Laissez les bon temps rouler!

"Let the good times roll" for those of you who didn't grow up in Mobile. Yes, last night we went to Mardi Gras! The MoT's (Mystics of Time) rolled last night. They're generally considered the biggest parade of the season and have always been my favorite, what with the dragons - and they always have neat themes. So we met up with my Mom and her crew and took Brayden to his first Mardi Gras. Brayden got several stuffed animals (a coveted prize, they're sparsely thrown) and I got a rose (yet another rarely thrown and desirable throw) while I was up on Eli's shoulders. Aside from that we got lots of beads and a couple moonpies. Here's some highlights from the evening.

We got there about 45 minutes early to stake out a good spot. Here's Brayden chillin' and watching the vendors roll by.





Here's a couple shots of everyone hanging around just before the parade started.











And now the parade...

The MoT Emblem float.



The title float for this year's theme.



One of the Grand Marshals.



Verdean. (The dragons are the trademark of the MoT's and this one rolls in the parades every year.



Another dragon and a couple of the floats.







And here's Brayden playing with the spoils.





So all in all it was a good night. I had fun learning how to use my camera at night and we all had fun dancing and shouting and taking turns holding Brayden up on our shoulders. We ate lots of very good and very greasy food. (I could very nearly feel my arteries clogging up.) I'm sure my Mom got a few good shots I'll add later.