1 February ‘09 Sunday
The TV and all the radio stations that we’ve been listening to have been telling us over the last couple of weeks that today is…”SUPERBOWL SUNDAY” !!! Well that it is, but for us and hundreds around us, it is also one of Slidell’s Mardi Gras parade days. We were heading out the door by 10:30 this morning and on our search for the best seat on the parade route. Slidell is about 35 minutes away and the parade wasn’t to start until 1 PM so getting there early paid off beautifully. We found a place to park the car above the curb. Leaving room between the car and the roadway, we placed our beach chairs for the best views and for our comfort. While waiting for the parade to start, we walked around the parade route for about a mile and then headed back. On our walk, we noticed a couple of businesses we’ve seen around as we arrived in Louisiana. This business is called “Your Daiquiri Stop” (or similar name). We weren’t too sure as to just what they sold so we went into one of them to investigate…sure enough, they sell DAIQUIRIS !!! They have about 12 different daiquiris available and even offer added shots of rum, vodka, or just about any other liquor you might want. They even offer drive-up service…Starbucks, you’ve got to look at expanding… Of course business today was booming. Finally parade time arrived and with the police escort leading, the bands, marching groups, and the large two-storied decorated trailers started flowing down main-street.
The TV and all the radio stations that we’ve been listening to have been telling us over the last couple of weeks that today is…”SUPERBOWL SUNDAY” !!! Well that it is, but for us and hundreds around us, it is also one of Slidell’s Mardi Gras parade days. We were heading out the door by 10:30 this morning and on our search for the best seat on the parade route. Slidell is about 35 minutes away and the parade wasn’t to start until 1 PM so getting there early paid off beautifully. We found a place to park the car above the curb. Leaving room between the car and the roadway, we placed our beach chairs for the best views and for our comfort. While waiting for the parade to start, we walked around the parade route for about a mile and then headed back. On our walk, we noticed a couple of businesses we’ve seen around as we arrived in Louisiana. This business is called “Your Daiquiri Stop” (or similar name). We weren’t too sure as to just what they sold so we went into one of them to investigate…sure enough, they sell DAIQUIRIS !!! They have about 12 different daiquiris available and even offer added shots of rum, vodka, or just about any other liquor you might want. They even offer drive-up service…Starbucks, you’ve got to look at expanding… Of course business today was booming. Finally parade time arrived and with the police escort leading, the bands, marching groups, and the large two-storied decorated trailers started flowing down main-street.
With this being our first Mardi Gras parade, our goal was to catch as many beads as possible. At the end of the hour, we had accumulated about 80 necklaces, 6 stuffed animals, a whistle, and a couple of furry neckpieces. Not a bad haul, now what do we do with them??? Well we brought them all back with us, that is for now… Last night we stopped by the little “fish market” in Abita Springs and purchased 3 pounds of Crawfish and a couple of pounds of shrimp to go along with our bottle of Champagne for tonight’s game dinner. Well now that the game is over (sorry Arizona) and dinner is finished, I must say it was YUMMY…