You know it's almost carnival time when. . .

Papa Tom and Mia/Shanana are pretending to be the King and Queen of Carnival.  (I was standing on tiptoe and still couldn't fit my face in the opening.)

Otis and LaWanda are ready for Mardi Gras

Staff at Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World are working around the clock now to finish preparing floats for Mardi Gras parades, which begin in January

The artists use Styrofoam and papier-mâché (French for "chewed paper;"  Not really, I hope!) to sculpt figures for the floats.

Sketch for a float.  It says: "Clean-up on Aisle XLIV" and "This year I'm gonna do it for free" and "I'll make more money with this guy."

This idea will become a figure on a float.  The check for $100,000,000 is made out to Drew Brees , with "Cha-ching!" in the comment line

The wooden float, before it's decorated

More float sketches

Artist at work

Left over props that could be revamped for use another day.  I wonder what the Pink Panther is telling George?

The best float of all!  A train!

King Kong

Not sure what this is all about, but I don't see an angel on his shoulder

A floor full of flowers, waiting to be attached to the floats

We opened the door to a float and found this notice inside

The real Pat O'Brien's Hurricane was to come later

To give you an idea of the prop sizes

1950s sci-fi meets 1980s sci-fi?  Not sure how the king fits in.