666 TX
Seattle this time. I watched a lot of Frasier and I really liked the show. I’ve been to this town a few times and despite the belief that it rains here all the time, it has only rained on me twice. Today was bright and sunny, so I decided to take License Plate for a walk. This is always her favorite part of our travels. Something new to see, a new smell to pick up, and as always, a dog park to play in while I talk with the other owners. Man, I can’t imagine what this journey would be like without her.
So while she was wrestling with a black lab and a golden retriever that seemed to have some hip displacement, I went to the little vendor selling human and canine treats. I bought her some new treat, I’m sure they were nowhere as good as the tofu ones she loves, and got a soda for myself. I then sat down at one of the tables and struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to me.
He seemed decent enough. He had an Alaskan malamute running around trying to get a sniff of License Plate. She wasn’t having any of it. But we started talking. I told him I was just passing through and asked him if there were any sights I should see before he left. He gave me some suggestions and asked if I was in town for business. This was a bit odd, because I don’t know too many people who bring their pets with them on those trips, but I explained to him that basically wherever I go, I’m on business. Unfortunately he thought this meant that I was a drug dealer and asked me, subtly, if I could hook him up with some weed. I told him no.
So after some more questions and me not wanting to really get in to too many details with him, I told him that I had noticed a really nice church on my walk toward to park. He said it was some old one that had been rebuilt, but was pretty nice inside. At this point I was just making idle conversation and not trying to get into a discussion of religious, but he went on to give me a suggestion about something I should see in town. He recommended that I go for a ride on the “end of the world” taxi. Apparently its plate is 666 TX.
The driver really has embraced his role. He has bibles and rosaries for sale in the back seat. Pictures of the apocalypse are all around the side walls and cover most of the plastic divider between driver and passenger. Oddly enough, for a taxi that has 666 as its number, I was informed there are no pictures of the devil. Tyson, the fellow dog owner, explained this to me. He also let me know that he had driven a little devil in the corner of one of the apocalypse images and that he felt like he was making a contribution to the truth. With that I smiled and nodded. Searched for License Plate in the crowd of dogs and headed out. If you’re in Seattle, avoid Tyson, but try to find that taxi. It sounds interesting.