The Photo opportunity of a parade/Gasparilla 2012

Johnny Depp look alike

 Parades are wonderful for photos and studies of people and behavior.  Gasparilla<click here)  has been going since the early 1900's in Tampa.  It honors the idea of pirates that wandered the cost of Florida, rummaging costal towns.  Jose Gapar is a fictional pirate, based on a composite of pirates that might have come into Tampa bay causing havoc.  The image of Jose has changed over the years, he now looks a lot like Johnny Depp and his pirate movies.  It used to be more of a drunken brawl with the civic members acting as pirates so drunk they could hardly finish the parade!  Now the rules are much tighter, and the pirates have to be more in control.  But in away I miss the old days, if that tried to regulate Mardi Gras like that it would be a disaster!  I am not sure pirates are ever well behaved.

The guys went all out for pirate wear this year

Crowds and more crowds, and rowdy crowds

Not so live parrot.

Harley tattoo 

Beads, Beads, Beads

Gaparilla Garden Mermaid