I was looking through the photos I uploaded from my camera, and, with the recent groggy weather, this somehow perked my spirits.
The Monday before classes my family drove down to sunny Pasadena (although when we arrived it was 11 PM) to drop me off for the winter quarter (we enjoy long road trips, and it was the first time we had four drivers). Tuesday, the day before classes, brought in two surprises.
First, the weather. From anywhere in the US (save for Florida and Hawaii), Pasadena was in summertime. At around 3 PM it struck 87℉, and I had to take off my jacket during the day (a first in about two months). It was a pleasant but startling change...I mean, it’s January.
Second, the Rose Parade (and Bowl). Because January 1st was a Sunday (and collegiate football is never played on Sundays to respect religious schools like TCU), the parade and football game were moved to Monday, 1/2. When my family and I came to Pasadena Monday night, Colorado Boulevard was extremely littered with food wrappings and the likes (and the dirtiest I ever saw Pasadena), and bleachers were in random places on the sidewalks and in PCC (Pasadena City College). Booking a hotel in Pasadena was also pretty difficult because of the football fans from Oregon and Wisconsin (we were relocated to Arcadia).
However, by Tuesday afternoon the roads were packed with travelers, and, while wandering in Old Pasadena, my family had the opportunity to see the floats from the Rose Parade. Note that these are no ordinary floats. These floats are decorated with plants, from roses (hence the name of the parade) and flowers to beans, corn husks, and fruits. For $10 we walked the 2-mile exhibit, watched dogs surf (this is not a typo) on the world’s longest float (although it was more of the dog holding onto a surf board for dear life), and marveled at the beauty of the floats’ details. I really liked the public viewing of the floats because we could see both sides of the float (compared to the one side you see at the live parade), and it complemented the TV experience (aerial view of the floats) pretty well, although flowers were wilting from the heat. I have some pictures below. The pictures are larger than normal so that you can see the detail.
A flower made of flowers.
Indonesian float. The figure is Garuda, a Hindu eagle that is the transport of a deity. This was one of my favorites.
Dole's entry into the Rose Parade. It won "best of show."
The theme of the parade was "Just Imagine". I will let you figure out what Trader Joe's was thinking about. :)
Quote of the day: We never knew there would be public viewing of the floats (we were in Old Pas to find a Best Buy). But it has always been a dream of ours to see the floats live, and it came true on Tuesday. To quote Swami Chinmayananda, “What you meet in life is destiny. How you meet it is free will.”
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