"We're big Penn State football fans and have been for years, dating back to when I started going to home football games as a freshman in 1955," says Lou, who is working on his fourth book about the Nittany Lions. "Carole's been a fan longer than I have. Her family lived outside Lewistown, and she was raised supporting Penn State football in the 1940s."
Lou watched the Lions beat Oregon in 1995 - the last time they played in the Rose Bowl - but this is Carole's first visit, even if it's early for their anniversary.
"I'm looking forward to the parade," she says, "and I really want to see how they make the floats."
That's how I spent last New Year's Eve - watching a dragon's head and a giant cargo ship get some finishing touchs, then previewing the finished floats in the Fair Oaks Avenue area hours before the big parade. Floodlights gave it the look of a Hollywood premiere, with the "stars" towering up to 50 feet high and stretching up to 60 feet long.
The stunning floats, which cost at least $200,000 apiece to build, are intricate and creative. Some are designed and built by professionals, others by civic groups such as Rotary International, the Portuguese American Community, and the City of Torrance.
The Native American Chief float, built by Farmers Insurance, was immense - my head barely reached his shins.
This parade's floats will include Natural Balance Pet Foods' bulldogs on skateboards, the City of Mission Viejo's Olympians diving into a deep-water pool, and Honda's 50th-year celebration float that will morph into a 49-foot robot.
And don't forget the Penn State float with thousands of blue and white roses, accompanied by the Nittany Lion mascot, cheerleaders, and the 306-member Blue Band.
