Having never attended a Mardi Gras festival or parade, we thought we'd give it a go, so bright and early this morning we headed to historic St. Andrews in Panama City. This pirate ship is a year-round feature. It's actually on the corner of a parking lot.
Every vendor imaginable from those selling Mardi Gras masks and beads to those offering to paint your face was present for the festivities. This pulled pork truck deserves bonus points for originality. Here's what it looks like from the side...
This is the front...
And here is the rear...literally!
This face painter with her psychedelic VW Westfalia was very busy with the younger attendees. I had a feeling she'd been doing this a very long time!
From there we moved on to more food vendors. This guy had a serious smoker set-up.
Around the same time John momentarily got lost. This next photo explains why...
I found him inside the store. Imagine that! From there we headed to the Little Village shop we first visited in November.
At this point we thought it might be wise to grab some lunch. Besides, who can resist a view like this?
After lunch (John had gumbo, I had a shrimp and cheese quesadillas) we sauntered more around Little Village because there is just too much whimsy to miss. There's always something wonderful for the eyes and soul. Like this cat and mouse wind vane.
Or this...
Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow, but it was time to head back to the parade. It started at 2 PM and the crowds began lining both sides of Beck Street by noon. Once it began I lost count of how many floats there were, but everyone on board threw beads at the on-lookers.
Part of the reason I have so few pictures is I needed both hands free to catch the beads. As well as protect myself. Some of those strands would do serious injury. Seriously!
The music was infectious. The pirates, costumes, hats, and beads such fun. Oh, and while there was beer everywhere, we showed some restraint. Next year, however, we may NOT. Cheers!
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