2023 Rose Parade -- from East Pasadena

Our New Years was brought in with a healthy dose of the Sierra Madre.  We weathered a rainstorm at RT Rogers Brewing Co.  where I enjoyed their red IPA.  The next evening, we were back in downtown Sierra Madre to see the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association send off its 2023 rose parade float.  Then, of course, it is never too cold or rainy for a stop at Mother Moo.

The next morning, from our house in East Pasadena, we go over to Sierra Madre Villa Avenue then west on Orange Grove to Sierra Madre Blvd.  We have walked to the parade, but these days prefer to get a ride.  The parade comes right up Sierra Madre Blvd. which has a grassy center median which makes for great parade viewing.  

Over the years, we've seen the parade from many vantage points -- choice seats in the grandstand at Orange Grove/Colorado (with hot chocolate and donuts available under the stands), Lake/Colorado, at my office at Wilson/Colorado and in more recent years, on Sierra Madre Blvd.  All are good. But I have to say I prefer our local Sierra Madre Blvd. spot the best. The view is excellent, and you don't have to get up early.  You can roll on over to the parade around 9 am and still get a good spot.  

Another thing I like about the parade and the football game are the flyovers.  At least in East Pasadena, and I assume elsewhere in town, you can hear and see these flyovers from your home.  This year, two B-1 bombers flew over the parade start and then did another flyover at the start of the rose bowl football game.   

2017 Rose Parade -- From Sierra Madre Blvd.

Lizard on the Cal Poly SLO float

We ventured over to Sierra Madre Blvd. to watch this year's Rose Parade.  It was a fun time, as usual.   We enjoyed the pooper-scoopers, the surfing dog, the floats, the bands, and the horses (probably in that order).   And the Grand Marshals provided some extra excitement when their cars stopped right in front of us.   As the crowd cheered, one of the honorees scrambled out of their vintage convertible and dashed into one of the porta-potties behind us.   A funny unscripted moment -- at least from the crowd's perspective.

Cal Poly always produces clever and colorful floats.  Their floats are also distinctive because they use California grown flowers.   A press release from the California Cut Flower Commission commended four floats from this year's parade for using California grown flowers.  Floats from Cal Poly, Miracle-Gro, FTD and Real California Milk, all were decorated in flowers and greenery grown in-state.  

It is uncommon these days for any Rose Parade float to use California grown flowers.   As PSN"s Steve Scauzillo wrote last year, most of the flowers in the Rose Parade are from overseas.   About 80% of the flowers used on parade floats come from South America or Asia.  (Why do so few Rose Parade floats use California-grown flowers?)   By using cheap labor, growers overseas can sell flowers at much lower cost than domestic growers. 

The California Cut Flower Commission's release  recalls another time.  The release points out that "The Rose Parade originated in 1889 to showcase the bounty of what is grown in California during a time of year when much of the country is covered in snow."  As the Tournament of Roses puts it, the Valley Hunt Club conceived of the parade as an event to follow an array of outdoor games.  "The abundance of fresh flowers, even in the midst of winter, prompted the club to add another showcase for Pasadena’s charm: a parade to precede the competition, where entrants would decorate their carriages with hundreds of blooms."  

Though a wildly successful international event accompanied by all manner of glitz and fame, the parade's inspiration was rooted in Pasadena's natural and cultivated beauty.  That's worth remembering. 

2012 Rose Parade Awards

As we usually do, we walked yesterday morning  to Sierra Madre Blvd. to take in the parade.  It was hot and sunny-- shorts and t-shirt weather - and fun.   Parade highlights included some great bands, two floats built with California Grown flowers and the pooper scoopers.   From the 90-odd parade entries, I've selected the most extraordinary and notable efforts for this year's coveted East of Allen Rose Parade Awards.  Without further adieu:

TWO HUNDRED MILE AWARD -- CAL POLY UNIVERSITIES

This award goes to the California Grown float with the best use of flowers grown within 200 miles of Pasadena.   The Cal Poly float, as usual, was one of  the best in the parade.   The float qualified as California Grown because 85% of the flowers used were grown in California.   Even closer to home, many of the flowers on the float are grown by students on the Cal Poly campus.   

Always funny, always unique and California Grown to boot.

BEST CALIFORNIA GROWN COMMERCIAL FLOAT -- CALIFORNIA CLOCK CO.

California Clock Co.makes the famous Kit Cat Clocks.   The company's clocks are California- made all the way and they wouldn't go for imported flowers on their float.  Though rookie entrants, they broke with Rose Parade convention and used all California grown flowers on their float.   The picture does not do justice to  this effort which was exceptionally colorful and featured skateboarders and great music.

 BEST POOPER SCOOPER-- THE BROOM BALANCER 

 As a group, the pooper scoopers were extraordinary this year.  I'm not sure if these folks are tournament volunteers, professional clowns or what, but this year several of the scoopers put on a show.  This gentleman amazed the crowd with his act of balancing a broom on his chin and then paused for photos.  Now let's put this feat into perspective -- the broom he's balancing over his face just swept up fresh horse poop over the five mile parade route.   To me, this is the kind of stuff that makes for a fun time.  Great act and a.real parade highlight.     

 BEST CHEER SQUAD -- WISCONSIN BADGERS

Like the badger.

 These folks were active -- much more active than the Ducks' cheerleaders.   After five miles on the parade route they were still doing stunts.   Great group.

BEST BAND -- WISCONSIN BADGERS

 Can't beat Midwest bands.   These guys were active, engaged the crowd and were fun to watch.   Band members broke up on the street to play, danced around, then some actually went into the crowd.  A great show.

BEST LIVING CELEBRITY -- DICK ENBERG  
BEST DECEASED CELEBRITY -- ROY ROGERS

The RFD TV float was led by 100 golden palominos and paid tribute to Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys.   Saw Trigger, Bullet and Nellie Bell on the float too.  Happy trails to you....

Best living celebrity had to be Hall of Fame announcer Dick Enberg.  He rode in the parade with other greats and carried a sign with his trademark "Oh My" exclamation.  

BEST LION --  LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

 The alma mater deserves an award. I'm biased, but  LMU is an extraordinary college and they put together a pretty good float too.  The float celebrates the school's 100th year.  This is the first time Loyola has participated with a parade entry since 1936. 

MOST ANTICIPATED FLOAT -- NATURAL BALANCE

 Longest float ever, heaviest float ever and surfing dogs.   This was the one everyone waited to see.  Only one problem -- it was hard to see the show standing on the ground.  I heard this was great on TV, but was kind of a disappointment from where I stood.

BEST MUNICIPAL FLOAT -- SIERRA MADRE

 Actually La Canada and Sierra Madre both had fun floats.   The award could have gone either way.  But, I like the guy on top of the Sierra Madre float.   Amid budget crises and decline in the local economy, fewer and fewer cities are paying to build floats for the parade.  Kudos to Sierra Madre, La Canada, Alhambra, South Pas and Glendale for hanging in there.   I don't remember an Arcadia float, but otherwise all of Pasadena's neighbors entered floats.   I like the show of the regional pride, but seems strange to me they would build their floats with imported flowers.

News Flash from the 2012 Rose Parade: Two Floats will Use California Grown Flowers

The Cal Poly float is one of only two floats in this year's Rose Parade to qualify as California Grown, meaning 85% of the flowers on the float are grown in California.

  The other 41 Rose Parade floats are mainly decorated with imported flowers.

 The Rose Parade goes back 1890 and was started by the prestigious Valley Hunt Club.  The notion was to showcase Pasadena and all its charms to easterners in hopes of enticing them to move West.   "The abundance of fresh flowers, even in the midst of winter" was part of the enticement.   As eminent club member Charles Holder said, "In New York, people are buried in snow," announced Professor Charles F. Holder at a Club meeting. "Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise."

Now, more than 120 years years after the Rose Parade began, southern California flowers still bloom in January and orange trees are loaded with fruit.  But today the Rose Parade floats carry flowers shipped in from South America.  Holder's notion of showing off our paradise has faded to oblivion.  As yesterday's LA Times pointed out, the floral paradise showcased on today's Rose Parade floats is imported.

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Though news to me, this importing flowers business has been accepted for decades.

In a Star-News piece from last year, longtime float builder Jim Hynd observed, "When I first started in this industry in the '70s, 90 percent of our flowers came from within 200 miles of us.... That's totally the absolute opposite now. Most everything we get comes in from South America or other parts of the world."


Turns out that most flowers used on floats are flown from South America to Miami and then trucked 4,000 miles across country in refrigerated trailers.   Parade floats use "an estimated 20 million flowers transported from around the world in aircraft and trucks:orchids from Asia; dried everlasts from Africa; roses from Colombia and other South American countries; and tulips from Holland."

Imports are so much the standard that the official Rose Bowl rose  now hails from South America.  Last year, the Tournament of Roses and Rose Bowl named Passion Growers, a Miami-based importer of flowers grown in Columbia and Ecuador, as their official flower.    As the Times reported, the news infuriated California flower growers.

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As strange as it seems, it is big news when a Rose Parade float actually uses locally grown flowers   Yesterday, the LA Times reported that floats from Cal Poly University and the California Clock Company.are using mainly California grown flowers with California Clock shooting for 100% California flowers..  The Tournament of Roses says California Clock is "the only entry to attempt that feat in many decades."   

The Cal Poly floats are always one of my favorites and I understand that the schools' floats have always used flowers grown at the SLO and Pomona campuses.  

The California Clock Company is a parade newcomer and recoiled at the notion of  buying imported flowers for its float.  The company is from Fountain Valley and is best known for its Kit Cat Clocks and its CEO, Woody Young, has distinguished himself as a star of this parade.  As related in the LA Times, "As the leader of a California company, Young said, he wanted to support locally grown ingredients.“All of the parts of our clocks are made in the U.S.,” he said. “We resisted the idea of going offshore for even part of our manufacturing, so it is just fitting that we should have California fresh-cut flowers and greens on our first Rose Parade entry.”

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I am a big parade fan.  No other city the size of Pasadena has anything like it.   And, I respect the Tournament folks -- they're a civic minded lot who devote a lot of volunteer time to make this thing happen. 

But, personally, I was stunned to learn the flowers on Rose Parade floats are imported.  To me, importing the flowers gives the Rose Parade a contrived, soulless quality.   Despite all its problems, I still have pride in California and still think of the state as a place where everything grows. 

I am disappointed that parade and bowl leaders don't stand up for California growers and buy local and I am disappointed for California growers who have to compete against overseas' operations that play by different rules.    I'm saddened to learn that yet another California industry has withered in the name of "save money, live better."   

What ever happened to California pride?   Well, it is alive and well down in Fountain Valley.  Maybe it takes a quirky clock maker from the OC to restore some of the parade's local luster.   I hope Woody Young's local pride spreads and I will certainly be watching his Kit Cat Clock float this morning.

2011 Rose Parade Presented by Honda - Business Big and Small

Here's the Honda float entry parked for post parade viewing at the intersection of Washington and Sierra Madre Blvds. Pasadena's dominant scenic asset, The San Gabriel Mountains, provide the majestic backdrop.

This was the first year of parade sponsorship. The official name of the parade and parade logo now include the name Honda. Though part of me recoils at the thought of more giant corporate sponsorship of anything, I suppose I can't really fault the venerable Tournament -- I'm sure Honda forked over a pretty penny for all that advertising.

And, after all, the Rose Parade is big business.

According to a USC Biz School study, Tournament of Roses events positively impact the economy to the tune of $178 million.

But, the Rose Parade is also small business.

The parade gives many local folks the chance to make a few extra bucks in their front yard. This table was set up in front of a house on Sierra Madre Blvd. where tens of thousands of people stroll by viewing the floats after the parade. Other people were selling stuff in front of their homes too -- water, juice, warm weather clothing, food. Parking you see everywhere. It is not unusual to see front yards packed with cars parked for a ten or twenty dollar bill.

This house on the corner of Sierra Madre Blvd. and Paloma (right at the end of the parade) turned their front yard into an outdoor restaurant.

Makes me want to go back for some homemade tamales.

By day's end, crowds of people were still walking on Sierra Madre Blvd. near the float viewing. New Years day in Pasadena is a long and fun day for visitors and locals alike.

This was the first time in many years I did not go to the parade. I was among the many locals working (kind of) during the parade and post parade. My son and I were out this morning helping our boy scout troop raise funds by parking cars. So, this year I saw the flyover (why was the B2 flying so high this year?) and watched a little of Bob and Stephanie on Channel 5. But, I didn't get to do the photos and commentary I enjoyed doing for the 2010 and 2009 parades. Late today, I made up for missing the parade by walking along Sierra Madre Blvd. to view the floats.

It Never Rains

Paradise.

The Midwesterners who journeyed west to found Pasadena were sure they had found it -- paradise that is. They were amazed that flowers bloomed in winter and you could pick oranges off the tree. Seems natural to want to share such a place with others. So, in 1890, the enterprising members of the Valley Hunt Club decided to start a parade to "tell the world about our paradise" (and maybe sell some land). The notion was to promote southern California and attract Easterners to move here. Climate was the big draw.

So, for fun, I compared our weather today with that of the hometowns of the four teams here for bowl games. Today, Pasadena's weather is going to be clear with a high of 74 and projections for high 70's this weekend. By contrast, it is snowing in Columbus, Ohio with a high in the low 20's and colder weather forecast for the weekend. It's better in Tuscaloosa -- they get rain and snow with a high in the 30's and in Austin, where they get 41 degrees with 20-30 mph winds. Eugene is on the west coast and doesn't really count, but duckland will get up to a cool 51 with some showers.

Seems an easy sell. Why live there when you could live here? For decades upon decades, we've assumed that, once the folks back east get a load of our weather, they would all want to move here.

And they did. People moved here in droves. Back in 1890 when this whole parade thing started, Pasadena's population was pushing 5,000. As of 2007, the census folks estimate the city's population at 143,000.

But, you know, as good as the weather is, I think it was mostly work that really drew people to California. Work is also what keeps people here. It's not much use to live in paradise if you can't find work and pay your bills.

That's been the story in my own family. My great-grandfather on one side and my grandfather on the other side moved here for work. One came to California to work in construction and the other in the orchards. For a century, California's seemingly limitless resources and opportunities sustained each generation. That is, until my generation.

Times have changed. We don't like to think about it, but California is not the land of opportunity it once was. I've seen friends move out of state for a better life. I've seen family leave to find work. And I read regularly about how California has lost its appeal.

In fact, much has been written of the domestic migration out of California over the last decade. This, and population movement in general, is a regular topic on the NewGeography blog. They report that over the last decade a net 1.5 million people moved out of California to other states. Over the same period, Texas and Alabama saw net population growth as the result of domestic migration.

Then there's this interesting little thought. We might be seeing Rose Bowl history tonight. I haven't done an exhaustive search on this, but this game may mark the first time Rose Bowl teams have hailed from two states that are outpacing California in domestic migration.

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Still, it seems like paradise here. It is a sunny January day. We have the mountains behind us and the beach to our west. Flowers are in bloom. Orange and lemon trees dot the neighborhoods. There is beauty upon beauty, if you take a moment to look.

On the other hand, the stories of friends and family and the migration statistics are real. Over the last decade, the state seems to have bumped up against something. Maybe it's the economy. Maybe it's the schools or cost of living, or traffic. Maybe it is all a temporary thing -- coming changes will push the state to new levels of luster and appeal.

Or maybe, it's just that even paradise has its limits.

2010 Rose Parade Additional Photos

Sierra Madre's float. Lots of energy. Beach Boys song. Skaters. Great job.

Around these parts we're not used to seeing Trojans wearing blue and gold. But, this group did it with style. I was interested in this band on its name alone. Soddy Daisy, is a Tennessee town about the size of Sierra Madre (12,000 people) and fields an impressive band. The banner carrier on the right has either found something really funny or is in excruciating pain after walking five miles.

Bobby Grich. Angles second baseman in the 70's and 80's. In '81,he led the league with 22 HRs, in baseball's pre-juice era.

The venerable Valley Hunt Club, which started it all 120 years ago. I imagine that this is what floats looked like in the parade's early days.

I liked the monkeys, but an off year for the generally stellar Cal Poly float.

Flags and mountains. You only get this view on Sierra Madre Blvd.

Oh yeah, there were fairies on horseback.

2010 Rose Parade From Sierra Madre Blvd.

Great day for a parade. It must have been about 70 degrees and sunny as we left the house and walked down to Sierra Madre Blvd. We staked out space on the grassy median next to folks who had camped all night and others who walked in from the surrounding neighborhoods. My sister and her family joined us which made it an extra special day.

I like the mountain vistas on bright mornings like today and I enjoy walking the street before the parade starts. There are crowds of people -- some who arrive in the morning and many who have camped overnight. There's a buzz of anticipation. Plus, it's just fun to walk in the middle of a street I drive to work on every day.

In past years this is when I'd call my mom. I'd walk down the street talking to her on the cell phone and sharing with her the sights and sounds as she watched the parade on TV. Like all the holidays, New Year's morning is another reminder of her passing and I missed her as I took this year's walk.

There were two bands that were off the charts. This was one. The band members, including the two banner carriers, are blind. Members of the band are assisted by sighted persons who helped guide them along the way.

I don't claim to be an authority on bands, but in over 20 years living in Pasadena, I've watched a lot of Rose Parades and seen a lot of bands. To me, a good band should engage and move the crowd. This band hit the mark.

Therefore, this band shares honors as this year's East of Allen Best Rose Parade Band.

The other East of Allen Best Band honoree is the Ohio University Marching Band from Athens, Ohio.

The Rose Parade route is five miles long. When you're standing where we were (toward the end of the parade route) you see some bands that are pretty wrung out. So, when a band kicks it into high gear and starts dipping and dancing, the crowd goes wild.

I've never picked up a tuba. But, I can imagine how hard it is to carry one around for five miles, while playing music and dipping and kicking along the way. These folks were amazing and very entertaining. Very deserving co-winners of Best Band.


East of Allen Best Float winner was easy. Just can't beat dogs snowboarding downhill on a float.

Runner up Best Float is this one -- Donate Life's float "New Life Rises." The float title and the faces on the float tell the story.

The Donate Life float was built in the same place as the Boy Scout float. When we went to the Rosemont Pavilion to help on the scout float, there were maybe a dozen groups helping out on different floats. The Donate Life group was in a different class than anyone else. It seemed they had more volunteers than anyone, had these very cool Donate Life t-shirts, their tent was always buzzing with activity and all looked to be having great fun.

Enough with the awards. On with the regular parade stuff.

Rose Bowl mascots this year were a bit different. I guess I'm used to seeing mascots that symbolize power or strength. I know Ohio State is a venerable institution with a storied football team, but to have a mascot with a nut for a head is .... Well, I don't quite get it. Maybe it's a Midwest kind of thing.

On the other hand, I get that Oregon is rainy and maybe a bit quirky, so the duck makes sense. Still not symbol of power like a Trojan or Bruin, but it makes some sense.

There was a lot of down time in this year's parade. That gave time for bands of people to run back and forth across the street spraying silly string into the crowd. Looks like this guy got a silly string hair do.

From Brazil. These folks got the crowd going.

One of the most recognizable faces to American children, Ronald McDonald had some sylish shades and was showing off his "eye" phone.

El Dorado H.S. Band from Placentia. My nephew, who was with us this morning, is a student there, so I've got to give them some space. Actually, the band was very very good. During parade down time, two of the band members -- one with a saxophone and another with a trumpet -- stepped out of formation to treat the crowd to solos. Very impressive stuff. In an ordinary year, this band would vie for East of Allen Best Band honors.

Ahh, the long awaited Boy Scout float. Nice job on the yellow roses in the front. I last saw this float on Tuesday when my son and I helped on the decoration. At that time, you could definitely see where the float was going. But, the finishing touches have taken the float to new levels.

Shirt sleeve weather on January 1, floats, scouts, crowds on Sierra Madre Blvd. and mountain views. Where else but Pasadena?

Float Decorating

My son and I spent Tuesday helping out on the Boy Scout float. We were at the Rosemont Pavilion, which is a huge warehouse across the street from the Rose Bowl where Phoenix Decorating Company is building many of its floats. During the day, we cut flowers (including the carnations pictured above), pinned "Christmas Green," moved around buckets of flowers, and stuck vials of roses onto the float.

Float building is a rather amazing mix of highly professional artistry with hordes of volunteer helpers. The Phoenix site says it takes 20,000 hours to decorate an average float and 16,000 people volunteer (I think just for the 19 Phoenix floats). Our float had a Phoenix manager who had a book detailing the sequencing of how, where and importantly when the flowers are applied. He kept us all moving in one direction or another and kept boys off of the scaffolding.

Despite all the work being done, there is a wonderfully festive atmosphere at the Rosemont Pavilion. There are maybe ten floats being built there in the giant warehouse and each effort has its own band of volunteers. Many hundreds are jammed into the warehouse -- people from many different groups and cities. Camera crews are wandering around shooting the float construction. And tours are going on constantly with folks from all over being led through the Pavilion to watch the floats being built.

This is the flower tent that serves the Pavilion. Like a giant florist shop. Smells great in there!

Yeah, I know this is outside my East of Allen jurisdiction. But, sometime Friday morning all these flowers will actually be East of Allen. Stuck and glued onto floats, they'll move down Colorado Blvd. and cross Allen Avenue. From Colorado, the floats will roll onto Sierra Madre Blvd., which is a short walk from our house and where we'll see the parade.

Rose Parade 2009

An absolutely beautiful day for the parade. The kind of day when at 8 in the morning you can't decide to whether or not you'll need a sweater. This is Sierra Madre Blvd., kind of a lonely place early parade day morning and it was fun to walk right down the middle of a usually busy street. But, this is where the floats go for post parade and in a few hours, this area will be overflowing with people looking at the floats.

On our way down Sierra Madre Blvd. we said hello to friends already in place for the parade or wandering around the street. Some school friends had slept overnight. We got hit up by scouts for Krispe Kremes. Then, further down Sierra Madre Blvd. we met up with another Pasadena family to watch the parade. Most of the people around us were locals (or relatives from out of town) -- people who year after year watch the parade at the same spot. One of the many Trojan fans was next to us. Oh, nice mountain views too.

I decided to try my hand at photography this year. I'm trying to improve my photography skills. So far, the pictures I see and the ones my camera takes seem to be two different things. This is one of the few pictures I took that I really liked. That's Alhambra's float by the way.

The Penn State band was fantastic. Five miles into the parade and the band still had great energy dancing their way to the finish line. Their baton twirler was juggling batons! Here she is waiting for one of her batons to come back to earth. Penn State got huge cheers from the crowd around us. And their band was so good I almost switched my football team allegiance from the Trojans to the Nittany Lions.

It's the Emerald City! But, the poppies, the poppies will put our heroes to sleep. Good thing Glenda the Good Witch is there to save the day.

Sometimes you can get flowers when the parade and post parade are done and the floats are bing towed back to storage. But, I'd never seen anyone run out during the parade and pick a flower off of a passing float. Actually this was for a good cause. The flower filcher presented the rose to a lady celebrating her 50th birthday on the curb watching the Rose Parade.

It's an international parade. But, it's also a local parade. Actually that's one of the things I really like about Pasadena. In many ways, we're a world class and world renowned city. But, in significant ways we're also a small town. This well decorated girl scout just marched five miles in the world's best known parade and was plainly happy to hear a chorus of friends calling her name from Sierra Madre Blvd.

Wile E. Coyote is after the Roadrunner on Sierra Madre Blvd. Looks like he's still using those ACME rockets. Some coyotes never learn.

The good news is that, out of hundreds of beautiful contestants, we've selected you for the honor of riding in the 120th Tournament of Roses Parade where you'll be seen on television by millions of people world wide.

The bad news is, well, you've got to wear this hair....

Gotta like band directors who engage the crowd. This guy from the LAUSD All District Band was shaking hands, waving and clapping.

Notice the helicopter flying just out of the surfer's grasp. I waited for this shot.
My favorite float by the way. Surf City USA -- the real one in the OC.

La Canada's entry. I like the fact that many of our surrounding cities have floats in the parade.

What float will Raul and his parrot ride on this year? Answer: China Airlines. Spectacular float. This guy knows how to do it.

The Liberty High Grenadiers were really good. But, the hats.... Even the band director had one. Leadership by example.

Great float from Alaska. These guys did a hunting dance and charged the crowd. Lots of fun.

It's the Age of Aquarius. Lots of activity here: dancing, drums, juggling, wild colors. I'll pass on the Jumbo Jack. But a wonderful float.

Donate Life. Huge cheers from the crowd. And with good reason.

The City of Hope and Duarte float. We like City of Hope. It's an inspiring and world class place much befitting its name. My mom is there now, but soon to be released. She was watching the parade on TV when I called her from the parade route.

Here are the good folks from the Valley Hunt Club, which club founded the Tournament of Roses 120 years ago. With the Hunt Club's history, the horse driven carriage and all, I thought I'd try some fancy photo work and go black and white. Great idea; terrible photo. Also, while I was thinking 1890s, I didn't notice the tow truck in the background. Oh, well.

Cal Poly makes fun floats. Like them every year.

Roseville float from NoCal. The engineer has both arms and half his body out of the window. This was a fun float with lots of energetic riders.

The Sierra Madre float broke down and was towed to the finish. The guy in the white jumpsuit is not part of the Bollywood thing, but just a really dejected float driver.

Burbank. Great job. I thought the drive-in with the mountains in the backdrop was a nice touch.

One of the directors of the Band of America. Five miles in and still engaging the crowd.

You know times are tough when realtors can't afford shoes.

Another wonderful parade is over. Time to load up the chairs, wander on back home and wait for the football game.