Dec 2 - the longest santa parade ?

Jason, Lorraine, Kim and Graham arrived around noon and soon afterwards we headed to "the city", i.e. beachside NSB on Flagler.  As we got closer, we realized that the Santa Clause parade was being held that day and parking was tight.  We found street spots on the north side of Flagler & Cooper and did some strolling.  We then heard that Flagler was going to be closed before the parade start at 4pm and we might be trapped, so Jason and I moved the cars to other spots on Cooper, south of Flagler.  Continuing to cruise the strip, on foot, Lorraine bought some shoes at her favorite store and Sandy bought something to hang on the wall outside, replacing the one that she ultimately decided that she didn't like.

We strolled some more and then the parade started.  We were about 100' from the start and marveled at how much candy was being thrown to the kids, knowing full well that these floats would run out long before they got to US 1 a couple of miles away on the other side of the north causeway.

The parade went on and on, cars with local dignitaries (council members), local business everything from construction companies to real estate etc etc., kids marching bands and baton twirlers, "scooter babes" - old ladies (old like us) on scooters decorated to the hilt - it went on and on.  The parade started a couple of minutes before 4pm and ended almost an hour later !  There were pickup trucks pulling decorated boats on trailers, simply and extravagently decorated cars, scooters, floats ... but this wasn't the NYC Macy's parade ... nothing very expensive.  Still, it's amazing what our little town -- and the adjoining towns of Edgewater and Oak Hill -- can do.

That having taken much more time than expected, it was too late and too busy to eat on Flagler and too late to go out in the skiff.  We came back to the house, had a glass of wine and snacks and then went to the Tiki for dinner.  Back home for coffee; they headed off to Orlando.  Graham was taking a 9am flight back to Hamilton (not Toronto) and they'd have been up early today.

We don't have anything on the agenda for today.  I did a minor project yesterday before the Davies arrived -- fixing some pavers where the soil had been washed away -- and today I did the November RUSA financials.  I still have to do the RO year-end.  I'll get to that in the next couple of days.

Onward !