Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade 2010

Today we got a special, unexpected treat.  A friend of ours happens to live on the Venice canals.  That is, the canals of Venice, California.  And every year the people who live on the Venice canals have a Holiday Boat Parade.  But their boat parade is special.  It is a low-key, neighborhood kind of thing.  And there is a very cool reason for this.

For those who do not know, the Venice you find in Los Angeles is the community that tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney purchased in 1904 to build into a seaside resort.  It was marshland, and to dry it out he had canals dug, and inspired by Italy's Venice he built residences along the canals as well as a 1,200 foot pier and a block long commercial area that looks quite a bit like Venice Italy's San Marcos Square.

Barbie along a Venice canal, with just the right amount of lens flare.

Venice sits next door to Marina Del Rey, and Marina Del Rey holds a big, expansive holiday boat parade every year.  After all, Marina Del Rey is the marina, where all of the boats and yachts of Los Angeles rest in the Pacific Ocean.  Why would Marina Del Rey not hold an over-the-top boat parade?

But one thing many people do not realize about Los Angeles is that the people of this huge, expansive, diverse city balance every major event with a paired opposite.  The Doo-Dah Parade counters the Rose Parade, the Independent Spirit Awards balance out the Oscars, and the Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade presents an alternative to the Marina Del Rey Boat Parade.  And by the way, I am not making this up.  I got that line from the official website for this very unofficial parade.

Look close enough, and you will see Santa Claus rowing that boat.  He the first to get to the staging area.

The first two arrivals to the staging area.

Ducks.  Everyone knows that ducks love parades.

Even more "floats" at the staging area.  And even more lens flare.  Personally, I will never stop loving the look of lens flare.

You really should right-click-open-in-new-window these shots, because the "floats" are quite creative.  And the little girl in front, whose boat is, "Noel's Arc," has pairs of stuffed animals.  Extreme cuteness.

Final staging area shot.  Most of the entries have arrived.

Happy people along the footbridge, because you cannot not be happy when watching the teeny boats known affectionately as dinghys used for a parade.

And the parade has begun!  You might also note that these homes along the canals of Venice are among the most pleasant places in the world to live.  And when it is 80 degrees in December... it really is a ridiculously pleasant life.

Note that the tank is not just any tank, it is a Soviet tank.  These kids know their history.

I confess.  There were around twenty or thirty floats, and I took around a hundred pictures.  I am mad.

Super Santa!

Vikings!

Karaoke man!  (This guy was an absolute ham, belting out, "Feliz Navidad."

Yes.   You could basically get into this thing with a dinghy, a paddle, and a Santa hat.

This one makes a political statement.  Apparently there is a movement to create a Venice History Museum.  As a fan of history, I think it is a great idea.

This float won the award for, "Barbie and Jeff's Favorite Float."  These geniuses created the ACME Fruitcake Disposal Service with floating fruitcakes trailing behind.

I always like to give props to those who violate Disney's intellectual property rights.

Note the lower-right of the frame... this is a picture of a picture being taken.  Waste theme fulfilled.

So... the circled guy on this float saw me taking pictures of everything in sight, and he stared at me, stared, until I took a picture of him waving right at me.  For the record, he even did the still wave, so that his hand would not be a blur.  Some people really know what they want out of life.

Aircraft carrier!

This one is all about the dog.  There is something about a seadog.  This guy was so comfortable... you could tell he (or she) spends half his time on the water.

Live band!  With dancing gorillas!

The brightness of the sun makes it hard to see the crowd, but this sweet neighborhood event was the perfect mix of well-attended without being crowded.

This is Rick.  Rick lives with David, who was our generous host for the afternoon.  Though, as you can see, Rick kind of considers himself the host.

As the sun set, the lights came on.

And Julie (who invited us)  has a friend Linda who cooked this Shepherd's Pie, which tasted as good as it looks.

We finish the evening with a shot of David's massive palm tree.

I have to say, today was an absolute joy.  And now I go to sleep thinking about what float we will enter next year.