More Christmas Spirit!

Sunday night was the 49th annual Pompano Beach Boat Parade. We've gone almost every year we've lived here. Last year we missed it so we made a special effort this year. It was SO much fun! The people take Christmas lights and sometimes music and decorate their boats then they form a parade and go up and down part of the Intracoastal Waterway. This year tho the boats were spread pretty far apart and they went by really fast. Dunno why, just did. It was frustrating trying to get pictures. There were some great photo ops! Like the Goodyear Blimp which is stationed in Pompano. And the cool boats that went by. I did get a couple of really wild effects on a few. But that's for another post...
Anyway, about the time the parade was due to end I heard a helicopter and it sounded really close. I figured someone had been seriously hurt and they had to be medivaced. But I was wrong! The familiar thump-thump and rumble of that deep engine sound just kept getting louder and louder. We were behind a clump of pine trees and couldn't see anything until suddenly this HUMONGOUS helicopter just suddenly appeared! It was the Coast Guard rescue helicopter flying at treetop level!!! Now you have to understand that there's condos lining one side and sometimes both sides of the Intracoastal so this can be like flying in a canyon! It was SOOOOOOO cool! It had its lights flashing and the searchlight going! Just made you think about what it must be like out there on the ocean to see that thing coming to rescue you! Gave me shivers all up and down my spine! Unfortunately neither the video or the pictures came out because there was no way to light up the chopper itself. But let me just say it was one of the neatest things I've ever seen!
So after all that excitement we were walking back to our car and there was this strange sight...

Now how cool is that!?! The lady was kind enough to let me take a picture of it. Sooooo funny!
And THEN we drove home through the "ritzy" neighborhood of Lighthouse Point. These homes are all on either canals or the Intracoastal and the bigger ones are on the points where the canals and the IC meet. I just HAD to practice my night photography skills!!!



This one's my favorite! The whole street was lined with these lights! Cool huh?

Aren't those just NEAT!?! I absolutely LOVE Christmas!!! It's just the most awesome time of the year! :)
Finally, a couple more pics of my interior decorations... I collect snowmen and this little group seems to grow every year! :)

Well, I've been long-winded again. Sorry! (blushing here)... So I will save the rest for another post. Hope you and your families are having an awesome holiday season! Remember to take some time to ENJOY this time of year! And remember why we celebrate!