Krewe of Highlands Mardi Gras Parade, Shreveport, Louisiana

We spent the weekend in preparation for the Shreveport Mardi Gras celebration. We enjoyed good food out.we enjoyed some good food at home,we enjoyed the good company of friends,and we enjoyed the decorations of Mardi Gras.

Sunday was the Mardi Gras Parade for the Krewe of Highland. It is a tradition which has taken place in the Highland neighborhood for the last 30 years.

Luckily, the weekend rain stayed away for the parade.

After the parade, we enjoyed a little football...

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To be continued...

Some Sights of Saint Augustine

Today we spent the day in St. Augustine, Florida. The oldest continually inhabited city in the United States, St. Augustine was discovered by Ponce De Leon in 1513 while searching for the Fountain of Youth and later founded as a city in 1565 by Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés.

This is Old City Gate. Built in 1808 as a line of defense again attacks, it is the north entrance to St. George Street, the multi-block long pedestrian-only shopping district in St. Augustine.

The oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, Castillo de San Marcos, is more than 320 years old and is now a national monument built, originally by the Spanish to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route.

Admission is $15 for age 16 and over and free for those under 15.

With a National Park pass being $80 a year and allowing three adults in with the passholder, it is a no-brainer what a great deal the pass is. Bonus for those over 62 - the $80 fee gets you a lifetime pass.

Our St. Augustine Santa's Red Express Nights of Lights Tour by Ripley's (Believe it or Not) was preceded by a showing of The Polar Express. We watched the last half in English as they started it earlier than scheduled and then the first half in Spanish. Luckily, we were able to stream it on our phone in perfect synchrony to hear the dialogue in English.

It was now time to board the train.

It was one of the first chilly nights in Florida and we were about to embark on a Christmas Sing-A-Long train ride with our special magic glasses (not shown).

Watch a video of Santa's Red Express Nights of Lights Tour by Ripley's by clicking HERE

To see more pictures and videos, click HERE

And don't miss these blog entries from our visit to St. Augustine in 2008!

The Fountain of Youth, click HERE

Old Jail of St. Augustine, click HERE

Old St. Augustine Village, click HERE

More Sights of St. Augustine, click HERE

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To be continued...

Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom with Alan and Susan

Hollywood Studios opened on May 1, 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios and was the third of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World.

The Hollywood Tower of Terror rises in the background.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the Star Wars themed area at Disney's Hollywood Studios opened 08/29/2019. The area's main attraction, Rise of the Resistance opened shortly thereafter on 12/05/2019. The ride utilized the first-ever Virtual Queue at Walt Disney World and had no stand-by line for almost two years - the Virtual Queue ended 09/22/2021. The Virtual Queue is currently being used at Walt Disney World as a way of eliminating extremely long lines for popular new rides.

Watch a video of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance by clicking HERE

October 16, 2023 Marked Disney's 100th Anniversary

Cinderella's Castle at Christmas

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To be continued...

2023 Lakeland, Florida Christmas Parade

Tonight was the 42nd annual Lakeland Christmas Parade. The first parade was held in 1981. This year's theme was Christmas in Candy Land.

What? An airboat Christmas float? Only in Florida.

Watch a two minute video of the parade below.   

    

Rudolph leading Santa and Mrs. Clause at the end of the parade.

To see more pictures and videos, click HERE

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To be continued...

Pima Air & Space Museum and Rincon West RV Resort, Tucson, Arizona

The Pima Air & Space Museum is one of the largest non-government funded aerospace museums in the world.

The Museum features six hangars comprising over 250,000 square feet of indoor display areas.

For an $8 fee, in addition to the approximately $20 admission, you can take a Public Tram Tour. If you like privacy, a Private Tram Tour is $350.

Here's a video clip of Pima Air & Space Museum Tram Tour. To come.

We enjoyed the sprawling Rincon West RV Resort for a decent $40 per night plus tax price.

See a video of Rincon Country West RV Resort by clicking HERE

To see more pictures and videos, click HERE

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To be continued...