Mystic Striper Parade

Our merry band of friends returned to us from the far reaches of the great state of Alabama to watch the Stripers parade on Thursday and while the weather was much drier than it has been for other parades this season, it was much colder than many of us anticipated. Jeremy and I were greeted at our stomping grounds by Joe and Susan, we came bearing offerings of Chicken Fingers, 40 of them with an assortment of sauces and as though following some beacon two by two we were joined by friends until we had a sizable crowd.

From Stripers

We stayed close to the buildings to stay out of the gusting wind and there was alot of laughter and excitement as we waited for the parade to come...and we waited...and we waited...We finally braved the wind and headed to the barricade as though surely our mere presence would help summon the parade. Suddenly the beautiful women around me began to look like pictures from the Babes of Jihad pin-up calendar!

From Stripers

From Stripers

From Stripers

Apparently after the Stripers had fixed a flat, gotten a drunken reveler BACK on the float after he fell off*, and dealt with a dance team casualty they finally arrived at our spot! (About ten minutes after Susan and Joe had given up and gone home for the evening.) Lead by the Budweiser Clydesdales!

From Stripers

All in all, a good time was had - beads were caught and immediately after the parade passed us we parted ways to head for warmer places!

Beth's hugger said..."I LOVE JESUS But"...to find out what the but is click here!

*Apparently the man who fell off the float was taken to the hospital, friends on the parade route where he fell said he landed right on his head so send your best Mardi Gras wishes his way for a speedy recovery.

The Parade Trifecta

I must admit that in between the Barn Party and the parades of Saturday night, I went home and took a nap. I woke refreshed and looking forward not only to the parades but to the Bacon Pinwheels and the Apricot Martinis Nancy had been advertising on Facebook since early that morning! I must say that I was not disappointed.

From Comic Cowboys Barn Party and Parade Trifecta

When Jeremy and I arrived down at the usual spot, there were lots of friendly faces to greet us! (In other words, I think we were running a little late!) We were a little closer to the Bicycle Shop side than usual but we still had an impressive spread. (Though I never did figure out where Weezie's layered dip was!) Jack and Mary brought the girls who were thrilled to see Charlie and the kids happily entertained themselves while we waited for the parades to make their appearance.

From Comic Cowboys Barn Party and Parade Trifecta

Saturday night we had three parades - the Maids of Mirth, the Butterfly Maidens, and the Merry Mates. The three parades rolled into each other and brought showers of loot down upon us! Though the most popular items for the evening seemed to be the marker that fell out of my pocket and the Disney ears that people were wrestling over when they got lose! JJ showed off her sweet dance team moves with one of the high school marching bands. I tried to capture it on film but I didn't quite get it - I think that next time I'll have to remember that my digital camera also does some digital recording!

Yet, still as Moon Pies showered down upon us and all around us in flavors too varied to try to remember and some too strange to actually try - there wasn't a Peanut Butter Moon Pie among them, so I say, the search goes on!

Recipe Spotlight::Bacon Pinwheels

Okay I admit that John Mercer totally set the mood for this recipe as he spent the entire evening before telling bacon stories so when Nancy's facebook status said "making Bacon Pinwheels" my mouth was watering before I even got to the parade! However, Nancy has agreed to share her recipe, as I scoured the internet and found out people do some freaky things to this excellent and simple recipe.



Nancy Gardner's Bacon Pinwheel Recipe

2 tubes of crescent rolls
2 pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. REAL bacon pieces or 1/3 lb. cooked bacon
3 TB finely chopped onion

Unroll each tube of dough. Make 2 rectangles from each tube. Roll out a little to stretch it. Mix all the other ingredients together and spread on rectangles. Roll up lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pinwheels. Bake on ungreased sheet according to crescent roll directions. Can freeze after baking then defrost and reheat.

125 Years Without Malice

I must admit that I have a special place in my heart for the Comic Cowboys' Barn Party. It was one of the first events I was invited to attend and it has become that I look forward to every year. However, I also have to note that in three years I have yet to see the Barn Party happen on a day when it wasn't cloudy or even rainy though I think the turn out that the party gets year after year indicates I'm not the only one with a special place in my heart for the Comic Cowboys!

From Comic Cowboys Barn Party and Parade Trifecta

The day of this year's party dawned like every other I have been to so far, wet and gray! However, before we even got to the barn - we knew that there must be quite a crowd for this year's party (This year marking the 125th anniversary of the Comic Cowboys' organization!) because we circled and circled looking for a spot for at least 20 minutes! (We finally ended up parking down by the LaShe's barn!) However, we finally joined the ranks of friends and family at this outstanding event!

From Comic Cowboys Barn Party and Parade Trifecta

I suspect that the Comic Cowboys' Barn Party is one of the only places in Mobile, where you can see folks in a line a mile long for hot dogs and happy about it! But let's face it, the hot dogs are awesome, especially for boiled hot dogs! (I've heard a rumbling that the magical ingredient is crab boil, but this is absolutely unverifiable at this point!) Nachos proved to be much more easily obtainable, as was the beer ironically!

From Comic Cowboys Barn Party and Parade Trifecta

There were lots of friendly and familiar faces to see - Jack proudly sporting his Queen pin. (His Mother and I had a fascinating discussion about his bra for this year's parade since the historic bra had been handed off to another queen for this year.) I'm afraid Frank was a blur of green, as he paused to say hello for just a moment before heading back to work. (I don't think I ever saw him again that afternoon!) Of course some folks just know how to make an entrance - JJ, Katherine, and Dwight all arrived late and were warmly welcomed to the festivities!

As always, I would say that the barn party was a fabulous event, one that I would strongly recommend rain or shine!

All the pictures from the Barn Party and the later Parades are here!

The Incas!

Friday night's festivities were not for the faint of heart! It had been cool and rainy for the better part of the day and despite assurances to the contrary, several times after the parade started (but well before it reached us) the heavens opened up and POURED down upon us! We spent most of the pre-parade time huddled under the awnings in front of the businesses across from Liquid/the Bicycle Shop. However, Susan and Joe provided some yummy spinach and artichoke dip to help us keep up our strength in the exceptionally foul weather! We all clustered from one awning to another trying to stay dry and visit until the strains of the boom boom lured us out in the rain.

From Incas

In the effort of being honest in my reporting, I don't really remember what the theme was for the Incas that evening. I can't even, for the life of me, recall a specific float but I can tell you that the gentlemen on those floats were appreciative of each and every one of us who braved the elements to see them as they rewarded us richly in a variety of throws from beads to stuffed animals. However, sadly there were still no peanut butter moonpies caught!

From Incas

As the evening drew to a close we ventured inside for some post parade eats at Wintzell's. The Bacon Wrapped shrimp was such a huge hit that John Mercer shared many a heartfelt bacon story with us, including a recipe for something called "The Beast" - sausage and bacony goodness. It also inspired Nancy Gardner to make Bacon Pinwheels for the next evenings festivities, but that is a story for another blog.

From Incas

To see who John Mercer was smooching!! Click Here!

Curiouser and Curiouser

Something very special happened on Friday, something I never thought I would see in 100 years, something so momentous that it is getting it's own blog entry! (Okay maybe it's not that big of a deal but it is certainly something that was funny enough that it deserved being mentioned!) I haven't known Susan nearly as long as the rest of you but I will say that she has always been quite vocal in her disdain for tennis shoes. (I have often thought more than once that my own footwear choices might have caused her to inwardly cringe a bit, but I digress...) Well apparently she had originally put on some adorable and treacherous boots to brave the wild weather conditions on Friday night and then thought better of it (with a little help from Joe) and instead went with *gasp* TENNIS SHOES! Behold, I have a picture just so no one thinks I am speaking out of Sunday school!

From Incas

The Polka Dots or Why we Love Schelle!

I'm afraid that Thursday's Polka Dot parade was another night that had out motley crew scattered along the parade route. The Gardner camp was at a soiree outside of the Mardi Gras museum, Jack and Allison were actually mingling the ball bound crowd, leaving the rest of us to hold down the fort at our Mardi Gras home near the bicycle shop.

In the usual stomping grounds Katherine and Dwight were our gracious hosts, providing yummy chicken finger treats to keep spirits high while posters were made and we waited for the boom boom. We also had Nancy sending us text updates from her position to add to the mounting excitement as we waited!

From Polka Dots

Soon enough the Polka Dots arrived, celebrating 60 years of Broadway! The first order of business was to locate Ms.Patsy, Dwight's Bookkeeper. I might as well confess that there was a good deal of sass administered to Mr.Lambert, when the only information he could provide was "she's on the first or second float." However, Dwight was as good as his word - we caught a glimpse of Ms.Patsy on the second float I believe and then Katherine and I were forced to eat humble pie when Schelle was on the eighth float and not the fifth as we had been saying when we were harassing twice about not getting the specifics.

Once we were able to confirm a Schelle sighting, on the eight float, the excitement built up to a fevered pitch! We saw the Cat coming around the corner and in no time flat, I saw familiar eyes twinkling behind a glorious mask, I got the nod and I knew this was it! The beads came flying fast and hard and the moment, and float passed too quickly. I managed to fire off one picture before our Schelle cat disappeared from sight. What a wild ride!

From Polka Dots

We did have one confirmed Peanut Butter Moon Pie sighting! Nancy actually managed to get her hands on one, but alas it was damaged beyond recognition so not really in any condition to be eaten. However, now we know for sure that they are out there!

For more random pictures (and they are totally random)- you can click here!

Sharing with the Class

I am still working on my Polka Dots write up (and still need to upload some pics!) but I wanted to take a minute to share with the class...

I found this super cool Tabasco Mardi Gras Screen Saver, and I downloaded it and put it on my computers at home and work and it get's rave reviews. Since I have two computers in my office at work, there seems to be a parade on at least one of them at any given time, and people walk in and are transfixed!

So if you want to have a little bit of Mardi Gras at home, two thumps up for the Avery Island Mardi Gras Parade!

Download the Parade HERE!

Order of the Pharaohs & Conde Explorers Men of Honor

Saturday night's parades were short and semisweet. As usual, the Horner clan arrived early and staked out some prime parking real estate,so when Nancy and I arrived the girls were decked out in their light up Mouse ears, playing hide and go seek in and around the truck. (However the parents had put the kibosh on the whole "under the truck" thing much to the girls dismay.) We also had some fresh faces there as John had brought some people from work with him, some local and some who had never seen a parade before! We had a wonderful time mixing and mingling, exchanging stories from the night before, and I was thrilled to have been presented with my own set of light up ears brought back just for me from Disney World. However, before too long McGruff drive by and the sirens' song called us out to the barricades.

From Order of Pharoahs & Conde Explorers

From Order of Pharoahs & Conde Explorers

The Order of Pharaohs was up first and they fulfilled the short part of the parade. I think they had roughly five or six floats - I took a picture of what I assume is their emblem float. However, it was over almost as fast as it had begun and it flowed right into the Conde Explorers. I suppose I got a bit of an education because about two or three floats in, I realized that I was having a sense of deja vu - wasn't that the same Harry Potter float from the night before? However people kept screaming and throws kept getting thrown, but once I looked up into the stern countenance of Darth Vadar I knew that my suspicions were right, these were the same floats as the night before! Apparently I was not the only one who was unimpressed revisiting the floats from the night before as poor Sarah was practically passed out in Jack's arms for most of the parade. (Though she was alert enough to catch a large inflatable fish in a box!) However, for me the highlight of the parade was watching the people who had never seen a parade before get bitten by the Mardi Gras bug. Haven was promising Katherine and Dwight that he would be back next weekend and I think he even mentioned bringing friends!

From Order of Pharoahs & Conde Explorers

It wouldn't be Mardi Gras if someone didn't catch a pair of Mardi Gras panties, the honor this year went to Beth and she wore them proudly around her neck for the rest of the parade, if not the whole evening.

From Order of Pharoahs & Conde Explorers

However, to my knowledge, the peanut butter moon pie still remains elusive - the word on the street is that they are completely sold out, so I wonder when they will make an appearance in our corner of the world...

To see more pictures visit the album here

Bayport Parading Society

I am not even going to attempt to fib, I totally skipped the Bayport Parading Society parade during the day on Saturday. I had been up late and woken up way too early so I was hanging out at the house hoping to catch a nap before the evenings festivities. However, there were MMGR folks there to represent and after hearing Katherine's glowing words - I wish I had gone to this one! I though I would go ahead and share her glowing words since I don't think I could've said it any better:

"The day parade Saturday was awesome, I saw several of my past students and Olympic athletes. They had so much fun. When we watched them at the McD's on the corner they were laughing and throwing like crazy. When they passed us at the regular spot they were all out of throws and looked exhausted. But I know that it was a great experience for them. I think the Conde's deserve credit for giving them their float and letting the whole float be people with special needs."

Sounds to be like next year the Bayport Parading Society is one that should go on the not to miss list!

MMGR takes Osiris by Storm!

After you read the last post you may wonder what caused the schism in our normally happy Mardi Gras family, well fear not everyone is still on more than speaking terms but this year several MMGRs headed to the Osiris ball which was inconveniently scheduled for the same night as the Conde Cavaliers. (One of the gentlemen summed it up quite well when he said - "someone F'd up")

From Osiris 2009

It's really hard to capture the magic and mystery that is the Osiris ball, especially since cameras are not allowed inside (I admit that I did try to snap a picture with my cell phone - the results were less than stellar.) but I will do my best!

The theme for this year was Out of Africa and so the members who were not involved in the tableau were garbed in khaki and safari hats. I was pleased that on my way in my fur elicited squeals from one of the safari guides and it was deemed fabulous! There were sweeping swaths of green hanging from over the dance floor so the stage was set for the tableau to take us into Africa. As usual the tables around the dance floor ranged from truly lame (one table just had cups and programs) to spectacular and for the first time I know of we had spectacular seats! Our table captain erected tents over the tables, created a beautiful center piece, and then used all sorts of "out of Africa" themed swag to decorate the rest of the table. it was really impressive. We were also exceptionally lucky that our tables were located near the bar and near where the members were lined up for the tableau so we got a sneak peek before they hit the floor. (We were also really close to a monitor so we could see what was happening out on the floor, if you're in to that sort of thing.)

There are still customs about Osiris that are strange and fascinating...the Queen came out and made her laps around the floor and then they changed the music and she lip synced for a second song. I won't lie - I still don't get that one. Of course, I think the most shocking custom at all is that once Osiris occurs there are no longer "men's" rooms and "ladies' rooms" in that ballroom there are simply bathrooms and the criteria for which one you go into seems to be the length of the line. It's always amusing to see the look on someone's face the first time they come out of a stall and nose to nose with a member of the opposite sex unexpectedly. (However I must admit, this is my third Osiris and I still haven't seen anyone in a dress at the urinal, YET.)

By far, one of the funniest stories to come out of the whole evening was Schelle trying to get to the convention center - she took a cab. I know that sounds harmless but apparently the driver couldn't tell the difference between left and right, and then he asked if he could take her to Morrison's Cafeteria sometime for a blue plate special. $25.00 and a harrowing ride later Schelle and Kristy arrived at the ball, but it was several stiff drinks before they recovered from the ride down.

As usual, the tableau was rather long (Since Osiris doesn't parade the tableau is really their only chance to shine!) so there was about forty minutes after the tableau ended and before the bar closed for the evening at midnight. We did our best to hit the dance floor but it was inevitable that once the bar closed, the magic spell was broken and it was time for everyone to be on their way home.

MORE PICTURES TO COME - SHOULD HAVE ONE VIA EMAIL ANY SECOND NOW!

Conde Cavaliers

Well Cats and Kittens, Mardi Gras is officially underway! Friday night Conde Cavaliers took to the streets of Mobile showering the crowds with the usual loot - beads, stuffed animals, moon pies, as well as some new goodies like the elusive Peanut Butter Moon Pie. (I'm pleased to see that the salmonella scare hasn't dampened anyone's ardor for the allegedly tasty moon pie treat.)

From Osiris 2009

I'm afraid that this year, we were a bit scattered to the wind for the first real parade of the carnival season. The ever vigilant Horner clan made sure our presence was felt at our usual stomping grounds around the bicycle shop. Apparently three generations of Horners came out to welcome in another year of festivities. The girls had an excellent time playing hide and seek, particularly with Dwight's truck there, while they waited for the parade to start. Once the parade started rolling the excitement was almost impossible to contain,especially for the little ones who have been waiting all year for this! In fact the excitement got to be so much for Sarah that she almost gave Dwight whiplash as she kept turning around on his shoulders to see the next float make its way around the corner. Apparently some fat loots were scored at our regular stomping grounds, as Katherine was presented with an adorable stuffed duck that Dwight caught for her. The evening ended with Katherine, Dwight, John and "his friend" (I believe that was the title she earned thanks to Mary) and closing down Samurai J's - yes they were asked to leave the premises at the end of the evening. Apparently Katherine, Dwight, and John's combined super power is that they can shut down any bar or restaurant at any time!

Nancy and I watched the parade from downtown in front of what I believe was the Riverview Hotel. Dressed to the nines, we were with a large group of people who sashayed into the area the hotel had roped off so they could serve overpriced food and drinks to the masses. Really and truly I don't think anyone can fully grasp Mardi Gras until you've seen someone in their finest Mardi Gras attire eating a hot dog or waving around chicken on a stick.

From Osiris 2009

Along with the Conde train that I have come to look forward to with anticipation every year, Conde rolled with a certain literary flavor this year, Tom Sawyer and Harry Potter made an appearance and I confess there was a lump in my throat when Lord Vadar, Darth Vadar to the rest of you I imagine, rolled by and my husband wasn't there to share the moment with me. Interestingly, the thing I thought didn't happen in Mobile for Mardi Gras, did in fact happen down at the Riverview - a woman flashed her headlights towards the end of the parade to ensure that she got the appropriate amount of loot to take home. (Yet still I don't think that even she got a peanut butter moon pie.) The cost of her dignity, about 5.50 in beads and a 2.00 stuffed animal - classy. Gotta love the Cavaliers, they didn't even break out the "good" beads for her show.

When the parade ended we were looking forward to the next phase of our evenings festivities but also hopeful that this year's Mardi Gras will be as fabulous as the first parade of the season though hopefully with a few more peanut butter moon pies!