Pardon my tardiness, but I hope everyone had a wonderful winter holiday! My new year’s resolution is to start my first personal photo project. So far, it goes … not so well. Oh, courage, where art thou? More on that when I actually begin. 🙂

Traditionally, the first morning in January for me often includes watching the Rose Parade. Since I was younger, the floats fascinated me. It was not until I first volunteered in middle school to help decorate these floats , that I could truly appreciate the time and effort into creating these elaborate pieces. Although it has been a while since then, the magic of watching the bands, floats, organizations, and pooper-scoopers go down Colorado Boulevard lingers still.

Cotton Candy Man
Throughout the parade, a few people sell snacks, including cotton candy, grilled bacon-wrapped hot dogs, and corn. Others push along carts and carry bunches of New Year and Rose Parade memorabilia.

 

Pacman Float by Namco
Namco celebrates 30 years of Pac-Man with a 55-foot tall float. Even the tubas display the distinct Pac-Man shape.

 

Native American-themed Float
Crowds of people line the sidewalk (some of whom celebrated the countdown to the New Year merely hours before) to catch sight of the colossal floats.