Show Me Your Beads

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! Laissez les bon temp rouler!
Can you guess from the picture how we are planning to spend today? Is there anything more perfect than this pairing?.....something New Orleans-ish AND basketball! So here are all the beads I will be sporting at the game tonight - as this yankee celebrates Mardi Gras. Maybe they will bring The Bucks some luck!
These beads were all purchases, however somewhere on my own Bucket List, is the goal of "earning" them the right way!


The best thing about Mardi Gras (or really everything about New Orleans) is the food! Yeah, I am all about that food. It even gives me a little spine shiver thinking about it! Ok, ok - moving on......here is a King Cake. It is served during Mardi Gras season parties. Do you see the little plastic baby in the middle of the ring? This would actually be hidden in the cake, and the person who gets it in their piece is the host of the next party. I ordered a cake shipped from N.O., and made gumbo last weekend. Mmmm. The cake is filled with a flavor of your choice (I like cream cheese - like a danish), and the icing is a powdered sugar drizzle, then sprinkled with colored sugar. The purple = Justice, the green = faith, and gold = power.
The next big thing are all the parades. I have never been to a parade, but we toured the factory that makes all the floats. The picture here of the three faces, is appx 1 story tall! This tour was really neat. Most of the elements are made of layered styrofoam, then carved, and painted. It is truly an art and hard to grasp the size proportions. Just let me say, parades we all have in our home towns, would be like comparing a County Fair to Disney World.

The dozens of people who ride the floats wear the most incredible costumes. During this same factory tour, we could try on some sample costumes. They were incredibly heavy!
Here is Steve. He is 5'10, if that lets you understand the size proportions. There are two parts here. The large shoulder piece is on braces that are harnessed over your shoulders. When all that is strapped on, you slip on the jacket portion, which is sewn with beads, etc., which makes it heavy, too.
The riders on the floats would also be masked. They throw out beads, coins, and candy to the crowds.

Here I am in another costume. I am 5'7", and think they said mine would have been worn by a male. Even as strong as I am, I could never have worn this, balanced on a float and thrown stuff. It would be exhausting. As odd as this sounds, considering my love affair with New Orleans, I would never want to be there on an actual Mardi Gras. I just don't like those kind of crowds. I'm not much of a Bourbon Street fan either - at least to just hang out. It is a world of its own, and you can truly "feel it" when you step on that street.

But I guess I'll have to get back on that Bourbon Street horse someday ...especially if I want to earn those beads!!!

I am off to celebrate my favorite things.... Go Bucks!!!