Dreams Come True

Watching the Rose Parade has been part of my January 1 routine for as long as I can remember.  It was a big deal growing up in Ohio to see the sunshine and flowers of southern California in mid-winter.  I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to see it in person.

Much to our delight, Gwen and Paul made all of the arrangements for us to see both the parade and the post parade viewing of the floats.  Nothing that I can present here can come close to capturing how wonderful it was.  I think that is why I have been so reluctant to post anything (it is now almost March as I am writing this), because anything here would not do it justice.  However, before too many of the details fade completely from memory, here are some of the highlights of the day.

We had reserved tickets in the grandstand set up on the Pasadena City College campus.

The parade started at 8 am, but it was not expected to reach our location until 8:52.  Needless to say, nearby parking would have been nearly impossible, so getting to our seats was a multi-step process of driving, then using the Los Angeles metro system.  This may have been torturous for Paul and Gwen, but I thought it was great fun.

The four of us piled into Gwen's car and we left at o-dark hundred (about 4:00 am, I think).  We arrived at the Universal City Metro Station (the next to last metro station on the red line and the closest to Santa Barbara that had a large parking lot) at about 6:30.  We parked the car, bought our metro passes, then made our way to the trains for a ride on the red line to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.

It was truly impressive how well the authorities had extra signage, barriers, and lots of extra helpers to herd the mobs towards the gold line and Pasadena.  We made our way to the platform, along with the surging mob.  The amount of security on the platforms was truly impressive.  It included an array of people from different local and federal agencies plus dogs.  We squeezed our way into the next available train (and the operative word was "squeezed") on the gold line and made our way to the Allen station, the next to last stop in Pasadena.

Once out of the station, we walked south on Allen for about 0.5 miles to Colorado Boulevard, then 0.4 miles west to our grandstand location.   We saw the jet flyover...the beginning of the parade at 8 am...just before we made it to Colorado Boulevard.

We found our seats without a problem...and what great seats they were!  They were the last row of the grandstand. 

From our seats on the top row of the grandstand.  Notice the many rv's in the gas station across the street...a common occurrence up and down Colorado Boulevard.

One of the pleasant surprises of the day was the overall atmosphere of the event.  It was a gigantic block party.  Everyone was having fun.  We were amongst many Michigan State fans (and a few Stanford fans), but it was more than that.  There was such a joyous, happy feeling among almost everyone.  I could not help but smile and feel part of the celebration.  Many of the folks at street level, who presumably had been there all night, were having great fun interacting with people meandering up and down the street prior to the arrival of the parade.


The parade was superb, even with the long delay due to the breakdown of the Cal Tech float.  During the delay, band members held impromptu mini-performances while the Harlem Globe Trotters signed autographs and played with kids from the stands.

Following the parade, we found a spot on the Pasadena City College campus to eat our sack lunches.  Paul kept giving me updates on the UNT-UNLV bowl game back in Dallas.  I had an impromptu mini-celebration when the final score went to 36-14 for the Meangreen.

We then made our way to the corner of Hill and Colorado on the northwest corner of the Pasadena City College campus to line up for the buses going to the post parade showcase of floats.

The floats were parked at the end of the parade route along Sierra Madre Boulevard and Washington Boulevard.

Some of the crowd behind the City of Los Angeles float "Endless Entertainement"

We spent almost a full four hours at the post parade. It was a lot of fun, although I was overdressed for the warm temperatures.  We made the full circuit of the floats, starting at the north end, moving south, west, and then finally to the east exit. 

Seeing them up close and personal was really interesting.  The crowds were heavy, but not impossible.

Western Asset Management Co. float, "So Close, Yet Safari Away"

We obviously had a long way to go before home and the sun was going down quickly, so we headed out.  We made our way on foot down Sierra Madre Villa Ave.  It was a walk of about 0.8 mile to Foot Hill Boulevard, where Paul had already identified several possible places to eat with his phone.  We ate at a wonderful upscale burger place (Hook Burger, I think) that was essentially across the street from the Sierra MadreVilla metro station.

Rejuvenated after the long afternoon on our feet, we made the short walk to the metro station for the trip back downtown to Union Station.  This time we came in on another level, which gave us an opporunity to see the beautiful waiting room.  It looked like something out of a movie.  Who knew?

Waiting room in LA's Union Station, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Union_Passenger_Terminal

From there it was an uneventful trip back to the car via the red line, then on to Santa Barbara.

As I said in the beginning, nothing could capture how wonderful a day this was with my three favorite people in the world.  However, maybe this will help.  BTW, I recommend full screen and set to high def using the settings (revolving gear) on the lower right (after the video starts).

Be kind.  This is my first attempt at anything like this and I know it is not perfect.  Moreover, it was not something I had in mind ahead of time.  If I had, I would have taken additional pictures that chronicled the day.  Any day with my family is a great day, but hopefully this will help show how this was a particularly special day where one of my "dreams came true".

Flurry of Activity

It is always so much fun to hang out with Paul and Gwen.  There is such a flurry of activity.  They are currently deeply involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism.  Although I had always associated that with battlefield reenactments (and Paul, with his sword and shield, is involved with that), it is so much more.  Gwen has created stunning costumes for both of them.  I still don't know why I did not take pictures, but here is one I stole from Gwen's facebook page.

Gwen at Fall Coronation, as stolen from Facebook

She showed us some of the intricacies of the various costumes, including how the hoop on her hoop skirt had to be modified so she could go through a standard size door.  She also explained how she designed and fitted Paul's garments he wears into battle.

Here is Paul outfitted for battle in a photo I stole from Facebook.  He did show us some of his sword (is it called a sword?) moves in the backyard.  I was impressed with the many planned moves.  It was not random slashing.

Paul (on right) preparing for battle...stolen from Facebook

Among the other activities related to SCA, Paul is also a bard (meaning lots of poetry) and a herald.  Gwen is heavily into various period crafts, including various types of weaving.  Some of the needlework is stunning.

They are also both into wine, mead, and beer making. These beverage preparations were the focus of much of the activity while we were there.  Unfortunately, I have only spotty photographic coverage of the whole process and I don't remember what was happening in each of the pictures. However, this gives a sense of the process.

Washing (sanitizing) a bottle that will serve as a fermentation vessel

Here is the premeasured grain (barley, malt, and oats) purchased online for "stubby oatmeal stout" homebrewed beer, the beer du jour.

Premeasured grain purchased online

And this is how it is done, although they removed the grain from the sock rather than merely dipping it into the water.

page 1 of instructions

10:09 am

11:44 am -- Cooling the wort

12:08 pm

Although I do not have pictures (what was I thinking?!), the beer went into a fermenter with a bubbler on top and was placed in the shower to allow the yeasts to do their thing.  That process is described in the instructions below.

page 2 of instructions

Beer making was not the only activity.  This was one of Gwen's creations (cranberry mead, I think) that had been fermenting for some time and was now ready to be transferred into bottles.

Siphoning from the fermenter into bottles

I am afraid we may have been a distraction, especially with all of our questions, but it was lots of fun seeing all of this in person.  Of course, all of this activity was in addition to the wonderful gourmet meals we had throughout our stay.

Westwad Ho

This was such a super trip.  It was so wonderful getting to visit our kids whom we rarely get to see.  I have been procrastinating about posting about it (it is now 2-12-14) because anything I can post about it now does not do it justice and tends to make me homesick to see them again.  However, I need to get this done soon or it will not happen, so here goes the first of several posts to cover this great trip. 

We celebrated Christmas among the three of us.  Here is Alex with his Christmas present, a "Drinkwell Zen Fountain" watering bowl.  He has always preferred drinking from the faucets in the bathroom, so we hoped this filtered, flowing water would be cat approved.

Alex drinking from his Zen Fountain.  The water is filtered through a charcoal filter and flows onto the metal ledge rather than dripping, the latter to cut down on noise.  We thought the low noise feature was just marketing hype, but it is actually quiet once the water flow is adjusted correctly.

We got everything packed, left plenty of dry food and water (both in the new fountain and otherwise) for Alex, then headed west about 7 am on December 26.  The plan was to get to at least El Paso and take 2.5 days to get to Santa Barbara.  With very favorable weather and the addition of an hour due to the time zone change, we made it all the way to Deming, NM.  This is about halfway and has been a common place for us to stay, whether in a car or in Silver, on numerous trips back and forth across the Southwest.  We ate dinner at the Rancher's Grill steak restaurant.  The food was just ok, but we had fun looking at the many cattle brands on the wall in the lobby. 

We headed out early the following day with continued great weather, although cold...in the 20's.  The trip was uneventful, but it is always interesting to see the saguaro cacti along I-8 south of Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert National Monument.  

Picture is from this site:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert_National_Monument

Another highlight is the "valley of the wind turbines" in California, the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, near Palm Springs.  We had passed multiple wind turbines the day before in west Texas, including many near Sweetwater, TX and Big Springs, TX.   In fact, Sweetwater makes claim through its large welcome signs along the interstate to being the Wind Energy Capital of North America.  I guess that is better than only being known for the world's largest rattlesnake roundup each March.

Once we turn west and start driving across the 210 west of San Bernardino, it feels like we are getting close.  We know it is not really true, but it always feels that way.  At that point, through the miracle of cell phones, we checked in several times with Gwen to let her know we were on our way.  Despite heavier traffic in areas north and northwest of LA, we made it to Santa Barbara in time for dinner.