Ghosts of Mardi Gras Past

I must disclose up front, I am a veteran of Mardi Gras New Orleans style from my college days at the University of Florida.

Gainesville is only 12 hours from New Orleans so we went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras every year.

Going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans was to us what going to Ft. Lauderdale was to the college kids in the 1950’s. Or so I gather from the movies I’ve seen about college kids in the 1950’s.

Only different, we didn’t wear swim suits or sing and twist or look like Annette Funicello.

Why did I end up attending Mardi Gras in Mobile?

Well, Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the US. And I have a friend who is in a Krewe and gave me tickets to his ball. I love balls.

Technically, I have never been to a ball but since I usually feel like Cinderella I knew I would love a ball if given the chance of going.

I was wrong but more on that later.

Let’s begin with the parade. It seems a lot of folks on the parade route drink – a lot. It just so happens I did not. I didn’t need to. The reality was surreal enough.

It seems I was in the “Deliverance” section of the parade route (queue banjo music). It is Alabama after all.

Drunken folks with missing teeth wearing coveralls and talking loudly tend to catch my eye. Especially when they hoot & holler because they see the young gals with boob jobs wearing their sparkly gowns in 30 degree weather 5 feet behind them.

Interestingly enough, young girls use their breasts to obtain Mardi Gras booty. Who knew?

The parade started and the beads came flying, hard, at my face. Yes, I caught my first bead with my nose. It was a very nice bead in that it was large – very large but I thought it broke my nose.

I had a bruise but no blood so all was good. It was then I started to duck and cower and fend off beads with my hands that are now red and bruised and look like they are arthritic.

Beads can kill folks, throw them responsibly.

Now to the ball, the first float on the parade route got a flat and delayed the rest of the floats for a long period. This gave the guys on the floats a longer time to drink.

That’s what they do on the float. They drink and throw crap at people.

The ball was pretty much the same. Drinking and throwing crap at people.

Oh. Food was served. Garters were put on and taken off. Folks passed out. Some guy gave me a thong. And I danced.

I’ll be back next year.

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