Wednesday, February 04, 2009

You Don't See That Every Day

The last few days it's been really cold here, but last Saturday it was absolutely gorgeous outside. Chad and I took the 3 mutts for our regular 1.5 mile walk, after which I took Fresco for another 3.5 miles so that he and I could get a little extra exercise and enjoy the unseasonably warm temperatures. For him to walk 5 miles didn't seem like a big deal since a) he's only 2, and b) when we first started fostering him back in 2007 he walked 9 miles with me in one day. I guess he's pretty out of shape right now though, because with just over a half mile left in our walk he about yanked my arm off when he came to an abrupt stop. I turned around to find him collapsing in a heap in a tiny spot of shade he'd found on the sidewalk! He was pooped! I let him rest for a few minutes and then made him move on to a more appropriate resting spot under a tree (that wasn't in front of someone's house) where we enjoyed about a 5 minute break. It seemed strange that he would get overheated when it was only like 55 degrees out, but he was certainly wiped out!

The other funny thing that happened on our walk was so odd that I really wish I had a picture to prove it actually happened. For someone who has so many darned cameras, I never seem to have one at the right moment! As we were walking along, we saw a girl turn onto the street a few blocks in front of us, and she was clearly not out for exercise as she was wearing jeans and carrying a purse. We followed behind her at a slightly quicker pace, so we began to gain ground after a while, and a few minutes later I realized she wasn't just carrying a purse--she also had a large iguana draped around the back of her neck. He was so big that his (or her) tail was hanging all the way down the girl's back. Where in the world do you walk to with an iguana sitting on your shoulder? I guess maybe your friend's house? It was just strange because the girl was clearly old enough to drive, which would seem like a safer method of transportation for Mr. Iguana!

I tried really hard to catch up with her so I could ask her about her lizard friend, but she quickened her pace as she glanced back and saw us approaching. It probably wouldn't have been a good idea for us to pass her, since Fresco was certainly tall enough to reach out and grab that tail had he noticed it was there. She was probably smart to peel off onto a side street just before we reached her, and yet it left me so curious! You just don't see people out walking their iguanas every day!

5 comments:

Beth said...

HA! Lizard girl sounds like a bizarre sighting in Lawrence (or even Guate for that matter)!

I feel your frustration of not having your camera at the more spontaneous picture-taking opportunities.

Anonymous said...

"It's bad luck just seeing a thing like that."

Name that movie, Erin! No help from the audience, Kimberly. I know you know.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I want to know what movie that has the answer. sa

Erin said...

I hate to admit I do not know the answer to that. tell me tell me

kjl said...

It's a 1990 Bill Murray movie called Quick Change. It's one of the movies we quote incessantly, and yet no one else seems to have even seen it! We've been looking to buy it for our DVD collection for years but have never been able to find it!

My favorite line of the whole movie might be when they're trying to get to the airport and the non-English speaking cab driver runs a red light, and Randy Quaid says "You don't even understand colors!" :)