WALL-E The Movie

Suzy, Stephan and I went to see WALL-E yesterday afternoon. First off let me say, I don't know how Pixar has hit after hit. They are amazing! But enough about Pixar and the movie for now. I want to set the stage for our little movie outing. We went to the 4:40 showing. I don't usually go to the movies during daylight but made an exception for this movie. I thought it would be less crowded. Actually, the theater was only 3/4s of the way full so we had a good seat selection. We were quite surprise at the number of kids that were at the showing. I don't know why we would be surprised because it is a "kids" movie. The ages of kids were between 2 years old and teens. I was really amazed at how well behaved the kids were. I didn't hear any screaming, crying or talking. Of course it could be because I was so engrossed in the movie but I don't think so. Speaking of the movie. I thought it was another brilliant use of animation. It is really a movie that entertains both kids and adult. The animation is up to the same high standards of the previous Pixar movies and the plot was excellent. The story takes place in the future (700 years later) and describes what earth and the human race is like at that time. It subtly shows us how our minds & bodies have changed (evolved is not the right word as that implies positive changes). There is also a love story that Suzy and Stephan thought was unnecessary but I liked. It is between WALL-E and EVA (another machine). The interesting thing to me was that they were more human like than the humans. WALL-E maintains the bridge between what humans had been and what they have become. I will buy this for my movie collection once it comes out on DVD.



Today, I headed back to the beach. I met up with Eddie and Susan (see picture to the right). They own Sasa (a Sara puppy from the second litter) and Anise. Kate also joined us. She owns Jasper (another Sara puppy from the second litter. The weather was on the cool side but from my perspective it is perfect for the dogs especially at this time of the year with the heat and rattlesnakes out at my neck of the woods. Dixy was her usual self. She found every abandoned tennis ball and had me throw it almost non-stop for three hours. I felt like I was going to need Tommy John surgery near the end so thankfully Eddie took over for me. Dixy would play this game until my arm fell off and then she would bring the ball to someone else. She is non-stop until she stops. Amazing. Grady (picture below) is like a pesky little brother. Always trying to get Dixy to pay attention to him. Even if that means taking Dixy's tennis ball just because he can. He did that quite often today. Colvin is the other dog pictured below. She is going to be 11 at the end of July. She holds up really well on these walks. She loves them And I think she would be miserable if she was not allowed to come.

Updates and Thoughts

Since I didn't have any adventures today I thought I would just add a few thoughts and photos to the blog today. So here goes...

As I have gotten older, I have come to realize how important having meaningful relationships in my life are. I am fortunate enough to have some really great folks in my life. My sister Maris is one of them. Hard to believe since we were so different when we were growing up. Now she is one of my closest friend. How cool is that?!! The photo to the right was taken while we were on a hike in Morgan Territory a couple weeks ago. She is with her husband Charlie who always takes me on great hikes during my Christmas visits.

I will periodically "highlight" my buddies throughout these postings.

Favorite Television shows-CSI (original) almost makes me want to become a CSI except for all the death. I watch it all the time. I also have had a blast watching "What Not to Wear". It has helped me with my fashion sense.

Music I am currently listening to-I really enjoy Gnarls Barkley. It really picks up my energy level.

Updates and Thoughts

I feel very fortunate to have some really fabulous people in my life. As I

grow older, I realize how important it is to allow myself to get close to people. I have included a couple of photos of some of the people who mean so much to me. To the far right are my sister Maris and her hubby Charlie. The picture was taken on a hike in Morgan Territory. It is the first hike I have been able to take him on in long, long time. Charlie usually exposes me to a wonderful hike on my somewhat annual Christmas trip.

To the immediate right are my friends Suzy & Stephan. They are originally from Switzerland and our my primary movie buddies. I have known them for 10 years. We met at a dog show when they were looking for a vizsla and found out we have much more in common than our love for our red dogs. I have grow to love these folks very much.

Obviously, there are other meaningful folks in my life who I will showcase periodically. Hopefully none of you feel slighted.

This picture of Sara was taken on June 7th. She won her veteran's class and was handled by my dear friend Walter. She is also a fabulous pet and I am thrilled to have her be part of my life.

Walter is also one of my field training buddies. He and is wife Sue have been a pleasure to get to know. BTW, Sue makes a fabulous tuna salad. Sara is my first show dog and she has done really well.

To the right is a picture of Sara (mom), Grady (son) and Sasa (daughter). Sara and her gets won the Brood Bitch class at our Specialty. I was pretty proud as the competition was fierce. The handlers (from L to R) were Walter, Kevin, and Susan.

There are a lot of fires around the bay area right now. The causes seem to be primarily due to lightening. It is really smokey outside. The fires seem to be so close although I know they are many, many miles away. One thing the fires seem to be doing is keeping the outside temperatures down. I guess it is a side benefit but it doesn't seem so when you consider the damage done to folk's property. We are bound to have a busy fire because of how dry our spring was.

Fort Funston again

Okay, it is hard to believe how different the weather was today from yesterday. As you can see from the photos, it was a lot grayer yesterday. I knew it was going to be a little cooler but it was 25 degrees cooler. I started to worry a little as we were getting closer. I had on a pair of thin shorts and a short sleeve shirt. brrrrr. Fortunately I found a fleece shirt that I had stowed away in the car. Not much but at least it had long sleeves. It was great weather for the dogs though. They were quite frisky. Another almost three hours at the beach and they are content again.

On a completely different note. Anyone see any of those retrospective shows on VH1. VH1 started a limited series of the 80s called "I Love the 80s". Each show is an hour long and showcases one year in the decade. For some reason I really enjoy the shows. Sometimes the shows will make me nostalgic and other times I can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the fads, fashions, music, and movies. They also have a series on the seventies. I enjoy that one for the same reasons. Watch it sometimes. You too may get a good chuckle.

Fort Funston June 21st, 2008

Well it was 108 degrees in Antioch yesterday and it was suppose to be hotter today so I knew it was going to be a beach day. We (Sara, Colvin, Dixy, Grady, and I) left the house at 7:00 am. When we arrived at Fort Funston, it was already 79 degrees. Quite warm for Funston at anytime but even more so that early in the am. It was gorgeous though. The tide was low so there was plenty of beach for us to walk on.

When we first arrive at the beach, we were greeted by a rotting shark carcass. The dogs were thrilled and wondered what goddess thought so much of them that she would leave them such a gift. I, on the other hand, was horrified knowing how much my dogs love to roll in dead carcass and the lingering them that would end up in my car if I didn't prevent their fun. Fortunately, I was able to intervene and move them on. For those of you who haven't had the "pleasure" of smelling this odor, it is harder to remove than skunk spray. For those who do know the "pleasure", you can imagine how fast I moved to prevent it. Once we moved from the carcass, the dogs ran for all over while I searched for sea glass. I found a pocketful which has been added to my jar.

We spent a couple of hours at the beach and then headed home to the heat. All the pups are sleeping as I type, content with their dog life. Sometimes I am envious. :-)

Above is a picture of Dixy's head, Sara and Grady overlooking the water, and a random handglider.