NOTE: To enlarge the photographs, click them.

• Basset Hound, dog breed: Originally bred in Belgium and France, the low-built scent hound is only second to the bloodhound in their sense of smell. Stubborn, intelligent, and independent, the Basset was bred for assisting humans in the tracking of rabbits and deer. Their builds allow for them to move with similar endurance and strength as their larger hound counterparts. Bassets are considered mild at home, and stubborn and enthusiastically independent in the field.

• Doo Dah Parade, an event: The original Doo Dah Parade was held in Pasadena CA in 1978 as an irreverent alternative to the Rose Bowl Parade. The farsical and whimsical nature of the event has been copied in Columbus OH, Ocean City NJ, and Kalamazoo MI. Ocean City’s own Doo Dah Parade started in 1986 as a post-tax season event celebrating humor and comedy.

• Panoramic, (adjective, pan-o-ram-ic): Showing a wide or full view. Comprehensive in scope or range of coverage. A panoramic camera, for example, offers a wider range of view than traditional camera formats.

• Anthropomorphize, (verb, an-thro-po-mor-phize): To attribute human-specific characteristics or behavior to non human species.

• Joy, (noun, joy): A feeling of great pleasure or happiness.

In April while visiting my partner’s family in Ocean City, New Jersey, it just so happened that we were in town during Ocean City’s own Doo Dah Parade. I heard the Basset Hound Waddle was of particular notoriety. Imagine if you will, a hundred plus low profile scent hounds milling their way down a parade stretch. I grabbed my Fuji TX1 panoramic camera and two rolls of Ilford Delta 400, and made my way downtown with Alec.

We arrived at the Ocean City Tabernacle’s lawn to the sight of hundreds of Basset Hounds, with a few other breeds and mutts opting to march alongside them. Prestigious scent hound with a history of stedfast strength and endurance in the field? These truths were hardly on my mind as I indulged in the collective anthropomorphizing of the four legged parade marchers.

The nose is still king however, and the Basset is a scent hound. Even when festooned with spider costumes, flowers, and pajamas by doting owners, I observed untold noses attempting to track on the route instead of pressing forward with the people.

The parade began and so did the Basset Waddle. The pack of hounds and other canine compatriots descended onto Asbury Ave.

In a world of terrible ills and problems, Doo Dah parades are a balm. It’s a day to let the joy in and allow whimsy and humor to guide the moment. I hope these photographs brought you a little joy, too!