Easter Parade - With A Difference

Last Sunday, being Easter, we had a parade here in sunny Buttonwood Bay.

Now no one wants to watch a parade of oldies wandering along the park streets even dressed as bunny rabbits or big eggs with their thin arms and legs sticking out. That wouldn't get me out of my air conditioned house, no matter how many gift filled eggs they tossed my way.

We already have a golf cart parade every Christmas time so another one of those wouldn't get the crowds out either.

What to do ? Well the park is on the side of a lake so hey.....what about a boat parade ???

So it was written; so it was done.

And that's why, at about 3pm last Sunday, I went down to the lake and joined a load of park residents who, whilst remaining in their golf carts, were all set to watch this watery spectacle. I didn't know what to expect and so didn't know where to stand but soon a few pontoon boats and other water craft made their way along the canal and entered the lake proper. They went from sight and I actually wondered if that was it !

About 20 minutes later, I heard a noise that I've blogged about before and it never ceases to fill me with dread. Bagpipes !!!!

I looked to the far side of the lake and saw quite an impressive flotilla of boats making their colourful way towards the assembled rows of golf carts and there was my favourite 'musician' doing his Leo DiCaprio bit on the front of one of the leading pontoon boats.

As the boats approached the end of the pier where those 'in the know' had gathered, the occupants tossed, and sometimes hurled, Easter eggs at us. It was like being under attack as these candy filled hard plastic eggs came at us like brightly coloured mortars. Several times I was hit and I can tell you it hurt but being the fearless photographer that I am, I continued to film the event.

There was only one kid out on the end of the pier and he was "filling his boots" with all the eggs, so to speak because as well as the ones he managed to catch or pick up himself, he was also given all those collected by everyone else. Why were there no other kids out there ? No idea.

After the 35 or so boats had gone past, there were loads of eggs in the water. A couple of boats came back to the pier and used their fishing nets to pluck these eggs from the water to add to the haul already collected by the happiest kid in mid Florida.


And then it was all over. The boats seemed to melt away closely followed by all the residents on their golf carts and I went home to have my bruises attended to.

And to open the 3 eggs that the little perisher DIDN'T get !!

Here is a 3 minute video of it all and the bagpipes can be heard from 1m 05secs so prepare to mute.