The shiny red dragon was in the center of the street waiting for the parade ahead to move.

The dragon was about half a block from the beginning of the parade route, in the lining up area, but the parade ahead of the dragon, on the parade route, wasn't moving, so the dragon waited and waited.

The teenagers that held the dragon skin and who were, with the dragon skin and dragon skin holder poles, the dragon, were therefore standing stillish--not a favorite teenage activity.

The adult leader of the San Gabriel Valley Chinese Cultural Association dragon team noted that the shiny red dragon was right next to a broad sidewalk that was, at the moment, almost empty, the spectators starting, half a block away, on the official parade route.

The leader gave a signal, said a few words, and the dragon went from street to sidewalk and started sinuously, snakily weaving around and between three spindly street trees, a couple of utility poles, and a lamp post, all over the broad sidewalk.

They were great. Improvised sinuous moving around a place they'd never been before as a dragon was nothing to them. Around and around and all over, and I lucked out because I was the spectator. I was the only person who had kept the sidewalk from being empty when they started.

I moved to the curb and stepped down into the street and "oh, gosh"ed inside of myself.

The kids were moving and getting or staying warm and practicing and really doing on a damp, chill February night.

Notice the space; take the space; make bonus beauty; keep warm. Happy New Year!