The Cartman of Venice

The Cartman of Venice, 2011

You take pictures for a lot of reasons. Some are deadly serious. Some have stories. Some are just beautiful. And some, like this picture of a plush toy version of Eric Cartman, the rudest of the potty-mouthed scamps of South Park, you take because they strike you as being so funny at the time that you hope they’ll give someone else a chuckle when they see them.

I happened on this scene while walking along the canals in Venice, California. Famous people live here. Multi-million dollar houses nestle along side of…well, other multi-million dollar homes. It’s not a neighborhood for the likes of most of us unless you bought in decades ago when the canals were swampy and the housing less chic. Today, though, it’s mostly one-percenters, I expect. When someone opens a garage door as you walk by you’re more likely to see a vintage Bentley than a VW Beetle.

Most of the houses that line the canals of Venice reflect a laid back air of affluence. Some are a little showier than others. But nobody has a lot of room and most try to maximize their privacy.

They’re not without whimsy, too, some of them. But Cartman?

As I said, sometimes you see something that gives you a chuckle. I hope this did it for you.