I've got to tell you...

Well, I've got to tell you what Mardi Gras means to me. It's so very hard to explain to everyone the vast variety of things we do and see when we go home for Mardi Gras. I've written about it once before here but there is always more to say and some of it bears repeating.

We do go home to see my family and friends. That's a given. I get to experience Mardi Gras with my Mom, my 88 year old G'ma, my daughter and putting 4 generations together like that is reason enough.

But.....

There are just so many more reasons.

There's Candace.

My Family and their willingness to dress up steampunk style while braving the cold.

The Rolling Elvi. Scarf and doll acquired this year!

Music on the street corner. We really do run towards it when we hear it!

Seeing the end of St. Anne and St. Cecelia at the river. Aways something I wanted to see.

 

The food. Oh, the food!

Then there is Dusty. I've know him for 20 years. We live 6 miles apart and find each other in NOLA every year. Tradition.

The political floats.

The awesome, creative costumes.

Cafe Du Monde... 

Crawfish from Rouse's.

Oh, the Marching 100, how we love you!

Finding Lindy's Dad accidentally was awesome too!

And those lovely 610 Stompers! 

The look on this face. 

Coffee on tap! Yes, on tap at District!

Doubloons. Always Doubloons!

Trying new things. Calas cakes and their history.

Finally seeing Orpheus and Harry Connick Jr. 

This one.  

The awful things they say while teaching my daughter that not everyone speaks the truth.

And The Half Fast guys. 

Then there are random strangers telling you "Happy Mardi Gras!"

The Fearless Foursome.

Cady hearing and speaking with local musicians.

And truthfully, those are just a few of the reasons we go. Just a few. 

Arrr! The Pirates invade Tampa at Gasparilla!

It's time for the pirates to invade Tampa! Yahoo! The annual invasion takes place over a month and is put together by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla. The day began with the boats invading and then the parade begins. We tried to get anywhere close to see the boats but the crowd was insane and we couldn't get all the way to a good view. I think we would have needed to be there maybe before 9am to have any chance at it at all. Now I'm envisioning a great brunch event with mimosas out there that would offer that view. Ah, maybe another year. 

Not much of a view of the full harbor but if you look closely at the left corner you can see the big pirate ship. And no matter where you are you can hear the booms of the cannons.

Arr! You have to dress like a pirate to get the full effect. Here are a few of our Mateys.

And the parade begins! Yeah!!!

The floats started rolling by a bit after 3. I think there were 102 in all. That's a long parade!

He's firing some cannons off the back of this ship/float! They sure are loud! You could sell ear plugs and make some easy money.

That's Mom. She likes big beads and she cannot lie. The little boy next to her is sure eyeing them though!

All in all, it's a fun day! Pack a lunch, bring some chairs and claim your spot! The waiting is part of the fun so make it a comfortable wait. See you next year.

Wednesday's Adventure to Rainbow Springs State Park

When you have a Wednesday off for Veterans Day in the middle of the week what else is there to do but have an adventure? For my gang, it was a no brainer. I needed to be outside and Florida State Parks are FREE on Veterans Day!

Say no more. Arm twisted. Let's go to Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon.

The park was once privately owned but it fell into disrepair and the state park system decided to buy it and take it over to preserve some of natural Florida. I'm so glad when they do that. It's HUGE. I have visited quite a few parks in the area that have that same story to tell.

Now Rainbow River is really known for the pristine water and getting into 72 degree water wasn't in my plans for the day but man o' man, I would have loved to get out there in a kayak again. You can see straight to the bottom as it is crystal clear. There is a swimming area, plenty of picnic areas and you can Geocache as well. We found 4 today! Yahoo!

Because the park was once a tourist attraction there were some manmade waterfalls that were fed from the springs. The park still maintains these waterfalls and it's a beautiful walk through the park with the sounds of running water all around. 

The entire place is picturesque and really pops like a post card from the 1960's. Doesn't it? 

The State Park also has a butterfly garden and the remains of what once was a small zoo with a few animals. It just gives you more to walk around and look at throughout the park. And yes, I managed to find something to put on my nose. The frogs were there but uncooperative but the Monarch caterpillar was willing. 

There was a bugle, (yes, the snack food) that was balanced on the tip of the nose at one point of our picnic lunch as well but I'll spare you from that. Lots and lots of fun was had. Lots of acorns were whistled into annoying everyone. Pecans and other nut pieces were found and lobbed at each other in fun. A few games of Marco Polo were even played as we explored and lost each other. I'd say that was a successful AbJ day! Yes, Hailey, we need t-shirts. Still. 

Blue Man Group VIP Event

It's not often that I get the chance to do something as cool as be a VIP at the Blue Man Group show at Universal Studios but thanks to Yelp that is exactly what happened. Even better, it happened for my sister too so we got to experience it together. Yeah!

Basically BMG is starting a VIP ticket experience with a before the show preview and after the show experience. Before the show you get to go back and see the hallways and learn some history of the BMG. You also get to see the theater empty and even stand on the stage for true perspective.

Right before the show we were led to some wonderful seats right in the center of the theater but safely outside of the splash zone. We had a great experience watching the interactive performance and we were all hooked and engaged the whole time, marshmallows and all!

After the show were some more perks for the VIPS. We got to go to the backside of the stage and see the instruments and even play with one. We heard more about the Blue Men and what makes them what they are. And then we got to take some pictures with one of the Blue Men and yes, I even got him on my nose. 2 points!

I don't want to give away too much about the show because it truly is about the experience. Telling yo u all the the fun nuances and secrets may just take that magic away... and well, I don't want to do that to you! Go. See the Blue Men. Enjoy it. Have a marshmallow.