If you watch the Rose Parade...

[pippin_999]

on New Years Day, take a look at the Dr. Pepper float (it's 
number 29).  I helped decorate it! I spent most of yesterday 
gluing real moss onto artificial boulders covered with poppy 
seeds. For those who aren't familiar with this American 
extravaganza, all Rose Parade floats have to be covered with 
vegetable material on every exposed surface. It can be crushed, 
shredded or ground but not dyed. 
   Seeing the floats under construction is amazing. There were 
about nine of them in our tent. They are huge close up, about two 
stories high and covered with scaffolding. The paid crew runs 
around with clip boards and looks important, while the 
volunteers (like me) try to do what we're told and stay out of their 
way at the same time. We all had pieces of masking tape on our 
backs with our names and a number saying how many years 
experience at decorating we had. I was a lowly zero, but I did  
actually get to put stuff on the float. Only experts get to handle the 
actual flowers...they were all stowed in five gallon white plastic 
buckets and there were thousands of them...all kinds and colors.
And they kept bringing more in all day.

Pippin