Mac Arthur Park - Where I Live!

This is my friend's French Bulldog, Bacon. She's a real love. He bought her for his Dad after his mom died of cancer, but his Dad didn't want her, so now she lives with him on a boat in San Pedro. He also has an English Bulldog named Sparkles. He's a good dog namer. Sparkles already lives with his Dad, so maybe that's why his Dad didn't want Bacon. Or maybe his Dad was just too sad to think. How could you not want a mug like this?

I'm watching Bacon while my friend is on VAKAY. I take her to MacArthur Park in the morning which is only two blocks from my house. Do you know MacArthur Park? If you do, then you know it's a haven for crack heads and junkies and that guys selling fake IDs and SS#s hang out on the corner. They know Bacon and like her so they let me pass. There are crayfish and ducks and Canadian geese in the "lake" in the middle of the park and this morning I watched a man sitting back with two fishing poles and a beer (8am!) suddenly jump to his feet and reel in a hefty catfish. Bacon had walked on ahead while I was watching the guy fish and when I caught up with her, three Pochos were asking me about my pit bull puppy and how much she cost. I explained that she wasn't a pit bull or my dog and we chatted a bit more. One of the guys had a cap in his lap that I only noticed when he said "Now that I've pet your pet, do you want to pet mine?" I thought he was going to show me his prick and I was getting ready to move it and say something nasty, but the guy had a snake, a baby hog nose rattler and I reeled back. He told me it was okay, it was a domesticated rattler (no such thing, I thought!) and that he never knew snakes could be so nice. I told him I love snakes and have one at home (I do; a king snake) but that I wasn't ready to pet a rattler yet. Bacon spotted the snake the same time the snake spotted her and it whirred it's tiny tail to let her know it meant business. I called Bacon off and leashed her immediately and thanked the kids and hurried home. As I was nearing my apartment, it dawned on me that in all the time I used to hike dogs in the canyons of LA, I never saw a rattler. One canyon in particular was infamous for a group of coppers that are a beautiful breed and I had always wanted to see them, but never got the chance. It made me laugh to think that of course the first rattler I see in LA doesn't come from the canyons, but from underneath a Pocho's hat in Mac Arthur park. I live in a wild place. I love it here and when I'm not bogged down with too much work and I get a chance to hang out on the street here, I remember how much.