Did you see the Tournament of Roses Parade this morning?

There are just some traditions I can’t do without, and watching that parade every New Year’s Day is one of them.  Those floats are amazing, and I still have a real soft spot in my heart for the marching bands.

One float in particular really struck my fancy.  It was a yellow pick-up truck that transformed into a “Star Trek” type of space vehicle.  The mechanical engineering behind all those moving parts was impressive.

It started out with the front end turning into the cockpit.  It had one of those billet grilles that folded underneath.  The tires hinged outward into booster rockets, and the truck bed swung upward into torpedoes that shot real fire.  Very cool.

Of course, now I always think of Mike Rowe and “Dirty Jobs” when I watch the parade.  It was so funny seeing him gag over the rotten fruit and flowers as he helped tear the floats apart.

Happy New Year, everyone!