Yay! Now we have pictures!

I couldn't figure out how to add photos...until now! Maybe there was some sort of security blocking my adding photos on my other laptop? Anyhoo...on the right is a photo of the freshmen tuba players (Sproles, Shane, and our Ryan) and also a photo of Darrell and me in front of the Rose Bowl on December 29, 2007. You can see the Kamehameha All-Warrior Marching Band in the background getting their "official" photo taken. Right before this we were able to walk through a tent where the Rose Parade floats were being created. After this, we had lunch in Old Pasadena, then went to Pasadena City College for the Rose Parade Bandfest, where several of the marching bands from the parade did an exhibition. The Kamehameha Band and Hawaiian Ensemble wowed the audience in the stadium with their precise marching, Hawaiian music, hula and coconut shell clapping.



This is where we had lunch in Old Pasadena Town - Barney's. We got dropped off by the buses and told to go get lunch and meet back in an hour. So a couple hundred of us accompanying travelers (the kids in the band went straight to Pasadena City College for In N Out Burgers) headed out into the town to look for food! Darrell wound up asking a couple on the street for suggestions and they recommended Barney's, which we were across the street from, so we went there. It's a small bar and grill, and we probably wouldn't have gone in without the suggestion, but it was good and fast. We made it back to the buses on time. Too bad we had to wait so long for the person who had the Bandfest tickets to get to the college. We got in so late that most of the band wound up sitting across the stadium, getting to watch the band's backside. Darrell and I were able to be on the front side; we walked up and I asked one of the officials if we could sit at the top because of his knee and he was nice enough to get us chairs. I videotaped their performance but I was behind some inconsiderate people who kept standing up and motioning in front of the camera, even when they knew I was videotaping. We did pay $25 for a videotape, which came out ok. And we did some souvenir shopping - Rose Bowl stadium cushions, Kamehameha Rose Parade pins for all of the boys in our chaperone group, and Rose Parade shirts.
We left the Bandfest early, but wound up spending a couple of hours parked on the parade route because the Band Director John Riggle wanted the kids to experience the important turn where the cameras and judges would be. We finally got to Block of Orange Mall where we let the kids loose to eat and shop, and we met up with KNn again for dinner.


It's been so good to spend time with them. They were so helpful too...after dinner, they met us at the hotel with a case of bottled water and diet Pepsi. My sister Jan and brother-in-law Craig arrived in California that morning and also met us at the hotel that night. They came up to go to the parade with us on New Year's Day. It was another long day, but the kids did great.

Nicky was looking forward to seeing Ryan and finally got to see him at Block of Orange.