Maggie in Venice

La Boutique del Gelato is one of the best-known gelato shops in Venice, and with good reason: Its Italian ice cream is first-rate. In the picture above, Maggie watches from across the street as Durant stands in line to buy two coni at La Boutique. (Maggie later received the bottom portion of a half-eaten cone--minus the gelato--as a reward for her patience.)

A few doors away, a large dog went looking for its own treat at Crazy Pizza, which sells pies by the slice. The dog, which wasn't on a leash, walked into the pizza shop, put its paws up on the counter, and made eye contact with the surprised pizza chef. Unfortunately for the dog, its owner dashed into the shop and retrieved her pet before it could cadge a snack.

Am I being overly sensitive, or am I right in thinking that the family photo taken above looks a little creepy? (It was taken by a kindly passerby who saw us trying to snap a self-portrait on the steps of Santa Maria della Salute.) 

Somehow I can't help thinking that the picture makes Cheryl and me look as if we were displaying the head of a canine John the Baptist. 

At least Maggie is smiling. Maybe she and the nice lady who took the picture were enjoying a practical joke at our expense?

    -- Durant Imboden

There's nothing like a nuzzle or a pat from a namesake to make a dog's day. The young woman fondling Maggie in the photo above was also named Maggie. (If only Maggie Smith would visit Venice, she and our Maggie could exchange autographs.)