2006 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade
I had the privilege of attending the 2006 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade in the lovely city of Pasadena this past January 2, 2006. During that time, I took nearly 400 photos, which I have posted here. Unfortunately, because it was raining so hard and I was out in the elements the entire time, many of the photos came out too blurry to share. I kept a few of these blurrier photos because I felt they had some other merit--perhaps something evocative in a swirl of color on such a grey day, or something encouraging and enobling in seeing the calm, relaxed smiles of those riding horses and waving to onlookers, with everyone willing to sit through or ride through the deluge for the sake of the show.
I took the photos at the Los Angeles Radio Reading Service's broadcast site. The Los Angeles Radio Reading Service (LARRS) is a non-profit service for those who are blind or print-impaired in Los Angeles County. Every year, LARRS provides a professional audio description and commentary of the Tournament of Roses Rose Parade. This year, despite extremely adverse weather conditions, they did their usual top-notch job, whose professionalism rivals any other broadcast. You can't tell from their broadcast that they are working on a shoestring budget under a tiny canopy that barely protects the broadcasters and their equipment from the weather.
I have known the LARRS project director, Jolie Mason, since our days in college together (too many years ago to mention). She is determined and resourceful, and is doing everything she can to make LARRS a success. One of her current projects is to create a top-notch, professional sound recording studio, which LARRS can use for their own needs and also rent out to help pay their costs. In other words, instead of having to rely solely on donations, with the completion of this studio, LARRS can start to become self-sustaining. If you can help in any way; in particular, if you can donate any money to help complete the studio, please contact them. If you speak with Jolie, and you have a high chance of doing so, say that Marina sent you. :-)