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Saturday, December 4, 2010

Ring in the Holidays!

Yesterday was our annual Christmas parade here at Val Vista Resort. We gathered together at a friend's house for hors d' oeuvres and drinks and sat and waited for the parade to go by.

Imagine waiting for a Christmas parade and getting a visit from a hummingbird!



A local boy scout troop was the Grand Marshal of the parade.



They were followed by creatively decorated golf carts like this one.




and this gingerbread house.


The line dancers kicked up their heels,


And the Drillettes did, too. Leading the pack was my crazy friend, Pat.



Then there were Frosty the Snowman and the Missus.


And Mr. and Mrs. Santa "Paws" and friends.


Music provided by the "Kitchen Band", who played goofy instruments like strainers, funnels, and empty bottles.


This old horse has been in every parade for as long as I can remember. I don't know how old it really is, but it must be okay since it walked the whole parade!



Next came the tennis team, showing off their skills with their bouncing balls!




After the parade they showed off their sexy legs!



Of course, the star of the parade was Santa Claus!



After the parade we went to the ballroom for dinner and entertainment. We were going to be served by these lovely people.



Our meal was beef stew in a bread bowl,


and dessert.



The hall was decorated so beautifully. Take a gander at our gorgeous, tall (approximately 14') Christmas tree!

After dinner, we were entertained by the Desert Valley Christian Ringers, which consisted of 14 handbell ringers. The show began with the members ringing their bells as they entered the hall from both doorways.





They all took their place on stage, and the magic began.








I know this one is slightly blurred, but I like the movement of the bells.


You notice in this photo, the man is actually banging on the bell like a drum to get a different sound from the bell.


The show closed with the handbell choir playing Christmas songs, and the audience sang along.  Here is a video of the choir playing "Parade of the Tin Soldier". This was taped at another performance; not at Val Vista.



If you would like to watch more videos on this group, or read more information about them, please click the link for their website.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, Ive said it b4 and will say it again...y'all sure know how to party:) Looks like loads of fun:)

Cheers

Teresa said...

beautiful pictures and i love, love, love the sound of hand bells. looks like you had a great time.

Lynda said...

I agree with your other commentators that you do have fun in Arizona! Have you told us how you found this particular place to winter? - - or maybe you did and I forgot - - - sorry. I'm impressed that you had supper and entertainment. Hand-bells have a beautiful sound. My older daughter and I used to play in the hand-bell choir at church but it is inactive right now. Also, I do believe I have a bit of carpal tunnel cuz my hands get a bit tingly if I try to hold anything that long - - - or maybe it's the arthritis that won't let me grip smaller objects.
THANKS for sharing the kick-off to your Christmas season! Even without being there, it was fun to see your pictures.

Unknown said...

Wow! It looks like you had a really fun day. I especially love the parade photos!

Ami said...

It looks like you're having so much fun down there! What great pics!

I LOVE handbells.

There's a group here, 'Ring of Fire'. They're kids. Award-winning, world traveling, amazing...

I keep waiting to catch another free concert from them. Not only am I cheap, I'm broke. Not a good combo. :)

wenn said...

wow..lovely parade!

Brian Miller said...

wow...lots of fun...love the gingerbread house! and how cool with the hummingbird...

Louis la Vache said...

LOL at the mobile gingerbread house!
;-D

SquirrelQueen said...

What a fun parade, I really like the decorated golf carts and that gingerbread house is great. And that is one sexy tennis team.

Loved the video, the handbells sound so beautiful.

Valerie said...

The gingerbread house was my favourite. Oh my Pat, I'm impressed by the amount of fun you all have. Everyone there seems to get into the spirit of things. I love listening to handbell music. Take another look at the Christmas tree - it's sprouted arms... grins.

Gail said...

WOW!

Betty Manousos said...

I love those pictures...looks like you had lots of fun!
Thanks for your lovely post, Pat. I really enjoyed it.

B xx

Plus: I wanted to let you know that I had to rewrite my recent post. Alas...in my sentences I omitted some words (due to the rush)which are necessary to complete the meaning.
So, I'm sorry about that.

Betty Manousos said...

Great banner too! I love it!

Barb said...

Love it! You and your friends live in such a fun place! Love that picture of your "crazy friend". She's having a great time. And the hummingbird pic is great. :)
Happy Holidays

Snowflake said...

It looks and sounds like a wonderful day at Val Vista!!!! What a great way to get into the spirit of the holidays!!

KaLynn ("MiMi") said...

What a glorious time you had! Great way to get in the spirit!!

Thanks for sharing!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Fun way to start the season Pat! I can well imagine humming birds at a Christmas parade (actually don't have to imagine as I've been there... and plan to be back by mid-month (not at your park or your state, but you know what I mean. )