LUCY BURDETTE: Last week Rhys wrote about becoming an accidental expert...In Key West, my expertise is a little "different." There are lots of unusual events that take place on the island, but perhaps none so silly and fun as the dachshund parade.
This has been occurring on New Year's Eve day for the past eight years, much to the chagrin of the Key West police, who have plenty on their hands already, getting prepared for New Year's Eve on Duval Street.
John and I and Tonka attended last year, and ended up falling in with the dachshunds and the dachshund wannabes. After seeing the sights, I vowed that we would come in costume next time around.
I was planning to sew a costume like this for Tonka. But then I checked on ebay as time grew short--and became the winning bidder on this costume.
And then I found hats for me and John--a hamburger and a hot dog. Weren't they such good sports about dressing up as lunch meat? We marched from
the Courthouse, up Southard Street to Duval, then right on Duval to
Appleruth Lane. (Dachshunds have short legs so it was a short route:). There were dogs dressed as lobsters....
and dogs with their mothers in funny hats...
And dogs in blue tutus just like their owners
And this is my good friend, Officer Steve Torrence, who is also a character in the Key West mysteries. (He's a good sport even though he isn't a fan of this parade:).
And here is a family portrait
Leading off the parade were three mounted police and a
small van with great speakers that played classics like "Who Let the
dogs out?" and "Ain't Nothing like a hound dog." A truly amazing way to
end 2013...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uaPs8sxqB0
And if you think this is material I can't use, just wait for the fifth Key West mystery coming in December 2014....
Okay Reds, your turn: What is the silliest thing you've ever done in public?
I am chuckling over this . . . love the pictures [and what a good sport your dog is to wear the costume . . . I’m having trouble picturing our very large golden retrievers actually wearing costumes]. The hats are truly priceless! What a fun way to end the year . . . .
ReplyDeleteThis sort of event is why I love Key West so much and long to visit sometime soon. I haven't been there since my daughter got married there in June 2007. On our way to the beach for the ceremony (very informal), we got stuck at the beginning of the Gay Pride Parade as it came down Whitehouse. We normally walked everywhere, but we were driving then. We got out of the vehicles and danced around, clapped our hands, and enjoyed the ambience of celebration. I also love the dog friendly atmosphere, as we would take my daughter's and son-in-law's pug Rosco Loco (Loco for Salsa Loco) into the bars with us.
ReplyDeleteLucy, your Australian Shepherd is beautiful, and I love the costume. Your and John's hats are delightful, too. What a fun event! All of your pictures are wonderful and show how life should be lived. Thank you so much for giving me and other readers such a fantastic mystery series featuring Key West.
Now, I'm going to go to bed and dream of a chicken salad sandwich at Camille's, breakfast at Blue Heaven, a fish sandwich from Caroline's, and a drink from Hogs Breath. Maybe I do deserve a trip for my upcoming 60th.
I have never done anything silly in public. Ahem.
ReplyDeleteThe dachshund parade is adorable! It reminds me of greyhound weekend in Rehoboth Beach, which is the same weekend as the end-of-summer sidewalk sale. The beach, sidewalk sales, and every size, color, and shape of greyhound imaginable--lots of fun.
Morning all! Joan, Tonka did not like the costume at first. I put it on him from time to time the last couple months to practice. And once he got there with all those dogs, his costume was forgotten!
ReplyDeleteKathy, absolutely you deserve a trip to KW for your 60th! Thanks so much for all your kind words. (and can you believe, I've never eaten at camille's!)
Ramona, the greyhound weekend sounds like a blasst! I will not press you about your personal silliness:)
Never mind the doggy costumes - I'm impressed (and jealous) that it was warm enough for you to wear shorts!
ReplyDeleteDachshunds are my favorite dogs (when I was growing up we had a dog that half dachshund and half cocker spaniel), and they always make me laugh. Dachshunds in costumes are even funnier! Our own half-breed would never have allowed anyone to put clothing on him, though!Tonka is adorable, and seems to be tolerating the costume quite well. All that practice must have helped!
The closest thing to "silly in public" that I can come up with is that on Halloween I go to work in costume. The cheaper and simpler the costume, the better!
"...dog that was half dachshund and half cocker spaniel"
ReplyDelete(This is what comes of responding prior to coffee:-)
Having food on your mind doesn't mean you're hungry, eh?
ReplyDeleteOooo, that's a bad pun. But so were some of those costumes. What fun! And look at that sunshine.
I LOVE the dog with the sandwich board "My girlfriend is a dachshund"!
ReplyDeleteI know Libby, people are very creative! I also forgot to say that there was a "flash mob" of chihuahuas at the parade. But not very many showed up and they didn't photograph well. Still, the idea cracked me up...
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not a "dog person," I think this whole scene is pretty amazing! And I do like small dogs better than big ones.
ReplyDeleteSilly? Me? When daughter #3 was in Middle School, and I was a teacher at the school, I was in the faculty show -- I belted out "Everything's coming up roses!" She was mortified, and still talks about it.
The following year I did "no business like show business."
You sure made me smile this morning!!
What a howl, Roberta. Looks like there was fun for the whole family.
ReplyDeleteThe silliest thing I've ever done, with photographic evidence, was to wear a homemade Easter Bunny costume, complete with ears, in a parade when I was in high school. Since I was a skinny beanpole who wore thick black glasses then, this was not my most flattering look.
I still have the headpiece with the ears, by the way. Pink satin inside of white flannel, with faux daisies at the base of one of the ears. Fetching, I'm sure.
Oh, I love this!!! Harley the Wonder Corgi and I are gonna have a chat about a trip to Key West . . .
ReplyDeleteSo. Much. Fun. :) Love the photos. Thanks for posting them. Absolutely, you can use the dachshund parade. Key West is a buffet of colorful characters and situations. You went south and hit the mother lode. :) As for the silliest thing I've done in public? Gosh, there are bunches, but they don't look silly in hindsight. As memories, they've taken on the warm glow of great life experiences.
ReplyDeleteLove it, Lucy! And that family portrait just begs to be the 2014 Christmas card photo!
ReplyDelete~Krista
That is so adorable. I've seen that doggy hot-dog costume before - what a hoot. Thanks for sharing the pix.
ReplyDeleteOh, Lucy, you haven't eaten at Camille's? Everything they have is delicious. I've tried breakfast, lunch, and dinner there and been delighted with each. Sunday brunch is amazing, with the Eggs Benedict so yummy. And, of course, the decor is vintage Key West bizarre. If I get to Key West this year, please let me take you out for a meal there. You won't regret it.
ReplyDeleteDenise, you reminded me of the time my son was in middle school, and I showed up to his classroom wearing a witch hat during the Halloween season. He was only mildly embarrassed, as he was used to me doing such craziness. My daughter was always more easily mortified.
Love the pictures, Lucy. They have a wiener-dog section in the Sonoma 4th of July parade too. I used to have a dachshund when I was growing up and I know he'd have far too much dignity to do something like that. He used to roll over on his back when he didn't want to go somewhere.
ReplyDeleteAs for silly things in public--I did have to dress like my character for a panel at a convention and walked through the hotel in 1930s backless evening dress and flapper wig, on the arm of Parnell Hall, dressed as the Puzzle Lady. We got stares.
Lucy, I LOVE this!! What a hoot!!!
ReplyDeleteYou and John and Tonka are adorable, and I'm with Deb R--so jealous of the shorts... You wouldn't think Texans would want to be Snowbirds, but yesterday and the day before, my house was 50 degrees when I got up--and that's WITH the furnace running. Today it's a balmy 65--inside.
I'd like to see me get my German shepherds into wiener dog costumes:-) They do have stretchy bandanas called Pooch Buffs--adorable.
Silliest thing I've ever done in public? (I assume you mean deliberately...) Hmmm. I was in a sorority musical my senior year in college. It was the first and hopefully only time I have ever sung and danced on stage. I was not cut out to star on Smash.
Denise, I can totally picture you up on the stage, belting out a song!
ReplyDeleteAnd Karen, I love that you've kept the costume. I'm sure the right occasion will arise to wear it again:)
Rhonda yes, I am so lucky with this setting and the characters that are just handed to me. Then it's a question of writing clearly enough to bring them to life.
Debs, German shepherds in costume would be a show-stopper, especially the puppy!
Rhys, I am certain you looked glorious!
Just the ears, Roberta. The rest of it fit me in 1968, when I was about 28 pounds lighter!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting to reading this late in the day, Roberta - your family makes very nice lunch meat.
ReplyDeleteYou're much sillier than I am, and you can sew.
I once dressed up as a fried egg - appropriately enough I was vastly pregnant.
Running in after a long day on the road... and what a wonderful photo array! (Better than the one the cop just hsowed us at the police station.)
ReplyDeleteHallie was a fried egg? Hilarious! I was a tea bag. I'm sure that wasn't the MOST embarrassing...oh, I know.
When I closed out the live newscast by saying: "And I'm Kate Sullivan."
Yes, I called myself the wrong name. Hey, it was what was in the prompter.
Oh I love the pregnant fried egg Hallie! and Kate Sullivan too:). May we call you Kate when we're tired Hank? xo
ReplyDeleteOmigosh, Hank! That is one of the funniest things, ever.
ReplyDeleteHow on earth did you recover?
"There are lots of unusual events that take place on the island, but perhaps none so silly and fun as the dachshund parade."
ReplyDeleteSilly? You have misjudged them. They are the guardians of alternate dimensions. I knew mine was up to no good, but I had no idea it involved the fate of the universe: http://trypophobiac.com/schrodingers-dachshund/