Happy Mardi Gras from Alabama

We're in Alabama!

We hadn't really meant to spend seven weeks of our trip around the U.S. in Florida, but the whole rest of the country was so cold, Florida ended up being a great place to be.  When I looked at the calendar and saw the timing of when we'd leave Florida, I knew we absolutely had to make it work that we'd be in Gulf Shores, Alabama for Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras.  It's a holiday that, growing up in Ohio, I basically never knew existed.  Well, I guess I'd heard of it in New Orleans, and generally thought of it as something to avoid, especially if you have young kids.  However, my brother and his family and our family spent the month of February in Gulf Shores five years ago, and we had our first experience with Mardi Gras.  Completely family-friendly, and wonderful!

Mardi Gras here is a two week celebration.  Parade after parade.  The streets get decorated with lights, crowns are handed out, jazz bands play on street corners, and it's an all-round festive occasion.

Also about the streets, traffic on the way to a parade is crazy.  Everyone in Gulf Shores seems to go to the parades, and it's like a Christmas rush to the mall.  We ditched our truck in a parking lot way before the parade route and scootered to the location, since we're scootering through the U.S. anyway.  Happiness!

can you sort of see here how far people are lined up to watch this parade?

I think every region of the country has things that are special, and here in the "Redneck Riviera," people know how to have a great parade!  I always enjoy parades as a nice time to see the whole community together, but in Ohio, parades seem to be formed when someone calls every fire department within a 50 mile radius and tells them to line up their fire trucks, one after another, behind a marching band.  When you're a mom of little boys who love trucks, this is a beautiful sight, especially with all the candy thrown at you!  However, I'm really impressed with the Mardi Gras parades.  These floats are so elaborate, it's amazing.

You can also see them light up at night:

And if one of your children has type one diabetes, you really appreciate that they throw tons of Mardi Gras beads, stuffed animals, balls and frisbees, and a few moon pies, instead of bucketfuls of candy.  It also makes a cute picture of your kids in their beads.

I love other cultures and holidays, and isn't it neat that different parts of the country celebrate different holidays?   Mardi Gras.  Chances are, if you're not in Alabama or Louisiana, it's not your holiday, but regardless, we wish you a Happy Mardi Gras!