Gaspaarrrrrrillla 2008

Chad and I were invited to Gasparilla this year by our neighbor and the fine folks at Chevrolet ~ America's truck. Since Chad *needed* to go due to them nicely allowing them to drive one of their vehicles for free, we jumped at the chance to go IN STYLE! Now, I highly recommend, that if you go to Gasparilla, this is the way you go ~ private area, your own bleachers, your own port-o-potty, your own 'section' ... anyway, we got there early to beat the crowd. Within 5 min of us being there, we had our first 'incident'. The big guy from Chevrolet came to pick up me, Chad, Kandi and Ed (our neighbors, dear friends, and tickets to the parade) and we all loaded up in the golf cart. Before Ed and Kandi had a chance to sit down, Jim took off in the golf cart, Ed yelled at him to 'Stop STOP!" and before I knew it, I witnessed Ed and Kandi go SPLAT in the middle of Bayshore and OMG ... it was so funny. I am nearly doubled over right now typing .. because I suffer from "innappropriate laughter syndrome" and I couldn't help it. I DID ask if they were ok before I completely busted a gut. Too bad they couldn't recreate it, because I SO would have put it on my blog. The whole story of Gasparilla is that back in 1904 or something like that, Jose Gaspar and his pirates invaded Tampa Bay. So now it's an annual tradition and gives people an excuse to go downtown and act crazy. The day parade is a lot TAMER than the night parade - to say the least - and so all these "krewes" get together, make floats, and parade down BayShore. It really is fun ...