I took in the Greek Day festivities with Lulu this evening. Now lest I be accused of playing favorites, there’s a very good reason why I chose Lulu to be my date:
Jelly, as I’ve already made mention, suffers from a hip condition that makes extended walks problematic. She’s good for approximately a half a block before she’ll seek out the shadiest spot and plunk herself down, declaring the outing over in her own incomparable way. As a result, I’m usually carrying her back the rest of the way like a six month old baby, much to the delight of one of my elderly neighbors who thinks it’s just the most adorable thing she‘s ever seen. If I had brought Jelly to Greek Day, there’s no doubt I’d be wandering through the crowd, a souvlaki in one hand, and pug in the other, wishing I had a third hand for a drink. Scratch Jelly for Greek Day.
Maximus, pictured in my banner, is the most outgoing of the gang. He’s never met a lap he hasn’t liked. Unfortunately, he’s also the most out-of-shape of the gang. A three block stroll in the hot sun and he’s panting like a Saharan survivor on his last legs. He’s also an incredibly stubborn dog, often taking great offense at anyone trying to set the pace of his walkies. If you speed up to match him, he’ll slow down. If you slow down, he’ll stop. Stop and he’ll break into a sprint. Want to go left? He’ll want to go right. Want to cross the street? He’d rather turn around and head back the way he came. His contrarian stylings – another source of infinite amusement for my neighbor – can get real frustrating real fast, especially on those longer promenades. And given his chunky physique, there’s always the fear that he may just keel over. Scratch Maximus for Greek Day.
Bubba is undoubtedly the most athletic of the pugs and the perfect candidate for those extended walks. Unfortunately, he’s also the most high-strung of the bunch, easily freaked out by loud noises, loud people, kids, other dogs, anything on wheels, garage entranceways, and, on one memorable occasion, some poor girl dong a cartwheel in the park. Simply put, he’s not wholly comfortable in social settings. Scratch Bubba for Greek Day.
Fondy, my wife, would have been my first choice. She’s sociable, enjoys longs walks, and is a better candidate for splitting an order of those Greek style doughnuts with me. Unfortunately, she was working today. Scratch Fondy for Greek Day.
And so, Lulu and I headed over to Greek Day on West Broadway late this afternoon. She, of course, commanded an enormous amount of attention, stopping to let interested parties pet her, crossing in front of disinterested parties so that they would have no choice but to stop and pay attention to her.
To be honest, this one-day event is fine, but the two week long Greek Festival held in the parking lot of that church in Burnaby blows it out of the water. Sure, the West Broadway event had a bare-chested Spartan and some woman dressed as an elf walking around on stilts, but the Burnaby event has spit-roast lamb. Lamb tops elves any day.
We dropped by Fondy’s shop where we split a pork souvlaki and I had some loukoumades (those Greek mini doughnuts I was talking about). By 8:00 p.m., Lulu was sprawled out on the floor, throwing me the same look my sister and I would give our parents three hours into our visit with Auntie Jeanette. Time to hit the road.
So, here you go. Enjoy the pics of my Greek Day with Lulu.
Looking ahead to this week: finishing up the Remnants rewrite, pulling the trigger on our Winter trip to Hong Kong and Shanghai, watching Machine Girl, announcing next month’s Book of the Month Club selections, and, of course, catching up on all that reading. Another gentle reminder: Book of the Month Club discussions upcoming:
In the Garden of Iden, Kage Baker.
Discussion the week of June 30th, with author Kage Baker.
The Etched City, K.J. Bishop.
Discussion the week of July 7th.
Unwelcome Bodies, Jennifer Pelland.
Discussion the week of July 14th, with author Jennifer Pelland.
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