Being from California, acknowledging the Rose Parade is a tradition I'm ambivalent about. Sure it marks the new year, yes, there are lots of pretty floats that are obviously created by very talented people who put in hours of labor, but--the rose Parade also has a tradition of being viewed by virtually everyone across the U.S., unless you're too cool or too hungover to watch it, and of course what people see besides the damn floats and the marching bands is the fucking amazingly beautiful weather. It is unfailingly sunny, mild, and just overall fabulous on New Year's day, just so the zillions of people in the frigid northeast and midwest can see the people in shirtsleeves and sandals enjoying life OUTSIDE on January first.

Anyway, I'm not a big fan of the parade, but invariably I have it on every year so I can catch a glimpse of the City of Burbank (where I grew up) float. This year, I had to watch the stupid parade like THREE times to see the damn thing.

Usually a day or so after the parade the float people deposit the Burbank float in the parking lot of Verdugo Park (aka Verdruggo Park when I was in Junior High) so people can come and see it up close and personal. I took some pictures. Here they are. Happy New Year!