Iguana Edition

     I've always loved pet shops ever since I can remember. When I was a little guy and my Dad worked at Falstaff there was a pet store named Andy's not far from the brewery. We went there from time to time and I really liked it. As soon as you open the door there's a rush of warm air and all these sounds, the parrots screeching and talking, the bubbling water in the fish tanks, a chattering monkey and maybe some yipping puppies. The heat lights over the reptiles, rats , mice and hamsters either sleeping or scurrying about with their noses twitching picking up all the smells of the menagerie.
 
    My folks bought me a little turtle there with a little plastic bowl with a little plastic palm tree in the middle. I always felt sorry for the turtle, trapped in this little dinner plate sized prison on  top of my dresser. If I didn't win a goldfish at the county fair in the coin toss game, we bought some little goldfish at Andy's, " Now remember Bobby, don't over feed them".

    So flash forward to 1966. We had moved from Tahoe back to San Jose for a brief stay but quickly decided to return to the Lake . My folks buy a small motel across the highway from the old Echo motel, the Alta Vista . Nice place with only 12 units plus it's on the "right" side of the highway, the side where the incoming traffic from Echo Summit streams in.

    There's a new pet shop in town, it's in the building that now is occupied by Izzy's Burgers. I ride my bike down there to check it out and although small, they've got a lot of animals in there including a small leopard in a chicken wire cage. So I'm looking around and I spot something cool, an Iguana! Not real big mind you , maybe a foot long and most of that is his tail. I have the money for the lizard and a little book on it's care and feeding but the lady doesn't have a container for me to put it in. I hop on my bike to head home to get a box or one of my empty aquariums left vacant from the dearly departed previous tenant.  On a hunch I stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken and explain my plight to the lady working there . She sympathizes and gives me a big new empty KFC bucket. I pedal back to the pet shop and buy the lizard and name him the Colonel after Col. Sanders.

     The Colonel is doing fine in his new home. He's eating well and doesn't mind being handled. He looks like a miniature green dinosaur or dragon. Being a big fan of science fiction /monster movies , the Col. makes for a great pet. He clings to my fore arm and turns his little reptilian head from side to side, blinking and sticking his tongue out. He's way cool!

      One day I come home from school and my Mom is all worked up. "Bobby your Iguana got out of his cage and the cat got into your room". This is definitely not good news. The Col. had gotten out before, once when I woke up he was asleep on my chest.   Another time I found him under the bed. Throw a cat into this and it's not likely the Col. will survive.  I cautiously open the door and can hear the ruckus instantly. The cat and the Col. are under the bed locked in mortal combat!  I moved the bed to separate them but alas, I was too late.  At the the time I got to them it really did look like one of those movies with the Saber Tooth Tiger attacking the dinosaur. I cremated the Col. in our 55 gallon burn barrel at the back of the motel. I miss my little green buddy."Long Live the Colonel"!!

          Take care, Bob