Travel Tips

I am not sure where my obsession with the character of Muttley came from and neither am I sure that I really want to investigate where or why! However over the past 5 years I have accumulated a number of soft toy Muttleys, all of whom have names and who have been invested with various personality traits. And who, on occasions, have accompanied my husband and myself on various trips. As I am writing this I know how strange it must sound so please don't run away as I am, in most other respects, a fairly normal, average person! It has just amused us to take photos of them in different locations. And I have to admit it has also amused fellow travellers as they've witnessed us trying to wrestle a recalcitrant soft toy into a position so that we can take its photo!

Anyway, here are a few of our "Muttleys on Tour" photos, which I hope might make you smile.

The above picture was our first ?Muttleys on Tour" photo and is, probably, my favourite. Not only because Prague is one of my favourite cities (this was on our first visit there) but because all the elements of the photo, through pure accident rather than design, came together so well. It really looks like Muttley is some kind of vampiric pigeon hunter. Complete with cape (in reality Steve?s camera case, positioned so Muttley would sit up and not fall backwards) and fangs presiding over his own Gothic landscape, the wonderful Prague skyline. Thus ?Muttley: Count of Prague? was christened! I remember really laughing at this photo when I first saw it and it still makes me smile now.

I like photos where Muttley is not necessarily the focal point but looks more like he has wondered into them or that he is dwarfed by the rest of the subject matter in the picture. A sort of "Big Picture: Small Muttley? scenario.
This photo has an element of that but it is more a tribute to a friend of ours, and people like him, who point at whatever is in the photo with them. You know what I mean! We?ve all had pictures taken of us standing in front of a famous monument or place - I?ve got loads of them! Me at the Pyramids, me at the Great Wall of China, me outside Gracelands etc.! And normally I have adopted a rather dopey ?I-can?t-believe-I?m-here-but-I-am? smile on my face. Now our friend has a different kind of approach. He?s not smiling, rather he looks extremely serious, and his arm is outstretched and hand pointing at whatever monuments is behind him or above him or whatever! I just love the idea that people who do that seem somehow afraid that the viewer might miss whatever is in the photo with them, such as a 137.5 metre high Pyramid or the Stature of Liberty, so they feel they have to point it out! I sometimes wonder ,if they get married
will they point at their bride/bridegroom in the same way!
Actually that sounds more horrible that I meant it too. I don?t mean for it to sound like some kine of horrible criticism . Indeed I don't intend any kind of criticism at all (someone who takes Muttley's on holiday with them should not, proverbially, throw stones!) it just amuses me.
Anyway, Muttleys don?t point very well but here is Baby Muttley ?pointing out? Casey Jones? engine.