I didn't know who all might still want to follow this but here goes.
Krewe #1 - Parade Jan. 19 - Theme was magical related - Magical Moments (?). The day started off warm (mid to upper 70's), overcast and muggy. We had a Krewe breakfast at a local banquet hall at 8. Family and friends were invited so there were tons of people. The Captain, king and queen made lovely speeches which were met with thundering rounds of applause. However, I don't think that anyone cheered louder than my one-year son before, during and after. Don't worry, he wasn't obnoxious even if he wasn't my child. During breakfast, the sun came out and we thought that it was going to be a beautiful day. I was wearing shorts. There was about an hour before the floats would arrive so we went back home to chill. An hour later, we were going to the line up and it started to sprinkle. A cool front was supposed to come through but the weatherman said that it would hold off until much later. Right.
Anyway, there we are loading the floats in this misty drizzle but it was doable. Ten minutes before we were set to roll the skies opened for this great downpour and just as suddenly it stopped. Thank goodness I was riding on the bottom and I didn't get wet but the people on top were drenched. It's still warm by the way. We start rolling along. The crowds are there but you could tell a lot of people stayed home. I know I would have if I didn't have to be in the parade. Fast-forward about half an hour. The skies open again but this time it brought a serious north wind. Again, I thanked goodness that I was on the bottom. Only my hands were getting wet as I threw my beads, but my joy didn't last long. The temperature kept dropping and dropping. My hands were like two red claws and I could barely break the plastic bags. I just started throwing the bags. There were still people on the street in that nasty weather. We never did stop at the grandstand to toast the mayor et al… so the entire thing lasted about 90 minutes. The temperature had dropped to 40 degrees in less than an hour and you could see your breath when you talked. It was OK. The important thing was that we rolled. We'll just prayer for better weather next year.
Krewe #2 - Ball Jan. 26 - This Krewe only has a ball and the theme was Treasure of the Orient. The auditorium was decorated in a Chinese motif of red, black and gold. There were panels on the wall with each maid's name written in Chinese characters. A large dragon covered the railing of the balcony area. The table decorations were metal Chinese lanterns. Very pretty. I as well as some friends volunteered to be in the tableau - a skit or performance that carries out the theme. We had done it before and had a great time so we immediately volunteered again. Well, I had opened my big mouth to choreograph the tableau in case Plan A fell through. Plan A dropped as soon as she found out that there was a Plan B. It wasn't hard feelings. She just felt overwhelmed by the commitment and was greatly relieved. Lucky me. Our group originally began with 16 members and rapidly dropped to 7 by the end of October. We worked hard on our ribbon dance and it looked great. Well, right after New Year's I was informed that the ribbon dance was too short and we needed to fill more time. Enter the fan dance. OMG. We had picked up another lady which was great but I was still fooling with 3 women in their 70's. It took us months to get the ribbon dance. How on earth were they going to get something new and perfect it in 3 weeks?! (We did have this Chinese lion that came out and performed too. After he did his thing, we lined up behind him to throw our stuff during the promenade. The girls from my neighborhood threw fortune cookies and the rest threw beads.)
Well, suffice it to say that I kept it very, very simple and we pulled it together. Several attendees went to the captain to ask if we were from the local dance studio. I felt great and so proud of my ladies. I know that asking the captain about us may seem crazy since they are members too but we had awesome costumes. We were dressed in jewel colored Chinese satin jackets, black satin pants, black slippers and black pill box hats. Our faces were painted white with pink eye shadow and overarched brows. Our lips were painted kewpie style in a deep red. We also wore black wigs that were cut into a bob. Even our husbands didn't recognize us. Oh the maids. Each one represented some aspect of Asia - jade, orchids, pearls, dragons, etc… The stunner of the evening was the queen. She represented the first and only woman emperor of China. I forgot her name but I remember that she was an empress first and then became the emperor. Her costume was so authentic that it really took your breath away. It was all in red and gold brocade. What I like about Carnival is that you learn a lot of things. A lot of research goes into picking themes and characters. It can be a true history lesson.
Krewe #3 - Open house is this weekend and we get to see the finished floats. The parade is not until Feb. 11. Hubby is riding so I got a new dress! It looks stunning on me if I do say so myself. I had to get it in black because the red is not available until March.
