Lost & Found at Wendy's

My good friend Rebecca recalled a story from her childhood of finding "monkey" in a bag at Wendy's. This story dovetailed well (or at least like a Peregrine Falcon soaring talons first into a dove) with a story from my childhood of my family walking out of a Wendy's and leaving an ape in a bag for a moment. Follow the link and enjoy.

http://meanlouise.com/?p=7926

Pigs on a Scooter - UPO (Unidentified Pork Objects) Not a HOAX!

This photo of Pigs on a Scooter was taken on 10/31/2010 in Washington, D.C. by me in the company of trusted friends Eric, Rebecca, Frank and the less trustworthy Mandy. Recently a second photo of Pigs on a Scooter has surfaced lending additional credibility to the first photo. 

Some have derided it as a hoax, a composite of a bustling DC scene and an unrelated photo of two costumed Pigs on a Scooter. The technical skill of capturing Pigs on a Scooter as they whizzed by on a busy Saturday afternoon seems too daunting to some yet I was in fact able to capture the moment with my Nikon 4500.

Others have pointed out that two Pigs on one Scooter could not maintain the necessary speed and inertia to navigate the city streets but eyewitnesses confirm not only is it possible, they did it without proper safety helmets and a clearly under inflated back tire. Pig heads do not constitute proper safety gear for motorcycles in D.C. 

The other photo can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/voteprime/5132775952/ and recipes on http://meatblog.fishinnards.com/?p=653

I Give Up

Why is Jungle Pete riding the leg of a 26-foot tall aluminium nurse in this photo? Static electricity experiment? Publicity stunt for the Meat Blog? Bad Mexican food? Do you give up?

The statue "Unconditional Surrender" brings dimension to the famous World War II photo of a sailor smooching a nurse in Times Square. The classic impromptu moment captured the thrill of victory as Japan announced their surrender. Subsequent photos reveal the nurse pulling pepper spray from her skirt and spraying the anonymous sailor in the face.

None of this explains my bucking calf ride.

The statue was first unveiled in New York City in 2005 before it came to the shores of Sarasota, Florida. It remained there for the "art season" before the colossal creation was shipped off to San Diego. Residents of my birthplace of Sarasota were so elated that the steel curtain was falling on this 3-D peep show that they brought it back. Sort of.

Yes people hated it. But enough people enjoyed it that a Category 3 hurricane-proof aluminum replica was created as a modern day Colossus for Sarasota Bay. Although the size pales in comparison (the statue of Helios, aka the Colossus of Rhodes was over 4x the size), the cost to the city drew a few more detractors. At $700,000, the price tag to keep the piece of art was more than the community was willing to bear. Case closed. Haters go home happy...until an 88-year old WWII veteran came forward and offered to pay for the statue which will now apparently remain in the city of.... in the city that.... what the hell is Sarasota famous for???

Which brings me back to the original question - Why am I riding the leg? Friends Rebecca and Eric Gordon, who will remain nameless brought MaLe and me here over the weekend to enjoy the spectacle. As we approached, a passenger in a car passing by yelled "that statue sucks". I disagree and to finally answer the question - I'm riding the leg because there wasn't a sign that said I couldn't.