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.
“Let’s see, he said thee was food down this way…”
"This must be what he was talking about! An apple store. Not a lot of variety, but I suppose an apple does sound delicious on a hot day like this."
“Uh, Parker, I don’t think it’s that kind of an apple store, I think they actually sell…”
"Oh course it is! See, they even have a water bowl to cleanse your palette before going in. That's how you know it's a nice fruit stand."
"NOM! See this one is delicious! Though the color does seem a little off. Maybe it's out of season."
McParker the crime dino takes a bite out of apple. (Or something like that)
"Look Kearn, they even have computers you can play with while you digest!"
"And they have games on them!"
“Come on Parker, let’s get you some real food.”
"But.., but, my ball balancing circus seal is almost leveled up to 60!"
“Come on Parker, let’s at least play with some of the other toys. Here, why don’t you try out an iPod.”
"The sign says it's a Nano, but the headphones are Mega!"
“We could get you one of these for your birthday Parker. Would you like that?”
“I don’t know, I still really like my Walkman.”
“Your Walkman?!?! You really are a dinosaur Parker! These are way better than that!”
“Okay, what do they do?”
“Well, you can listen to music on them. The newest models even have an fm radio built right into them.”
“Does it let you record music?”
“Well, no.”
“Does it have replaceable batteries?”
“Um, no, I guess not.”
“Can you use it to make mix tapes to give to your friends?”
“Well, not really. I guess you could hook it to your computer and make a play list in iTunes. But, the other person would need to download the songs too before they could play it, and, well…”
“Yeah, I think I’ll stick to my Walkman.”
“Okay, I guess I’ll have to think of something else for your birthday. Let’s go get you some food.”
“Look – deep fried cheese curds, and it’s not even the state fair yet!”
"Mmmm, Bucket o' Cheese..." *drool*
*NOM*
“Let’s see if we can find you something a little more healthy. Here, try some corn.”
"But it always gets stuck in my teeth. What about some Chinese food?"
"Now THAT'S a dino sized meal!" *nom nom nom nom nom*
“Wow, I’m stuffed now. I think it’s time for some more art.”
“Okay, let’s check out some t-shirt. These ones by Batik by Kat are nice!”
"I like the color of the froggy, and the dog looks fun, but I'm not sure if they're quite me."
“Hello there, little one. I’m Kat, can I help you find anything?”
“You’re Kat? Somehow I was expecting more whiskers and fur, and maybe a tail…, you look much more like a friendly person than a Kat.”
“Ah yes, that confuses many of the little dinosaurs that stop by our booth. I am, in fact, a person.”
“I see, well, I like these ones, but I don’t think they’re quite me…”
“Oh, I think we have a design you might like better. Here, try this one.”
"IT'S PERFECT!!!"
“Can we get it Kearn? Can we pleeeaaasssseeee?!?!”
“I don’t know Parker, it looks a little big for you. Excuse me Kat, do you make this in an extra, extra, extra, extra dino small?”
“Oh, sorry, we only go down to an extra, extra dino small. And it looks like your little friend would take some growing to fit into one of those. But here, take our card and you can get one from our website when he gets bigger.”
“Thank you. Parker, I may have a birthday present idea for you after all, just maybe not for this year.”
“I like that idea. Let’s see who else we can meet while we’re here.”
Next we wandered past Wild Cat Works‘ bird houses.
"Hellooooooo up there..."
But it turned out no birds had moved into the shiny new bird penthouses yet, so we kept moving.
"There must be all sorts of things to buy down here..."
“Parker, I think I see a place you may like.”
"It's like this whole place was made for dinosaurs! Too bad I filled up on that Chinese food. A Gyro sounds tasty!"
Next we walked past the myTalk 107.1 booth, and Parker took an interest in a sign they had our in front.
"Look Kearn! I don't know what a myTalk is, but these people need help. And help making art no less. I bet I could do that!"
"I bet you could. Here, I put some letters and decorations for you on the T, let's see if you can make something out of that."
"Look Kearn! I made my name. Now we just need to glue it down... Um, could you help with that part? I don't have any thumbs, and I don't want to accidentally glue my feet to the poster."
"Sure Parker. And you can add some stickers to make it even prettier."
"Hooray! I'll be famous now!"
"Do you think anyone will notice it in all of this?" "I think so Parker, it's a very nice flower after all."
Next we stopped by a booth where you could get your picture taken in front of a green screen, and have the background replaced with anywhere in the world. Parker was going to play a trick on everyone and get one with the Roman Coliseum in the background and tell everyone he went to Rome over the weekend. Unfortunately, the computer had a hard time telling the difference between Parker and the background. So, he’ll have to find another trick to play.
We kept walking, and before long we pasted in front of James Sauer’s sculptures, and…
"AAAAHHHHHHH GIANT BIRDIE GONNA EAT ME RUNAWAY!!!!!!!" *run run run run*
They may have been a little too realistic for Parker’s taste.
Luckily, once Parker finally slowed down, we weren’t far from Keith Kinney’s booth, where Parker found a place to rest for a bit.
(I couldn’t find a business card at Keith’s booth, and from searching, the only website I found for him (http://www.stylesofoakheritage.net/) seems to be down / missing, but it was Keith Kinney of Yellow Springs, OH, in case you like the rockers.)
"Look, there's even space for my tail to go through between the slats. What a comfy chair!"
“Kearn, all that running from the eagle made me awfully tired, and we’ve been walking a lot today. Can we head home and take a break before going to the Powederhorn Art Fair?”
“Sure Parker, let’s get you some rest and some air conditioning.”
On the way out, we walked past the RuTu Paddle Company, which has some really pretty stuff, but Parker was too tired to pose any more.
However, just past there, we came across the strangest thing, and had to pause for one last picture…
"Wait, why is a boat bike locked to a pipe, 4 blocks from the nearest water? There's not even any trailer or wheels to be able to move it. What's going on here?"
“I don’t know Parker, sometimes Uptown just doesn’t make sense.”
You are a nut. And hilarious.
[...] Last we checked in with Parker, he and I were on our way home for a break after the Uptown Art Fair. More of the Dino Saga here. [...]