Santa's Coming

Last Saturday we wandered to downtown Milwaukee for the 86th Annual Holiday Parade - brought to us by Johnson Controls (can't forget to mention the sponsor). We found reasonably-priced nearby parking. The sun shone. But best of all - grandson, Kellen, was there to see the parade with us. What a joy to see a holiday tradition through the eyes of a 2 1/2 year old.

The parade spectators.

Many of the units in the parade were bands from Milwaukee and area high schools. It's always a good parade when there's lots of music.

Many of the bands had red and black uniforms...

and here's another.

But not all the schools had red uniforms.

Just like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, the Milwaukee Parade had gigantic balloons.

Harbinger of the season to come.

Will we get enough snow this winter
to build this big a snowman?

Here's Rudolph.

Radio personalities and dignitaries in the parade braved the chilly air and rode in convertibles.

While most of the convertibles were late models, a few classics showed up.

Klement's Racing Sausages strutted their stuff.
This one is the chorizo.

Firetrucks and street sweepers made an appearance. The street sweepers followed the horses for obvious reasons.

As well as the camels who carried the Wise Men.

This was "Tow-Mater" (from the movie Cars) according to Kellen.

The Shriners paraded in VWs rather than on the mini-motorcycles.

Kids in a parade are always a winner!

The Santa in this parade even sang.

Merry Christmas to all!

Ater the parade we checked out the Christmas mouse in Pere Marquette Park. The light display in the park is better viewed at night.

If there's a parade in your town before Christmas, go see it. A fun way to start the holiday season!

BRUUUUCE!

Bruce Springsteen is the BEST! And for the all the young people who were at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Sunday night, that concert will be the BEST they'll ever see in their lives. Unless, of course, they have the opportunity to go to another Springsteen concert in the future.

Once again, Bruce proved it all night with another fabulous concert!

I'm a groupie. But just an average groupie. Ten Springsteen concerts in almost 35 years isn't all that many. Unless I can count the 20 minutes he performed in Madison last week, the day before the election, as one more. For that one I stood for about the same amount of time that I would have for a regular concert from The Boss. On Sunday night Bruce and his E Street Band played for three hours. In Madison I stood for four hours! 

I was a block and a half away from the main stage in Madison and
a traffic light stood in the way of the screen. But Bruce was there and
the outdoor sound was decent. The Boss performed four songs,
with only his guitar and harmonica to accompany him.

My friend, Ramona, is a fan, too. She answered my Facebook request last summer when I was looking for someone to go with me to St. Paul for the concert. This was her second concert in nearly 30 years. Bruce did not disappoint. We were thrilled, even though our seats were behind the stage.

Anticipation.......

The rigging is incredible. How long does set-up take?

The lights went up for the encore. Usually there's a break between
the regular set and the encore set - not in this case. Bruce's energy
is amazing! He moved into the crowd during his third number,
appropriately, Out in the Street. He was crowd surfacing during
Hungry Heart. And to think he's a mere six days younger than me! 

A change in Springsteen concerts that I've noticed since 1978 is that The Boss is much more well spoken. And he doesn't pull the good-looking young women (e.g., Courtney Cox during Dancing in the Dark) onto the stage these days. On Sunday night it was an 88-year-old great-grandmother who experienced the fun of dancing with Bruce and Stevie Van Zandt!

Another change is the technology. Big screens project images
of Bruce and the band.

The last number of the night, Tenth Avenue Freeze Out, featured a moving video tribute to the late Clarence Clemons who played sax with the E Street Band. Jake Clemons, Clarence's nephew, now plays sax with the band.

We decided to spend Sunday night in Eau Claire rather than attempt to drive back to Madison after the concert. It was a good choice, especially since I had scored a Groupon deal for the Metropolis Resort. 

What should I find at the resort's "Action City" but a vintage trailer! Right there next to the largest indoor go-kart track in the Midwest. It was a decoration – a simulation of a bygone era when travel trailer parks were next to the busy highway.

My excitement upon seeing this trailer is a sure sign that I've definitely been bitten
by the vintage camping trailer bug.

All in all, a marvelous weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Bruce Springsteen will be back on the road in the not too distance future. I'll be there, too.