Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Happy Mardi Gras!

We celebrate Mardi Gras big-time here. Kids are out of school Monday through Wednesday to go to parades, balls and stalk the streets.

The grocery stores are stripped of beer, cokes and King Cakes.

Three parades roll in Biloxi today. One or two in Gulfport, I think. Up and down the Coast people are catching throws at parades, drinking too much and eating as much party food as they can stand.

Some park and walk to the parade routes. Others put RVs on the route then spend the night holding their place. Most of 90 in Biloxi is cordoned off by the police to protect the route. Best seats to see the bands and floats are in front of City Halls where the bigwigs invite the powerful to catch beads, eat and drink.

Our Mardi Gras is smaller than New Orleans and, maybe, a bit quieter. I hope so because the big truck parades and famous New Orleans parades are fun if you have a safe place to view but horrendous if you are in a jostling crowd of drunks.

My favorite New Orleans parade places to watch are either from the front yard of a St. Charles Ave. home or from the balcony of the Boston Club. Here on the Coast, let me have a place at one of the City Hall stands.

Today, my favorite viewing place is right here at home.

I've enjoyed Mardi Gras for many years and this year, I do not give a hootie about any of it.

LD and Mr. C. are out getting new cell phones and trying (again!) to get LD's learner's permit for driving. Last phone call from Mr. C. said they were #120 in line. The last number called was #89. If Mr. C. is lucky, LD will be distracted by the learner's permit and he won't have to take her to a parade. Mardi Gras isn't the setting to let 15 year olds wander parentless at a parade.
Shoot! I don't want to wander without an escort at the parades either~!

Looks like I don't have to worry about this.

We are going to C. and P's to watch the Super Tuesday returns tonight. This means we can miss the night parades, too.

Eat, drink and be merry, y'all. Tomorrow is Lent.

Call me a curmudgeon,

St. Casserole

5 comments:

Hot Cup Lutheran said...

hmmmm... mardi gras is very foreign to boonieville. but it wouldn't matter cuz we're in a blizzard... enjoy the quiet night!

Princess of Everything (and then some) said...

I have always wanted to go to Mardi Gras. Enjoy your night sweetie.

I cannot imagine having to wait in a DL line like that!

Yolanda said...

St Casserole,
Are you from MS? I lived there for 41 years before moving here to Oregon. I love it here but miss things there too. How are things on the Coast now ?
I loved going to the gulf coast So many of those towns were and are my favorites.
I am so glad to have found your blog.

thankyoudarlin said...

You're causing me to remember Mardi Gras stories from when my brother was a student at Tulane. My mom visited him one Fat Tuesday - and those two still have secrets from that trip!

1-4 Grace said...

Okay then,Curmudgeon!
Now that we got that out of the way. let me jsut say I am all about staying out of crowds and in safe locals.
Went to a Festival the nigth before a friends wedding and was in big crowds, elbow to elbow. Our festival to the Plant I Shall not Name is just as bad.
If i want to fight crowds I iwll do it at a Gargae Sale or a Thrift shop.
Hope the kittehs are enjoying the quite.