Krewe of Wrecks Mardi Gras Parade - Part II

The first float in the procession each year belongs, of course, to the Krewe of Wrecks. It is, after all, the Krewe of Wrecks' Mardi Gras Parade! Shaker Queen, Sandi Johnson, threw beads from the bow; atop the bridge was Don and Darlene Richards, the King and Queen of Coma ('til Tuesday night); and Tommy Grice, outgoing King of the Krewe of Wrecks.


Jim Cox, outgoing KOW ship's officer, throws some beads my way!


Patriotic Warriors this year.


Tossin' beads.




I enjoy the colorful costumes of the Mayoki Indians.

The Daisy Dukes!

Aye, matey, it's the Pirates of the Lost Treasure.

Krewe of Midnight Madness!

Krewe of Cutty B's.

I always enjoy getting this angle of the Krewe of de Feet float.

YEAAAAA! It's the Mystic Krewe of Nereids on their new float!

Beautiful Charlotte Spencer tosses beads from the Krewe of Nereids float.

Queen Doris (Courtney Winstead) and King Nerus (Jim Winstead), the Krewe of Nereids royalty toss beads to the crowd.

A fine-feathered friend.

Even tots enjoy the wigs and beads of Mardi Gras on Pensacola Beach.

Laissez les bon temps rouler, y'all

Pensacola Mardi Gras

The Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade was held in downtown Pensacola this afternoon.


Oh, did ya not think we'd have a Krewe of St. Paddy's, my dear?


Now this is really what I call 'going green'!


The Krewe of Aphrodite float, sans goddesses, and it's still beautiful!

This Polly wanted beads!

I always love the Krewe of LaFitte floats with their pirates, parrot, dragon, and even an octopus!

Jailhouse rocker!

Liberty!!!!

Now this is scary...

But these two are scarier! Yikes!

You little devil!

Wow, you better watch this one! She's obviously hawg wild!

Ahhhh...the spirit of Mardi Gras, a pirate with a banana Moon Pie.

So how did that Moon Pie taste, Lloyd? Yep, a thumbs up! Lloyd Hess was named the new King (Captain) of the Krewe of Wrecks earlier today.

A couple of happy Ya-ya's!

Arrrggghhhh!!!!

And here comes the Krewe of LaFitte Octopus!

And you thought Mardi Gras was all frivolity!

Hiphuggers!

What a fun day!

Next up is the Krewe of Wrecks Parade at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow on Pensacola Beach!

Say what??????

I keep waiting for the possibility of snow in this area to be taken out of the forecast, but look at this snippet from the National Weather Service this morning:

... TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF TWO TO FOUR INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM THE MOBILE METRO AREA TO CRESTVIEW FLORIDA...WITH ONE TO TWO INCHES POSSIBLE FURTHER SOUTH TOWARD THE COAST. THE SNOW WILL BE WET AND HEAVY IN NATURE WHICH COULD RESULT IN SOME DOWNED TREE LIMBS AND
POWER LINES.

I will be amazed to see any snowflakes out here on the island, but if we do you'll surely see photos of the event on this blog!

Krewe of Wrecks Ball

With so much cold weather and so many Mardi Gras events going on, I haven't kept up with my blog to let you know how we're faring here on the island. Let me assure you, things are hopping!


This year is the 30th anniversary of the Krewe of Wrecks, the first Mardi Gras krewe which was started on the island by Jane Waters Cooper, Larry Geisel and Frank Douglas. This past Saturday night their special anniversary ball was held at the Elks Lodge with an appropriate theme: SHIPWRECKED!


Purple, gold and green, the traditional Mardi Gras colors, are displayed everywhere you turn. In case you didn't know the meaning behind Mardi Gras colors - purple represents justice, green stands for faith, and gold stands for power.


A couple mermaids at the ball. Hmmm...must be looking for some shipwrecked sailors.

Mike Cook came as a poor man who'd been Cast Away - complete with a FedEx box and his own 'Wilson'. Wilsonnnnnn!!!!!! (Love that movie - at least I loved the first hour and a half and the last five minutes)

See what happens when you're shipwrecked for a very long time!

Arrrggghhhhh, matey! It's a pirate, a parrot and another fine friend.

One of our beloved turtlers, Melanie Waite! Thank goodness she found a sea turtle to keep her company while shipwrecked!

But wait! Here comes Jim and Lila Cox, and Shelley Johnson on the Miss Jane to rescue some of these shipwrecked souls.

Sweet Jane McGrath is a 2009 Krewe of Wrecks' Ship's Officer. She will give up her position this weekend when the new court is appointed at the Krewe of Wrecks Champagne Breakfast.

Sandi Johnson, our current Sandshaker Queen, in her beautiful purple gown.

Ms. Carleen Wheeler is so happy that though she's shipwrecked, she's going to have (stuffed) lobster for dinner.

Judy L'Oignon is the new Queen for the Krewe of Nauga, but I think she is also the queen of face paint. If you recall, Judy came to the Nauga Champagne Breakfast costumed as a 'one-eyed, one horn, flying purple people eater' and covered in purple. This time she mixed her face paint for an incredibly realistic sunburn. Poor 'Lost' survivor.

Ahhhh....and then there were those who just melted my heart. I think the look between Rusty and Sherri says it all.

Jayne Drees Redmond had a great time at the Ball with her parents and her sister, Amy. Jayne was a huge help to me last year at the Krewe of Wrecks Mardi Gras Parade - my first year as photographer for the Krewe of Wrecks. I can truly say they broke the mold when Jayne was born!

And here they are, a group from the Krewe of Nereids - wild, wonderful, kind-hearted ladies who love life and love each other. Having recently joined their krewe as a 'Love Lady' - and, of course, their official photographer, I learn so much from their resiliency and zest for life.

So much to do, so many events, so little time during Mardi Gras season... But as photographer for the Krewe of Wrecks and the Krewe of Nereids, I have an extra benefit of being able to experience it all over again as I go through the photos!

Krewe of Kids!

The Krewe of Kids had their own parade at Casino Beach this morning. Queen Julia wore her most beautiful Mardi Gras boa!


In this life, kings and rulers are very blessed indeed when they have a best friend to keep them down to earth.


Princess Victoria is her beautiful shimmering dress!

Adorable Prince Dylan!

The new royal court takes a bow!

Sweet polka dots.

A special moment with Grandpa.

Krewe of Nereids Mystical Ball

Some of my blog followers may not know how the big the Mardi Gras celebrations are in our area. Every week the local papers are full of schedules for formal and/or costume Balls, breakfasts, and parades, especially as we near the height of the season. This past weekend I attended the Krewe of Nereids Mystical Ball to take photos and thought I'd share a few with you.


It's not unusual for people to belong to multiple krewes, or attend parties of other island krewes since they all come under the umbrella of the Krewe of Wrecks. Actually, most of the Mardi Gras events are open to the public, even some of the Balls, if you would like to buy a ticket. It's pretty much one big happy family at this time of year. I especially enjoy seeing the feathered masks and beautiful embroidered jackets.


In Greek mythology Nereus and Doris gave birth to 50 daughters (usually considered mermaids), the Nereides, for which this krewe is named. Hence the Krewe of Nereids' have a King Nereus and Queen Doris as their royalty. You may read more about the story of Nereus, Doris, and the Nereides by clicking HERE.


Peggy Henshall dances with her husband, George, who was the Krewe of Nereids' King last year.

The Nereids Mystical Ball is a bit different in that a mask is required for the first hour. At 9:00 p.m. guests may unmask and enjoy the return of their peripheral sight! A midnight buffet is served if you're night-owlish enough to last that long.

Beautiful Caroline...

Charming ladies...

And dapper gentlemen. It was a beautiful evening!