Excalabar

Last week I ran some errands that have been ignored the past four weeks, and I took Jane and a friend of hers to Mardi Gras parade this past weekend.. I parked in a lot just behind the parade route, so I needed to walk only a few steps to the parade. When there I a sat in the back of the crowd in my folding chair...eating donuts. Haha To my good fortune the spot we saw the parade is immediately in front of a Dunkin Donut shop. This answers the eternal question- Can donuts relieve leg pain?
The first one, Excalabar, was an interesting parade, given it is in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, amid so much destruction and a de-populated area. But unlike New Orleans itself, my suburb was not hit as hard. The flooding was only about 50% of the areas opposed to 80% of the city itself. More people have returned to this suburb than have gone to New Orleans itself. Thus, the suburban parades are not as impacted by the storm.
I noticed a crowd about half the size as normal, and that there were fewer floats, fewer riders on the floats and fewer marching units. But it was a large and nice parade. The theme of the parade, Krewe of Excalabar, was "Popular Magazines". Each of the 17 floats depicted a popular magazine. For instance, Travel and Leisure magazine had depictions and figures of various travel destination. The maskers were costumed in dress traditional to the areas and they threw "foreign" goodies to the crowd.
Best throw of the parade- the cute refrigerator magnets that our Sheriff tosses to the spectators every year. He creates a magnet with his image, always appearing in a whimsical pose. this year Sheriff Lee is depicted riding on the back of an alligator. Jane would disagree with this choice, She most liked the ring she caught that brightly lights and blinks in the alternating colors (purple, green and gold) of Mardi Gras.
I enjoyed sitting and watching in the back, and even caught a few beads and trinkets tossed by the riders. Oh...Happy Mardi Gras, Lou. Isn't it odd a ruined city like this is tying to do Mardi Gras this year?