New Year's in California

We arrived at our “in town” RV park next to the Van Nuys airport in the San Fernando Valley and could not believe our eyes at how tight those trailers of all shapes and sizes were packed in there.  You had to unhook right by the office and then the manager hooked on a forklift and maneuvered your rig into the spot he had assigned you. 

 

 It was a little community with a few spots for transients like us.  There were lots of trees and flowers and even all these cool screens between the trailers with murals on them.  See left of trailer.

 

Each vehicle like our pick-up had its assigned parking place.  Nothing like the camping we are used to for sure!

Karen & Tom’s house was just about 15 minutes straight down the main road so that was a great location.  We enjoyed their fabulous hospitality and cute grandkids for New Year’s Eve.  We even used our pick-up to make a run to IKEA to pick up a shelving unit for Karen to store the toys for the grandkids in.  Wow we had to park in a parking terrace and then move into the merchandise pick-up area only when you had your receipt!! Everything is different in the big city.  I was amazed to see at the Home Depot by our trailer park all these Hispanic guys hanging around all of the parking lot exits.  Tom educated me they are waiting for someone to need LABOR to complete the project they just bought the stuff for and then the guy goes home with them and they pay him to do their work.  I have never seen that at the Home Depot in Logan!!

Sue & Ken surprised Steve & I with some extra tickets for the grandstand for the Rose Parade and even tickets for the Rose Bowl itself because they were involved with the Rotary float.  Aunt Karen our normal parade tour guide was happy to stay home because her visiting kids were leaving that day and she had help to put together her IKEA shelf before all of them left.  We had to meet Sue & Ken at their hotel in Pasadena at 5:15 am.  We were so worried about the traffic we got up at 3:45 and then of course got there half an hour early and just dozed off in the truck until they came down.  We did some fancy driving to get the parking garage where we would leave Ken’s car and then some lady picked us up from the parking garage and took us to where we could walk to the grandstand on Orange Ave right where the parade started before it turns to go down Colorado past the TV cameras.  The tickets included the program and all the Krispy Crème donuts, juice, hot chocolate, coffee you wanted.  We were all bundled up in our warm coats and blankets because we had to sit there for an hour to wait for the start of the parade.  The families of the Stanford football players were all sitting up behind us.

The floats always amaze me with their beauty and intricate designs. 

 

All the flowers are just fabulous.

 

The bands are terrific and at this location all were playing as they moved toward the cameras for TV.  I never get tired of seeing the Rose parade although I think I would give up the Donuts for a little more sleep even though you see the parade at the end instead of the beginning.  We did get to see the little boy run out to greet his Dad when he came off the float and surprised his family by winning a contest to come home from being deployed in Afghanistan for a trip to Disneyland for a week.  That brought a tear to everyone’s eye for sure.

There were people everywhere calling folks to repentance often very loudly using air horns. 

 

The freedom of speech was definitely alive and well everywhere you turned.  At the end of the parade many sidewalk preachers with big signs rushed out to start following until Rose Parade officials stepped out to stop them.  At the Rose Bowl the preachers were out in force again.  Ken & I were lucky to have one of them present us with this fabulous card I have scanned for your amusement!

 

 

The football game was amazing as well.  We walked back about a 1.5 miles to the parking garage and took off all our heavy coats and left our blankets and just took our jackets and then got in the LONG line for the shuttle to the Rose Bowl.  Right next to parking structure there were RV’s parked.  Dad & I thought that would be easier – we could sleep in - until we saw the price for two nights $500 or $600 to stay there. 

 

This was my first big time college football game except for BYU back in the day and you really can’t compare the two.  The fans around us were funny, the Wisconsin band was awesome and the Stanford band was ridiculous.  The game was exciting at first but then there were a lot of mistakes.  All in all the spectacle of it was amazing. 

 

Then we got back in line yet again and waited about an hour to get back on the shuttle bus to the parking garage.  I guess we should have left early like everyone else but then we would have just had to wait in line to get out of the parking garage or to get on the freeway.  When there are about 100,000 people there are bound to be a lot of lines.  We got back to our trailer about 10 o’clock pm.  That was an action packed day for old folks like us!!