Life Outside The Tub

Many times in the past I have been asked what Ardy the rubber duck’s purpose in life is. You know…deep questions like…. “What is WITH the…Duck?

What is with duck? Easy. It’s obviously all about the VIP parking privileges!

OK, so it wasn’t ALL about the parking! It all started because of a “duck-umentary” I planned for Ardy to star in called “Life Outside The Tub” when I was traveling around Europe in 2004. But unfortunately my video camera was stolen on a train in Italy so I resorted to still shots.

I realized quickly Ardy was quite photogenic! He always seemed to nail the glamour shots, unlike me circa 1994.

Although I have enjoyed taking pictures of Ardy at landmarks and pit stops anywhere I travel…(here he is taking a dip in the Trevi Fountain in Rome)…

…it’s been even more enjoyable capturing moments with people holding Ardy. It’s weird how a rubber duck can simply bring out a childlike aura in people. For example, at the Florence train station I came across a grumpy train station employee who worked at the luggage storage area. I had some time to kill before my train left for Vienna and wanted to walk around the city one more time but I didn’t want to lug around my backpack. I saw the storage place at the station and decided to store the backpack while I ambled around the city for the day.

To pass the time standing in line to check my bag, I noticed how disgruntled the man was as he was checking all the bags. He seemed to be having a miserable day as he was cursing under his breath in Italian. As I got closer to the front of the line I decided to throw him for a loop and hand him Ardy instead of my bag.

It was a risk but I felt it was well worth it.

When my turn came to check my bag, he motioned me forward and I handed him Ardy leaving my bag on the ground. With Ardy in his hand, I watched his face turn from angry to confused to happy within four seconds. Suddenly he was talking to the duck as if nobody else was watching. He was smiling and trying to tell me something in Italian. Of course I didn’t understand what he was saying so an Italian woman standing behind me translated his words. She told me he was saying that the duck reminded him of bath time as a kid and how his father always gave him ducks for his birthday.

I was obsessed.

As the man continued gazing at Ardy, I took out my video camera and filmed the moment. For that man, it was as if nothing else mattered for 30 seconds. He was all about the duck. Unfortunately, that footage was in the camera when it was stolen nine hours later.

But that’s life and at least they didn’t steal Ardy, right?

I just hope that somewhere out there an some person is enjoying the footage as much as I enjoyed filming it.

So in light of Ardy’s birthday, I decided to post some shots of him with some Intense Individuals he has encountered over the past couple years. If you want more info on Ardy’s birth you can go read a previous post HERE.

The shots:

With a Czech Children’s Choir in Prague.