Mystic Mutts Mardi Gras Parade

Our first Mardi Gras parade experience was everything we had hoped for!  This particular parade was for pets of all kinds.  We never imagined Mardi Gras was so popular in southern states other than Louisiana.  Actually, to say it is big is definitely an understatement;  it is huge!  In this immediate area alone,
there were 34 parades!

The weather was a sunny 22 degrees and we were in high spirits.  On the agenda:  3:00 p.m. pet parade;  7:00 p.m. regular "people" parade.  We were hoping to catch a few beads at the evening parade but did not expect there to be any "throws" in the afternoon.  Throws can be a variety of things from beads, Moon Pies, frisbies, cups, stuffed animals, collectibles, etc... Much to our surprise, the parade participants (people, not dogs!) threw all sorts of things to the spectators.  We ended up with 42 strings of beads, one frisbie, 2 Mardi Gras cups and 5 Moon Pies.  Whether you are busy taking pictures or not, the beads fly at you!

Once the parade was over, we headed back to our vehicle to try and decide what we could do to waste a couple hours before returning for the 7:00 p.m. parade.  While busy discussing our plan of action, an older couple walked over to our truck and said they had noticed our licence plate and thought perhaps we were lost.  We asked what would be the best spot to view the evening parade and ended up chatting with them for half an hour.  They were both southern born, now retired.  They own a house in Fairhope (on the street on which we had parked) as well as a beach house on the Gulf.  They were concerned we might not be able to find a decent parking spot for the evening parade and insisted we use part of their driveway.  Awww, that southern hospitality!

So off we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to stock up on Tassimo products.  As we returned to the truck, Marc noticed an anti-freeze leak.  We hurried back to Fairhope, to the Ford dealership, only to discover they were closed until Monday.  So in the end, we (sadly) opted to skip the evening parade and headed home.  We will return to Fairhope on March 4 for another evening parade.  As I said, there is no shortage of Mardi Gras activities in the area!