Mardi Gras madness and NOLA blogger meetup

Mardi Gras beads for runners!

Mardi Gras season is in full swing here in Pensacola. Homes are decked with purple, gold, and green. Some say the colors stand for justice, power, and faith. Others say the Mardi Gras colors became popular because they looked nice together, and the meaning was added later. And many just see the holiday as a cheap excuse for booze and boobs.

While I'm sure at least a few readers were hoping for scandalous photos, the holiday is much more family-oriented in Florida than it is in New Orleans. (Read: No flashing for beads. Sorry readers.)

What Pensacola (thankfully) lacks in public nudity, it makes up for in parades and parties. Carnival begins on January 6th (Epiphany) and lasts through Fat Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras).

On the Gulf Coast that means lots of weekend parades, beads, and moon pies. (Then again, parades, beads, and moon pies are year-round staples here. There are just more of them right now.)

It's a Christmas parade, can't you tell?

Runners get in on the festivities, too. At race-day aid stations volunteers hand out strings of beads along with cups of water. (To be honest, I'd rather run for my beads than flash someone, so the arrangement suits me just fine.) I scored two strings of purple beads at a half marathon last month, and at last weekend's 15k I snagged some feet-shaped beads. Perfect for a runner!

Speaking of running and beads...

Who's running Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans next month?
If there is interest, I'd like to organize a blogger meetup in the Crescent City.
If you'll be there, leave a note in the comments, send me an email, or message me on Facebook.