Dec.29....We got to sleep a little bit before busing out to Pasadena at 8:45. We attended the Rose Parade Equestrian Festival, which featured all the horses that will march in the parade. It was not the highlight of all the activities associated the Rose Parade for us, but another experience that rounds out the whole shooting match. We were in a famous venue, Buddy and I strolled on Riverside Drive and Alameda Blvd, and we saw some spectacular horsemanship, that we probably don't have the proper appreciation for. We sat in VIP seats ( seats with arms and a back), and saw the finest show horses from around the continent as well as some great lasso work by some Mexican cowboys, and trick riding by the All American Cowgirl Chicks. The Wells Fargo Stage Coach Team, and the Budweiser Clydesdales were there. The Budweiser team was the 'A' team, performed and then were leaving for a 'secret' location to film the new Super Bowl commercial. There was also a lot of flag waving and a midget clown with a tiny horse. Our bus then had to leave before we could go to the barns to 'meet and greet' all the horses. We got back to the Valencia Travel Park, and had a catered Mexican dinner, that actually was pretty good as far as Mexican food goes with the Roses. After eating, Buddy went to a 'jump house,' and got his workout by jumping on trampolines for two hours. That is something that is right up his alley. It's a great workout, but hasn't made it out of the great state of California that we know about.
Dec. 30....Today we caught a 7AM bus and traveled to Pasadena City College, where Jackie Robinson played college football, for one of the three band shows at the football stadium. One third of the bands played yesterday, and one third will play in the afternoon after we leave, but we saw 6-8 bands that were outstanding. We saw the Pasadena City College Honor Band, and the only marching band in the state of Alaska. A band from Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA featured about 20 bagpipes, and contest bands from Indiana, Tennessee, and Texas were absolutely fantastic. Some of the bands had over 400 members, and they are really the cream of the crop if they are in the Rose Parade. The sun was intense, and the weather approached 80 degrees on an absolutely beautiful day. They are approaching record setting warmth out here, and I'm not complaining a bit.
We had about an hour to kill before the bands started after we arrived, so Buddy went out and ran a few miles along the parade route to get in his running workout. After the show was over, we went to the Huntington Library and Botanical Garden, in downtown Pasadena. Their claim to fame is that they are the home of the paintings 'Blueboy' and 'Pinky', which we viewed, as well as many other paintings of people that lived 3-500 years ago. We wandered Japanese and Chinese gardens, viewed some real old furniture and pottery, and did some rock viewing, which was pretty bizarre. It consisted of looking at some rocks and gems such as jade, and using our imaginations to see what they represented. I was tolerant but these California people find strange ways to pass their time. Pam enjoyed the last two days immensely, but the force fed culture that I was exposed to didn't really take hold. Overall, it was nice because the three of us were together in Southern California, doing something besides working and being cold like the rest of y'all.
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