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January 02, 2006
A Rose Parade to Remember
I purchased a fairly expensive grandstand seat ticket to the Rose Parade. But when I heard the rain start somewhere around 5 am I figured, that was that, I was staying in bed. It's true. I'm a rain wimp. After all, I'm a native Southern Californian!
I finally got up just in time to watch the parade start at 8:00 am from the comfort of my kitchen. I'll admit I was curious....I knew how hard it had been raining....what DOES the Rose Parade look like in the rain? The last time it rained on the Rose Parade, I hadn't yet been born. So I watched the "floats" make their way down Colorado Boulevard, and the bands cheerfully slog through the wet stuff, smiling and playing. After about 45 minutes, the broadcast was interrupted by a flash flood warning. Then I felt a twinge of guilt. These kids were walking 5 miles in the rain, and I couldn't manage to put on my rain coat to watch. My curiosity got the best of me. Would those instruments still play after a couple of inches of rain had fallen on them? What kind of condition could they be in by the end of parade? This reporter decided to find out. After all, dogs have to be walked, rain and shine. So I loaded one up and drove to within a couple of blocks of Victory Park where the bands finish and disperse, to find out.
There was no pedestrian traffic, and the only vehicles I saw were large buses waiting for their wet passengers, and perhaps a few parents picking up their bedraggled youngsters. Parking close to the park was quite easy. When I got out of the car, the first thing I heard was the sound of a band playing. Yep, it was POURING rain, they'd just walked 5 miles in that mess, there was only a scattering of spectators, and they were still playing. Amazing.
I didn't get close enough to see the floats, though I could see the tow truck pulling one through the intersection. My jeans were soaked by this time, and Cassie was looking less than pleased, so I took her home, changed into rain pants (what a wonderful invention), and took the other dog back down. The wind picked up, as did the rain. I could almost see better without my glasses than with them. We'd had about 3 inches of rain by 10:30 am. Nonetheless, more music drifted across the park. It was beautiful. But I must admit, I didn't stay long. :-)
It may not be a dry new year, but I hope it's a happy one for all!
Comments
Wimp. I stood out in the rain for the whole parade, even though I could have watched from the comfort of my living room - my house is on the parade route. I thought the parade was pretty good, though my 7 year old son disagreed, proclaiming it "the worst parade ever". Typical youthful hyperbole.
Posted by: Erik Adams at January 6, 2006 02:15 PM
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