It Rained Cats and Dogs and Baby Elephants...

Yes, it was this bad!  (No, we do not know these two wet ducks...)

Although we had attended the Pensacola Grand Parade this past Saturday, yesterday - Mardi Gras - we awoke to a grey day and decided, while enjoying our morning coffee,
to make the 1.5-hour trip to Mobile, Alabama to attend one of their afternoon parades.

FYI... Many people do not realize that Mardi Gras parades actually originated in Mobile, Alabama.  But somehow, New Orleans ran with it and have made their city the number one Mardi Gras destination.  

When we left Milton to head to Mobile, the weather was not great.  It was not raining, though, and we were hopeful the rain would hold off until later in the day.  The parade we were aiming for was set to start at 1:30 p.m..  We arrived in Mobile at 12:00 p.m.. to a light drizzle.  We found a parking lot, grabbed our chairs and walked the four blocks to where the barricades were set up and crowds were quickly gathering.

   
A police officer came over to chat with us while we were waiting and we learned that due to the rainy weather, the parade organizers had decided to bunch three afternoon parades into one.  So the first and second parades would start at 1:00 p.m. and would run back-to-back.  The third parade would start one hour after the second parade had ended.

And then it started to rain.  And it rained!  We were well equipped, mind you:  windbreakers, umbrella and cheap, throw-away plastic rain covers, just in case.  Are you kidding?  Within minutes, we were soaking wet!  The woman to my right had an umbrella (much bigger than ours) and would tip it towards me every time she bent to pick up beads or a throw.  As you can imagine, she was much taller than me, so the rain water dribbled directly onto my neck or in my face every time!

But we persisted;  we retirees are a hardy bunch, after all!  Minutes before the parades started, we decided to run to Joe Cain's Cafe across the street to grab some takeout.  Our breakfast toast was long gone and we were both famished.  We figured quesadillas were just the thing, thinking the cooks would have put everything we needed onto the quesadillas for us.  Not a chance.  Now, have you ever tried to assemble a quesadilla while standing in the pouring rain, juggling an umbrella, a backpack, a coffee and water?  In the end, we each gobbled down one small piece, then packed up the rest to eat later.

Oh, did I mention it rained?  Once or twice -- when the rain was really coming down -- we asked each other what the heck we were doing, standing in the pouring rain, grooving to the music and partying like there was no tomorrow.  Each and every time, we reminded each other that this is what retirement is all about.  Live for the moment!  Laugh hard, play hard, love harder!  But we can't say it would not have been better had the sun been shining!