From time to time, around this time of the year, I get the idea to go to Sierra Madre to view the Rose Parade floats. Usually, if I lie down for a while the idea goes away. Years ago I did that at least once. My memory is not of floats; it’s of floral things surrounded by hundreds of viewing persons about 10 deep. The thought came to me again today, and I thought today had advantages. The thing I disliked before about it was the crowds, but today a light rain was falling that I was sure would deter most viewers. So, I went. Thanks to having already parked my car in Pasadena by City Hall, getting there was easy. I took the MTA Gold Line from Memorial Park station. When I got off at Sierra Madre Villa the MTA had provided a free shuttle bus to the viewing grounds.

Oh yes, my story is running on but here are some pictures I took with my Droid phone. I was right in thinking there would be less viewers this time because of the rain, but I didn’t think of the effect on viewing the fact that most viewers standing in front of floats were holding largish, dripping umbrellas. Also, it was cold for a Southern California day, but I’ll always have my pictures just as what’s-their-names will always have Paris.