We left our down coats in Colorado and flew to warm California last night and these beautiful cut flowers greeted us in our hotel. (This is best shot I could get in the low light…and I didn’t even try to capture the giant arms of orchids that sprayed out to the sides of this huge arrangement – G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S.)

I am in Pasadena this week with my family on an adventure to go behind the scenes with the California Flower Growers as they get ready for the Rose Parade on New Years Day. We have a busy schedule starting today when we head north to Santa Barbara County to visit a variety of cut flower farms that supply materials for the floats (one of which I am told is the largest in the USA). I can’t wait. I will be posting pics on instagram, commenting on twitter (if you have questions you want to me ask — tweet me – I hope we can all learn a lot on this trip!) and telling stories on Facebook all day — and then recapping here later tonight.
This will carry on right through the parade on New Years Day…so if you are interested in joining in, follow along with the #Farm2Float hashtag. I’ve been a huge fan of the Rose Parade since I was a little kid and this is my first in-person visit…so if you or someone you know (please pass this along) is also a big fan…I hope to hear from you this week.
-x-
Rochelle