#8 - the rose parade/doo dah parade

august will be the last month of the sky is big in pasadena.  

i have accepted a position at salford mennonite church in harleysville, pennsylvania.  we will be moving in september, so august will be my farewell month to the city of pasadena.  when we moved here from virginia i posted a list of the ten things i would miss most about harrisonburg.  i figured that would be a good way to end our time here, so each day i will be doing one final rundown of life in this great city.  i have prepared two lists - ten things i won't be sad to leave behind, and twenty of my absolute favorite things about pasadena.  i am going to start with ten positives and ten negatives, alternating back and forth each day.  concluding with my top ten things about life in pasadena.

#8 - the rose parade/doo dah parade

here in pasadena we love a good parade.  there is the big flowery one that everyone knows about, and then there is the much wilder local party known as the doo dah.  i love them both - especially comparing them to each other.  i think today's photos say it all.  the one from the rose parade is a beautiful designed train made of flowers, the doo dah photo is of a clunky mechanical cat made of carpet.

awesome.

last one from the doo dah parade

a colorful cast of characters to end my series on this year's doo dah parade.

doo dah dude

i hope you aren't tired of my doo dah photos, but it was just such a treasure trove of images (plus i've been so busy this week i haven't had time to take other pictures around town.  i love this guy's balloons.

a doo dah sky

skywatching from last weekend's doo dah parade.  beautiful blue skies were perfect for the occasion.

more skywatch friday photos from around the globe can be found right here.

hempland security?

another fine photo from the doo dah parade.

and might i add, happy cinco de mayo!

perspectives on the doo dah

this photo collage is just a taste of some of the odd sights you find at the doo dah parade.  clockwise starting in the upper left - a large mechanical cat; two guys powering a rainbow human-powered device; a rusted-out van with all kinds of obscure accessories; and finally, a band ("chum") on a flatbed truck (of which there were a few).

doo dah part deux

another image from pasadena's lovely doo dah parade.

oh the doo dah day

saturday was the annual doo dah parade - pasadena's chance to showcase its wild and ridiculous side.

because of the city daily photo theme day, you had to wait until now to see the first of my photos.  don't worry, i've got more coming in the next few days! 

meow!

another photo from the fabulous doo dah parade. i've seen this cat before. it must be an annual entrant into the foray.

by the way, if you haven't already, check out ray schiel's fantastic video tribute to this year's parade.

more from the doo dah parade

i feel like this image could easily qualify for petrea's zen monday photo series - you tell me what is going on in this image!

classic doo dah parade fun.

2010 doo dah parade

despite a new location, time, and day, this year's doo dah parade appeared to go off without any major problems. this event is an artistic reaction to the over-the-top rose parade. instead of immaculate parade floats, hand decorated cars, trucks, and even a motorized couch. instead of marching bands, heavy medal on the back of a truck. instead of beautiful choriographed dancers, a group dedicated to dancing to michael jackson's "thriller" over and over and over again (photographed above).

i had fun walking up and down the route, snapping off pictures as i went. the shift from old town, to farther down colorado seemed to create a more more festive atmosphere - if not a little cramped.

did anyone else make it to the parade?

more from the parade

not sure what these are supposed to represent, but they were bright and pretty weird looking.

ufo on fair oaks ave

more from the doo dah parade. this picture was kind of blurry anyway, the black and white made it look even better.

save the bees

an interesting tribute to the dangers of pesticide usage at the doo dah parade

hitchin' a ride

cyclists at the doo dah parade

to walk or ride...

it's rare, but sometimes it works better to chain the trusty steed and set out on foot. the next few posts will focus primarily on pasadena's doo dah parade - an event which I found works better on foot than on a bike.