Summerdale, AL.
51 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 70F. Winds from the SSW at 5-15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
The day started out with Jim and Linda getting me ready to travel. Linda did a load of laundry and started to put "stuff" away and Jim did some of the same before going outside to checked my tires and fluid levels. Then, after the laundry was done, he added a little water to my fresh water tank, dumped my black and gray water tanks and put all the hoses away.
About 4:45 they headed over to the clubhouse for the last of the Mardi Gras celebrations. Yesterday was what they call "Fat Tuesday", and its the last day to party and eat before Lent begins.
The festivities started with the arrival of the King and Queen. After they paraded around in the clubhouse, the excellent evening meal was served. It consisted of meat loaf, mashed potatoes w/gravy, green beans, salad and drinks. There were also skits, costume contests, and music from a band to fill out the evening.
Jim and Linda said that it seemed like a good time was had by all. : )
If you ever get a chance to get down in this area in February, try to time it so you'll be here for Mardi Gras. There's something going on almost every day in the area, it's a fun time and you can party and eat as much as you like. Both Jim and Linda are glad that they extended our time here to experience it. : )
Today we'll be leaving the Plantation, but we'll be back. It would have been nice if Jim and Linda would have been able to spend more time with Darrell and Judy, but being that it was such a busy time here at the park, that just didn't happen. : ( Hopefully, we'll meet up with them again soon.
Since we'll be traveling, I have no idea if I'll be able to post on this blog every day or not. If you don't hear from me for a day or so, don't worry, I'll catch you up on my wanderings as soon as possible.
Did you know that the last Tuesday before Lent developed a variety of different traditions depending on what country one was living in?
The one commonality was that all these traditions were indulgent! In English, for example, a feast of pancakes was served. In France, Mardi Gras -- meaning "Fat Tuesday" -- was especially indulgent, reminiscent of ancient Roman times.
Showing posts with label Mardi Gras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mardi Gras. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Mardi Gras Parade And Lunch
Summerdale, AL.
51 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 68F. Winds from the South at 5-10 mph.
The park Mardi Gras parade kicked off from the clubhouse at 11:00 yesterday morning and circled around through parts of the park before returning to the clubhouse. It wasn't a big parade, but I think most everyone here in the park had a good time and enjoyed watching it and catching the beads and candy that the participants threw out to the spectators. ; )
Below, are a few of the photos that Jim took of the parade.
As you can see, Just about anything that could roll was decorated and entered into the parade. : )
After the parade, everyone started gathering for lunch. On the menu was Pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, potato wedges, slaw, desert and drinks.
They even had a band that was playing from the stage.
After the meal, there were skits, and then an auction for some chairs that some of the members of the club had refurbished by refinishing and re-caning the seats.
By the time Jim and Linda got back here, it was time for naps. ; ) After his nap, Jim went outside and checked a few things on me. He also closed the grey water valve so that some water would accumulate in the tank so that when he dumps my black water tank today, he'll have some gray water to flush out the sewer hose.
There will be more festivities at the clubhouse today and then, we'll be leaving here tomorrow morning. It's hard to believe we've been here for 2 weeks already.
Did you know that the first Mardi Gras parade was staged in the United States 1837?
It has been reported that there was just one float, which, despite its crudeness, brought great joy to the people of New Orleans. Today, the city begins its cascade of parades the Friday before Ash Wednesday. The parades feature hundreds of different floats from the city's many parishes, each of which is sponsored by a different Krewes, or club.
51 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 68F. Winds from the South at 5-10 mph.
The park Mardi Gras parade kicked off from the clubhouse at 11:00 yesterday morning and circled around through parts of the park before returning to the clubhouse. It wasn't a big parade, but I think most everyone here in the park had a good time and enjoyed watching it and catching the beads and candy that the participants threw out to the spectators. ; )
Below, are a few of the photos that Jim took of the parade.
After the parade, everyone started gathering for lunch. On the menu was Pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, potato wedges, slaw, desert and drinks.
By the time Jim and Linda got back here, it was time for naps. ; ) After his nap, Jim went outside and checked a few things on me. He also closed the grey water valve so that some water would accumulate in the tank so that when he dumps my black water tank today, he'll have some gray water to flush out the sewer hose.
There will be more festivities at the clubhouse today and then, we'll be leaving here tomorrow morning. It's hard to believe we've been here for 2 weeks already.
Did you know that the first Mardi Gras parade was staged in the United States 1837?
It has been reported that there was just one float, which, despite its crudeness, brought great joy to the people of New Orleans. Today, the city begins its cascade of parades the Friday before Ash Wednesday. The parades feature hundreds of different floats from the city's many parishes, each of which is sponsored by a different Krewes, or club.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday's Photos and Breakfast With The King And Queen
Summerdale, AL.
57 deg overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 61F. Winds from the WNW at 10-25 mph with gusts to 35 mph.
I finally got some photos of Friday's dinner and the selection and Coronation of the King and Queen to load.
The photo below is of some of the people at the dinner. There were so many that it was impossible to get them all in a shot or two. : )
The announcement of the King and Queen!!!!!!
The King!!!!
And the Queen!!!!
A few of the decorations in the Clubhouse
Yesterday morning, Linda managed to get up at the "crack of dawn" and make it over to the clubhouse for breakfast with Jim and the King and Queen. There were lots of folks there and everyone enjoyed juice, pancakes, bacon or sausage and coffee. ; )
Jim and Linda said that there weren't quite as many people there as there were for the dinner, but the clubhouse was pretty much filled up.
It wasn't long before Jim and Linda came back here. The skies were threatening and the forecast was for rain and possible severe weather, so they felt it was best to return shortly after finishing their meal and talking to a few friends.
It rained most of the day and then later in the afternoon, it started to get pretty nasty. The rain intensified, there was thunder and lightning and the winds really picked up for awhile.
Oh, and did I mention that there were flood and tornado warnings and watches for the area? : O
Luckily, it didn't get too nasty here at the park and I don't think that there was any damage. At least none that I could see.
After the storms passed, Jim and Linda fooled around with the computers and watched TV.
Speaking of TV, did any of you watch the demolition derby at Daytona last night? I really didn't like the 2 by 2 racing that they've been doing in the past, but I don't think a race where 1/2 of the cars are wrecked before it's half over will very interesting either. : (
Maybe the drivers will use their heads and figure things out before the Daytona 500 next weekend.
Did you know that the ever-popular beaded necklaces, so ubiquitously associated with Mardi Gras today, didn't come into play until the 1880s?
That's when one of the Krewes dressed up a member as Santa Claus and had him toss out glass beads. It was such a hit that by 1900, beaded necklaces had become the Mardi Gras throw. Somewhere along the way, those lovely glass beads got replaced by cheap plastic and aluminum beads, which today earn the thrower a flash (of flesh). That particular "trading" tradition most likely dates back to the 1970s.
57 deg overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 61F. Winds from the WNW at 10-25 mph with gusts to 35 mph.
I finally got some photos of Friday's dinner and the selection and Coronation of the King and Queen to load.
The photo below is of some of the people at the dinner. There were so many that it was impossible to get them all in a shot or two. : )
The announcement of the King and Queen!!!!!!
The King!!!!
A few of the decorations in the Clubhouse
Yesterday morning, Linda managed to get up at the "crack of dawn" and make it over to the clubhouse for breakfast with Jim and the King and Queen. There were lots of folks there and everyone enjoyed juice, pancakes, bacon or sausage and coffee. ; )
Jim and Linda said that there weren't quite as many people there as there were for the dinner, but the clubhouse was pretty much filled up.
It wasn't long before Jim and Linda came back here. The skies were threatening and the forecast was for rain and possible severe weather, so they felt it was best to return shortly after finishing their meal and talking to a few friends.
It rained most of the day and then later in the afternoon, it started to get pretty nasty. The rain intensified, there was thunder and lightning and the winds really picked up for awhile.
Oh, and did I mention that there were flood and tornado warnings and watches for the area? : O
Luckily, it didn't get too nasty here at the park and I don't think that there was any damage. At least none that I could see.
After the storms passed, Jim and Linda fooled around with the computers and watched TV.
Speaking of TV, did any of you watch the demolition derby at Daytona last night? I really didn't like the 2 by 2 racing that they've been doing in the past, but I don't think a race where 1/2 of the cars are wrecked before it's half over will very interesting either. : (
Maybe the drivers will use their heads and figure things out before the Daytona 500 next weekend.
Did you know that the ever-popular beaded necklaces, so ubiquitously associated with Mardi Gras today, didn't come into play until the 1880s?
That's when one of the Krewes dressed up a member as Santa Claus and had him toss out glass beads. It was such a hit that by 1900, beaded necklaces had become the Mardi Gras throw. Somewhere along the way, those lovely glass beads got replaced by cheap plastic and aluminum beads, which today earn the thrower a flash (of flesh). That particular "trading" tradition most likely dates back to the 1970s.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Mardi Gras - The Fun Begins
Summerdale, AL
58 deg. light drizzle no wind.
Forecast = Overcast with thunderstorms and rain showers. High of 70F. Winds from the NE at 5-15 mph with gusts to 30 mph shifting to the SE in the afternoon. Chance of rain 100% with rainfall amounts near 1.8 in. possible.
Yesterday was the first day of Mardi Gras here at the Plantation. Jim and Linda went grocery shopping in the morning, and then just kind of kicked back in the afternoon. Then, a little after 5:00 they headed over to the clubhouse for the festivities.
As they drove up to the clubhouse, they could see that there were lots of people there because there were cars parked everywhere. In fact I'm told that there were about 240 people there. : O
The first thing on the agenda was the baked spaghetti dinner, which included salads, drinks and desert. After dinner, it was time to select the King and Queen. This was done when everyone was served a cupcake for desert. 2 of the cupcakes had a tiny figure of a baby baked into them and the people who got them, became the new King and Queen.
Now, I have to stop in the middle of this because I want to tell you that Jim did take a bunch of photos of all of this, but I can't get any of them to load onto Blogger this morning!!!!! : (
I'm really sorry about that, and if I can, I'll post them on a future blog.
Anyway, the King and Queen were selected and then it was time for the Coronation. This was mostly them taking an oath and the crowing with gold crowns.
After the coronation there was a ball, but Jim and Linda decided not to stay for that. Linda's knee has been bothering her latey and she decided that it probably wouldn't do it any good to dance on it.
There's not much scheduled for today except a breakfast this morning, and it's probably a good thing because all the forecasters on TV are saying that it's very possible that we'll be getting a lot of rain and possibly some severe weather today. In fact, many of the parades that were to take place in the surrounding communities, have already been postponed and rescheduled.
Did you know that purple, green and gold are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras?
Purple represents justice, green is faith and gold symbolizes power.
58 deg. light drizzle no wind.
Forecast = Overcast with thunderstorms and rain showers. High of 70F. Winds from the NE at 5-15 mph with gusts to 30 mph shifting to the SE in the afternoon. Chance of rain 100% with rainfall amounts near 1.8 in. possible.
As they drove up to the clubhouse, they could see that there were lots of people there because there were cars parked everywhere. In fact I'm told that there were about 240 people there. : O
The first thing on the agenda was the baked spaghetti dinner, which included salads, drinks and desert. After dinner, it was time to select the King and Queen. This was done when everyone was served a cupcake for desert. 2 of the cupcakes had a tiny figure of a baby baked into them and the people who got them, became the new King and Queen.
Now, I have to stop in the middle of this because I want to tell you that Jim did take a bunch of photos of all of this, but I can't get any of them to load onto Blogger this morning!!!!! : (
I'm really sorry about that, and if I can, I'll post them on a future blog.
Anyway, the King and Queen were selected and then it was time for the Coronation. This was mostly them taking an oath and the crowing with gold crowns.
After the coronation there was a ball, but Jim and Linda decided not to stay for that. Linda's knee has been bothering her latey and she decided that it probably wouldn't do it any good to dance on it.
There's not much scheduled for today except a breakfast this morning, and it's probably a good thing because all the forecasters on TV are saying that it's very possible that we'll be getting a lot of rain and possibly some severe weather today. In fact, many of the parades that were to take place in the surrounding communities, have already been postponed and rescheduled.
Did you know that purple, green and gold are the traditional colors of Mardi Gras?
Purple represents justice, green is faith and gold symbolizes power.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Today The Festivities Begin
Summerdale, AL.
67 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 73F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Weather wise, the day didn't start out very good yesterday. There was heavy rain for a good part of the morning, but then skies started to clear some and the sun even came out for awhile during the afternoon.
Jim and Linda didn't do much. Linda read some, fooled around with the computer and watched some TV. Jim did basically the same thing except he read a magazine, fooled around with the other computer and watched some TV.
For dinner, since the weather was co-operating, Jim got out the grill and cooked a couple burgers while Linda prepared some carrots on my stove.
Today, the Mardi Gras festivities start here at the park, with a dinner this evening, followed by the selection of a Mardi Gras King and Queen. After that, there'll be the "Rainbow Ball".
Did you know that historians differ about how exactly Mardi Gras was brought to the United States, but all agree it was due to French influence in the territory of Louisiana?
Some think the French explorer Sieur d'Ibervilled introduced Mardi Gras when he landed in what is today Louisiana in 1699. Others say that early French settlers to Louisiana introduced Mardi Gras to the Americas. While others argue that the first Mardi Gras was celebrated by French soldiers back in 1703, in the city of Mobile, Alabama. Either way, by the 1820s, Mardi Gras was firmly entrenched in New Orleans culture.
67 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 73F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Weather wise, the day didn't start out very good yesterday. There was heavy rain for a good part of the morning, but then skies started to clear some and the sun even came out for awhile during the afternoon.
Jim and Linda didn't do much. Linda read some, fooled around with the computer and watched some TV. Jim did basically the same thing except he read a magazine, fooled around with the other computer and watched some TV.
For dinner, since the weather was co-operating, Jim got out the grill and cooked a couple burgers while Linda prepared some carrots on my stove.
Today, the Mardi Gras festivities start here at the park, with a dinner this evening, followed by the selection of a Mardi Gras King and Queen. After that, there'll be the "Rainbow Ball".
Did you know that historians differ about how exactly Mardi Gras was brought to the United States, but all agree it was due to French influence in the territory of Louisiana?
Some think the French explorer Sieur d'Ibervilled introduced Mardi Gras when he landed in what is today Louisiana in 1699. Others say that early French settlers to Louisiana introduced Mardi Gras to the Americas. While others argue that the first Mardi Gras was celebrated by French soldiers back in 1703, in the city of Mobile, Alabama. Either way, by the 1820s, Mardi Gras was firmly entrenched in New Orleans culture.
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