We're a fairly conservative bunch down here in Houston. Until we're not, and decide to embrace all the weirdness that's hereabouts, because this is still Texas, and this is still America. Nowhere is this more obvious than at the
Art Car Parade, now in its 31st year.
This city's love of cars (or perhaps hatred of walking, to be more accurate) is well known, but the art car phenomenon takes things to a whole new level. These cars aren't decorated, they're transmogrified, with every conceivable conversion, customisation, and correction made, until the label "car" is questionable itself.
And the city turns out to watch! I think drinking in public is usually illegal around here, but families line the streets with picnic chairs and coolers full of beer while the police escort looks on. Add in the honking horns and natural exhibitionism of people who do these things to their vehicles, and it was a full-throttle party on the blacktop.
Ironically, we walked there and back, and much as I enjoyed the spectacle I was left wondering just what exactly you do with a car that looks like a dinosaur, or a space ship, or...something, for the rest of the year. Is there an art car parade circuit? Do they get de-customised and used for the school run? Or sit dustily in a shed, ready to reappear for the 2019 parade? Time will tell. I gave my grey Ford Fiesta a friendly pat as I passed it in the garage on the way in.
Allen Parkway, normally filled with people doing 80 in a 35 zone.
Prime spot.
I wandered down the pre-parade line-up and found...a shoe.
How do you even...?
Souped-up Prius.
Gas guzzler.
No overtaking.
Actually quite engineeringly impressive.
A large mechanical blancmange.
Um...
Yeah...
The parade begins! With a peace dinosaur.
Yarn-bombed.
A smoking fish pulling a live band.
This was done by a school! Impressive.
Pete and friend Levi take in the spectacle.
The Batmobile. Legit.
Santa showed up.
This is a real astronaut! Dr. Jeanette Epps was Grand Marshall this year.
A luchador wrestling match on a car roof. Because at this point, why not?
Piano mower.
Minimum effort.
Popping a wheelie.
Wonder Woman on a mobility alligator, I guess.
The local roller derby team!
This fountain was in-sync with the music blaring from the car (the Superman theme, at this point). A technical feat.
Political. Sort of.
Lexie, slightly flummoxed.
No idea.
There's that shoe from earlier, now speeding.
"Let's just stick everything we have on our car."
Is this still a car thing?
And it all finished with a giant potato. Because anything else would be unnatural.
