Hats off to New Mexico--another success in Pasadena

Dear friends,

It was a crystal clear morning, New Year's Day, as Wiley Coyote resumed his perpetual chase of the Road Runner through New Mexico's desert--only this time, it was at the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, on the state's beautiful float. Recognized with the Bob Hope Trophy for Best Use of Humor, the float marked the New Mexico Tourism Department's third appearance in the famed parade.

It's hard to imagine the sheer size and incredible detail of each float when you're watching it on TV, as millions of Americans do each year. Let me tell you--it is a fascinating experience. Hundreds of volunteers swarm hundreds of floats in the arenas where they are built in the days leading up to the 1st of the year, and the smell of flowers is overwhelming. Everything from huge fresh pine boughs and full, luscious roses to wildly exotic birds of paradise and the smallest shells of peas. If it's organic, it qualifies to decorate the floats, some of which are over three stories tall, and often mechanically animated. As the floats stream by on Orange and Colorado Boulevard in the beautiful old neighborhoods of the City of Roses, you can smell the flowers.

It's not just for kids either--this event brings out the child in everyone who attends. It was another great year of showcasing New Mexico's scenic beauty--and sense of humor.

Jen

PS--to the left is a shot of Jimmy Garcia, of El Pinto in Albuquerque, alongside the daughter and grandson of famed cartoonist and creator of Wiley Coyote, Chuck Jones.