After wonderful Christmas holidays with our Los Angeles family, we hugged sad goodbyes on New Year’s Eve morning and set off on the long RV drive home. Since the Tournament of Roses parade would be the following day in Pasadena, California, we decided to make a stop to see the floats being constructed. We had never seen the parade in person, but we, like most of the world, faithfully watched it on TV every New Year’s Day.
Inside the large barn-looking buildings were hundreds of volunteers frantically putting finishing touches on the floats. It was incredible to watch the intricate details that untrained people could achieve using only fresh natural flowers, seeds and greenery. The floats were enormous, and millions of flowers had to be flown in from all over the world to achieve the beautiful designs, which would perish within a week.
From there we drove to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, just over the California line. The lake was formed by the Parker Dam on the Colorado River, and it provides the perfect place in this vast desert for water sports and all kinds of fun. We stopped early to avoid the holiday traffic and inebriated drivers and parked near the lake.
We had intended to splurge and buy tickets for the elaborate buffet at the best restaurant in town, which advertised a band and dancing, until we saw the price tag. Instead, we took a walk around the lake, explored its island and returned to cook our dinner in the RV.
When we finished our meal, we went out to sit by the lake and watch the spectacular orange sunset in the western sky. A young man approached us and asked if we realized that the bridge nearby was the actual London Bridge, which had been purchased and moved to this state park. We did not, so we were so glad to learn about it. We asked if walking across it was permitted.
“Yes, ma'am,” he said, “but there is a much better way.”
He pointed to his gondola tied beneath the bridge.
“Let me serenade you on this beautiful New Year’s Eve, while I oar you around the lake and we go under the London Bridge.”
We jumped at this unusual and very romantic way to end the year. It seemed as if we were mixing the United States, Italy and England together as we floated along beside the Native American land of the Chemehuevi tribe of the Southern Paiute people. The moon came out brightly, and the singer’s serenading voice was indeed a memorable way to finish one year and welcome another.
