Today is Fat Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras, in southern Louisiana. This is one of the area’s most celebrated holidays and few businesses are open. The day is filled with parades, while the evening is reserved for coronation ceremonies. Having been to large parades in New Orleans, I opted to stay in the motorhome today while Kay attended a morning parade. We already have tons of beads, but a few more will see us through the year! The parades today are the best of the Mardi Gras season, and Kay saw some of the best floats greater Southwestern Louisiana has to offer.

She gave away most of the beads she collected today and the morning parade was enough for her. For me, a little bit of Mardi Gras goes a long way. We spent the afternoon putting things away and getting ready to leave for home tomorrow.

The Ozark Ridge Runners had a short meeting at 4:00 PM and discussed the evening’s activities, future rallies, and assorted other minutiae.  The meeting reminded me of those we had at work and now I know once again why I retired.

At Kay’s insistence we attended the coronation ceremony for the greater Southwestern Louisiana Mardi Gras King, Queen, and court. We sat in the balcony with the rest of the ne’er-do-wells while the other “subjects" sat on the main floor in their evening gowns and tuxedos. The coronation was replete with jeweled costumes, crowns, and other paraphernalia of pseudo-royalty. It was definitely a site to behold.

We arrived back at the motorhome at about 9:30 PM, and finished preparations for an early departure tomorrow morning. We’re both ready to return home and some semblance of normality.