OLYMPIA -- The popular but somewhat salacious geoduck ice sculpture that adorned the oyster table at Wednesday night's Inaugural Ball reception found a new home, and a new friend.

Seen here with it's new "main squeeze" a Capitol fire plug, the two were captured by paparazzi as they waited to cross the street in front of the Governor's Mansion. Considering neither is very mobile, and temperatures are below freezing in Olympia, they are likely to both be there for a while. 

They are an unlikely couple. Friends of the fire hydrant say it was the real thing, and love at first sight. Those who know the ice sculpture, though, describe it as cold hearted and always disappears when a relationship heats up.

Some have even questioned if the ice sculpture was really just a horse clam masquerading as a more elegant and sought-after geoduck. But a close examination of the bivalve -- and we won't get too deeply into details here -- confirm that for any faults it may have, it is, in fact a geoduck.

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