but I'm allergic to mangos

Every year, in charming Coconut Grove, Miami, people gather for a satirical parade of sorts that pokes fun at current events and political figure heads. And yes, this year was full of people to poke fun at. The King Mango Strut originated 27 years ago when two men were denied participation in the Orange Bowl Parade. Instead of feeling bitter about it, they concocted quite an amusing display of talent. Nothing is sacred here. This year there was a Joe the Plumber Drill Team, a moose hunting Sarah Palin, a Foreclosure Fairy & of course, a barrage of shoe throwers. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any of this because somehow I managed to get the honor of riding on the Little Miss Mango float with my little Miss & Little Mr and THE most annoying man in the world. I cringe even typing about it.

Talk about doing damage to a child with words. My sister in law was with me and I think we came to the conclusion that the man in question was NOT the father of the Little Miss Mango he accompanied. That is the only good news I can provide. See this little girl was dressed to the nines. Princess costume, wand, jewels, ballet slippers. The works. He was on that float for over an hour before it started to move to secure the best possible seat. (OK, this float, as you can see from the pix below, is a junky flat bed truck. There are no good seats.)

Anyway, the premise of this float is to judge the best Little Miss Mango. Each kid gets a crown, a wand and a sash. And then there is no judging and everybody wins. Even their five year old brothers. It's a joke. Like everything else in the damn parade.

Needless to say this man thought his little lady was the best thing since sliced bread. Really, he was as bad as that analogy. He was telling her things like.... "Oh, baby, everybody is here to see you. You are making everyone here so happy. You are definitely going to be on TV...look, you are on TV again. What do you want to wear when this is over?..I'll buy you anything you want so you can look pretty all day. Next year we'll bring my Mercedes and we'll lead the parade." Yeah. He did. And did I mention that she was about four and a half years old? Talk about the damage parents can do to their kids. It was like watching a really bad movie. Really bad.