While walking through Victoria Park, in downtown London, Ontario, I caught sight of this dog sleeping at the feet of its owner. I crawled under the park bench for the picture but I worried pooch would awaken and be upset having a camera tight in its face. There was no need to be concerned. This dog was out and I didn't have to explain myself to a curious pooch. Now, explaining myself to a curious owner, that was another matter.
No matter what you think of skateboarders prowling downtown London for challenges, skateboarders are cool daredevils. I rode a skateboard, once. I started at the top of a hill and rode the borrowed skateboard to the bottom, where a low-hanging rope blocked my way. The skateboard went under the rope, I jumped and went over, landing with numerous stumbling, forward-lurching steps; I wasn't cool.
In Victoria Park checking out the Caliente Festival Hispano, I saw this gentleman strolling through the park with a beautiful Blue and Gold Macaw (Ara Ararauna) perched on his arm. These incredible parrots are found wild in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America. Very trainable and quite intelligent, these birds are considered by many to be the most beautiful of all parrot species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classes these birds as of least concern for, except in Trinidad, they are still plentiful in the wild.
Some of the cool things about living 
in London, Ontario, are the multitude of summer festivals. This weekend saw the Caliente Festival Hispano in downtown's Victoria Park.
