by: jill]

OOoooh, love this! I wish I could have slipped into your purse and seen it all with you ;) Thanks for sharing your gorgeous photos.

[posted by: shannon]

So you can really just go and view all the floats? How long can gthey last with all those flowers?
These are just amazing pictures! Thinking of you all warm and sunny while we are totally snowed in here!

[posted by: tanya]

Just gorgeous! It's hard to see the flower details on tv. It much be so much work (and money) to put these floats together.

I love the picture of Bob and Claire at the end. So sweet :)

[posted by: lisa sp]

What I was younger I always told people I wanted to be one of the Rose Bowl float designers! I got a lot of strange looks. I have never seen so many great up-close pictures.

[posted by: suzanne b.]

Lisa, the most famous float designer is Raul Rodriguez. Most people around here know who he is. Here is his website. Maybe you could work for him! :)
http://www.raulrodriguez.com/

[posted by: suzanne b.]

Emily, that is so neat that you were in the Rose Parade in college! What school did you go to? Were you there with the band?

[posted by: suzanne b.]

Shannon, I was wondering how long they last, too! You can pay $7 per person to see them on January 2nd. Next year we will get there when it opens at 9 a.m., because it was already crazy by 11 a.m.

[posted by: SusannaT]

beautiful... that flower fountain... I want one :)

[posted by: Valeria]

I also went to see the floats with the boys. They are amazing in person! My favorites were the Alaska one and the Roadrunner one. The boys were most impressed by the Wizard of Oz, Dinosaur Drive-In, and the tall white astronaut one; and,of course, the USC float (it really was not impresive, but we are die hard fans) - Fight On Trojans! :) We went on Saturday the 3rd. That was the last day. You can also go view them on January 1st, right after the parade. So fun!

[posted by: Diane]

Thank you for posting pictures of the Kiwanis float ... my daughter and I have been decorating for Phoenix Decorating for the past 6 years and we were 100% responsible for the Elk and the Eagle and its nest on the Kiwanis float this year. The nest is made of over 300 picks of straw on a bed of yellow strawflower; the elk is made of pampas grass, uva grass, palm bark fiber, buffalo grass, and hyacinth root with seaweed eyes and nose; the eagle is made of pampas grass, palm fiber, seaweed, and corn husks with buffalo grass wing tips. The designer of most of the Phoenix floats, and of this one, is Michelle Lofthouse. I'm truly glad you enjoyed our work and thanks again!

[posted by: Jane Tanner]

What happens to all the flowers on the floats after the parade?

[posted by: suzanne b.]

Dear Jane Tanner,
Hello. :) That is a really good question. I have absolutely no idea.