Gentlemen Prefer Poodles

It's State Fair time again, (okay, the fair closed last weekend) and Poodle enjoyed his fair outing for the second year in a row. Though we missed out on the fried Coke, (I've heard it described as "syrupy doughnuts in a cup ") and the animatronic Marlon Perkins ( "let's observe elsewhere while Jim wrestles this giant anaconda!") display was gone already, there were plenty of corny dogs and chocolate covered turtle cheesecake on a stick for everyone. Personally, I like the key lime version better. Poodle has no comment. He never does. The unofficial theme of this year's fair (there's always an unofficial theme, which is always way better than the real theme. Last year it was Elvis.) was Marilyn Monroe, which consisted of a Marilyn themed art display complete with Andy Warhol prints and real movie-worn dresses. The dresses were much larger than I thought they'd be. They were....( gasp) normal sized. That's encouraging. They also had a Marilyn impersonator played by a woman who is also known for playing a Vampira -like character called Jami Deadly on cable access TV. I've never seen her TV show, but she seemed to have the Marilyn thing down pat. I was going to ask her if she's like to pose with Poodle, but it seemed a little awkward. All that aside, the real story was in the Creative Arts building where the 800 Pound Butter Marilyn resided. This was a major attraction, apparently, since there was a non stop parade of people coming through gawking at it and making the same comment over and over. "That's a lot of butter!" It was bit difficult to get photos , but Poodle pushed through.
That Poodle.... He knows everyone.

Green Poodle Checks In

Green Poodle is Red Poodle's oldest pal. Though their earliest history is sketchy, I will assume they were plastic blobs together at the blow mold toy making facility in Hong Kong, and probably rode over together on the slow boat. Red Poodle's first adventures were spent with Green Poodle, traveling around Seattle, where they had been assigned to the same bin at Archie McPhee's wonder emporium. After the trip, Green Poodle went home to Portland, and Red Poodle hit the road. Earlier this week, Green Poodle checked in.....

Canton TX, junk capital of the universe.

Poodle didn't think the flea market experience sounded all that great. Why would he want to go to a market to buy fleas? Ewww. After a short explanation of how flea markets aren't really markets for fleas, and that plastic isn't much of a flea conductor anyway, we set sail for fabulous Canton, the junk capital of the universe. Canton holds the mother of all flea markets on the weekend preceding the first Monday of every month. You can buy anything in Canton. Almost. Apparently you can't buy a 4ft tall Big Boy statue that would fit in the back of a Scion XB, but I won't hold my personal bitterness against the First Monday Trade Days Foundation. Perhaps we just missed the Big Boy booth. Upon arrival in "First Monday Park " which is indicated by a brown and white national- park -looking- sign on I-20 , we spotted this fabulous monument to commerce. "This is the place," I declared, unhooking Poodle from his carabiner. We had to wait for a pair of women to finish photographing their garden gnomes (soooo last year!) with the monument, and then Poodle was able to take his rightful place in Bennett, New Mexico. I suppose I should have talked to the Gnome People to see what sort of project they were doing, but I really just wanted to hit the junk booths. A million hours later, laden with felt elves, flocked reindeer, sock monkeys, a 25 ton bag of kettle corn, and a metal halloween cat clicker, we headed home confident that we would return again soon.

Poodle Superstar

Of all the books written by John Steinbeck, the one that became my personal favorite was Travels with Charley. Charley, it turns out, was a standard poodle who rode with Steinbeck across the US in a camper, meeting all sorts of people along the way, and learning what it really means to be a poodle in America. I'd like to think Steinbeck's 46 year- old story of wandering and discovery was the inspiration for this blog. If only that were true. The real inspiration for this blog came from a poorly drawn map of Seattle, and a chance encounter with a bin of tacky 25 cent toy poodles in a novelty shop. It's now a year and a half later, and Red Poodle has embarked (ha!) on a dangerous life of adventure. Poodle, you're a star.