Last we saw our dino heroes, Parker was wrapping up an Orange Bowl victory in Miami, while Sinclair was still trying to figure out where Minne the Lake Creature had gone to. Since then, I’ve found out that for dinosaurs to live to 65 million years old, they have to hibernate for a while every now and then. It’s a rather sporadic schedule, but if that’s what it takes to live to 65 million years old and still keep your youthful vigor, I guess you can’t complain.
Parker has woken up from his hibernation with a lot of energy and ready to go, while Sinclair has still been a bit groggy lately. Parker has also decided to have the tattoos on his back removed, so people don’t keep confusing him with his beloved brother, who he got them in honor of. If that none of that makes any sense, you can catch up by reading the existing posts in the Dino Saga series.
“Good morning Parker, what are you up to?”
"I was just reading your blog post about the art fairs this weekend. They sound fun! Can we go?"
“Sure Parker. Are you planning to buy some art while we’re there?”
“Maybe, what does it take to buy art?”
“Just some money.”
“Oh, let me go grab mine! I’ve been saving up!”
"Let's see, I've got one dollar, forty-two cents, a button, a broken zipper, five bits of string, and a Jack of Spades. Is that enough for an art?"
“Um, I don’t think so Parker. Most places don’t take bits of string as a form of payment. But we can still go look.”
“Okay. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
And out the door we went.
"Wow, it looks like there's a ton of art here. Let's get going."
"I'd hate to meet the painter that goes with those, I'm small enough compared to normal sized people!"
“You know Parker, we’re going to be doing a lot of walking today. I know you have the energy for it, but do you think you feet will be able to hold up?”
“Hmm, you’re right, they might get sore.”
Luckily, the first place in the Uptown Art Fair is the Uptown Running Room.
So, we stopped by their sidewalk sale to see if the friendly people there could help us out.
"Hi there. I would like a pair of art fair walking shoes, please."
"We don't usually stock dinosaur shoes. Hmmm, this is the smallest pair we have for your foot type. Give them a try."
"They seem a little roomy in the toe, but let me take them for a jog to see how they feel."
"Nope, definitely too big."
“Okay, we could always order something in your size, but for today maybe Kearn can just carry you when your feet get tired.”
“Yeah, I could do that. Thanks for trying Running Room people!”
Parker was getting anxious, “Okay, now let’s go see some art!” So, our first stop was Daryl Harwood and Kevin Murphy‘s booth.
They make Ikebana flower bases, which have little spiked clusters in them you can put the flowers on so they’ll stand up straight, and have water.
"And we actually make them using leaves from our garden for the shape of each piece."
"They look good enough to eat!"
"Come on Parker, we should go before you chip a tooth, or slip onto one of those little spikes."
Next, we stopped by the music stage Old Chicago had set up, which seemed strangely empty.
"I was born for the stage..."
"AND THAT BIRD YOU CAN NOT CHAAAAAAANNNGE, AND THAT... um, Kearn, could you move the mic down a little bit, I'm getting a lot of feedback here."
After Parker’s set, and three encores, we continued on, and found a Volvo dealership had set up shop at the art fair.
"That's right ladies, I'm not only beautiful, but apparently I'm safe too."
“Hey Parker, how do you think the ladies would like you in this old car?”
"Hmm, it's okay, but I was thinking maybe a convertible..."
"Now that's more like it. Bugs in my teeth, the wind on my tail, and the open road ahead."
“Hmm, but Parker, can you reach the pedals?”
"Umm, not really..."
"And more importantly, I can't reach the radio. I guess this isn't the car for me after all."
“Well, let’s see what else they have.”
"Kearn, look! This one has a big screen TV in the trunk! Oh, wait. That doesn't make any sense at all."
“Parker, could you come over here and jump up real high? I want to get your picture with the Uptown Theatre sign!”
"WEEeeeeeeeee!!!"
“Kearn, all this jumping is making me hungry. Can we go back and eat those flower stands we saw earlier?”
“No Parker, I don’t think the artists would like that very much. But, we can see if we can find you some real food.”
“Here, let’s ask this guy if he know where we could find some food around here.”
"Excuse me Mr Chino, would you know where we could find some dino snacks around here?" "Um, I guess I'm not familiar with dinosaur dietary needs, but you might want to check with my friend Latino."
"Excuse me Mr Latino, would you know where we could find some dino snacks around here?" "Why yes! If you head over towards Calhoun Square, you should find all manner of confections!" "Thanks Mr Latino!"
"Boy, I hope confections means food. There's Calhoun Square! Let's go!"
To be continued…
[...] Last we saw Parker, he was roaming the Uptown Art Fair looking for a snack, and had been directed towards Calhoun Square by a friendly stranger. More of the Dino Saga here. [...]