Behind the Scenes at the Rose Parade

While Shawnia and I were down in Southern California, we had a rare opportunity. My Aunt Jan and Uncle Craig took us on a behind the scenes tour of the annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Jan's family used to own one of the companies that designs and builds floats for the event. What an incredible sight these creations were.

Each and every square inch of every float must be covered by something living. We saw floats covered in any combination of flowers that you could think of. From kumquats for the bright orange coloring to various types of seeds, all parts of a flower were used in surprising abundance.

The size of the floats was just as impressive as the design. The tallest of them stood over fifty feet high and had to be folded in on itself so it could fit in the warehouse.

A huge thanks to Craig and Jan for the afternoon (and spectacular dinner too).

Here are a few pics of the tour.