Red Dawn Vizslas

Early Mornings, Dogs, Nature

2010-05-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful to have the dogs in my life. I love getting up early in the morning and heading out for a walk with them. The early mornings are full of life other than humans. This time of the year is particularly true. There were so many birds chirping, singing, and calling. It felt like on was in a nature show. So beautiful and calming. We even saw a female wild turkey. It was fantastic.

Grady and Retrieving

2010-05-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Although Grady has always been a natural retriever, he likes to take his time picking the darn birds up. Once he does, he has always brought the bird right to my hand. The delay at the senior hunter level isn't as much of a problem. At the master level, well that's a different story. With the next hunt tests 6 weeks away, I have decided to work on cleaning this up. Today we started our "take it, hold, give it" training. It went pretty well. Strange how he and Dixy are so different in how they take to training. No matter, hopefully we can clean the retrieve up in both of them in time to be ready for the last 8 hunt tests of the year. Grady seemed to have a good start today.

Came to My Senses

2010-05-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

After watching "The Biggest Loser" final four run a marathon (yes a marathon!) weighing in at between 200 to 313 pounds, I was truly inspired. That night, I decided I would walk/run a marathon. Well, after coming down from my over zealousness, I realized that was probably a bit over-ambitious with the shape my knees are in. I have toned it down and have decided a half-marathon is in order. So on November 10, my friend Suzy and I will be run/walking a half marathon in Big Sur. I have a training guide, my new shoes (crazy about all the choices) and my mileage tracker. If things go well, maybe an actual marathon will be in the works for next year.

Let the training begin!

One Master Hunter Leg down...Nine to Go

2010-05-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, another weekend of dog field events has passed. Grady and Dixy were both entered in the master hunt tests. I was anxious to see how they both would do. It was Grady's third and fourth try and Dixy's first and second try. Grady did a great job on Saturday. He got through cleanly. He found three birds and stood through all. I was thrilled. His first master leg earned. Dixy had an awesome run on Saturday but broke on her honor. She stopped beautifully, the problem was that she broke when the other dog's bird was shot. Damn, she never breaks. But it wouldn't have mattered, she didn't retrieve to hand. After the runs, I took Dixy out and she retrieved every tossed bird to me. Go figure.

Sunday was another day and another attempt with both. The weather was not ideal. It was really windy and the birds were everywhere. Dixy was the second brace in. Again, nice run. She found a back course bird and stood rock solid. Great! We get into the bird field and she goes on point. She is steady, steady, steady. Gunners come up, the bird is flushed, bird is shot. What, is that Dixy. Damn, again with the leaving. So uncharacteristic, maybe it's time to take a break with her. Okay, well we still have Grady. Maybe we can get a second pass on him. Not this day. He too broke. All I can do is shake my head. The training grounds are closed in June. We will take a break and enjoy some hiking and walks at the beach.

Dixy Take a Fourth Place in Amatuer Gun Dog

2010-05-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

I should begin this story with what happened last night. I went to some friends for dinner and when I got home there was, what at one time was full, an almost empty ten pound bag of dog cookies. I couldn't tell which one of the pups was the culprit. I always assume it is Sara. So I go about my business thinking there could be multiple awakenings during the night for doggy walks. Well, to my surprise, it did not happen. I got the dogs up early to feed, water and walk before Dixy's run. Everyone had eaten and gone for their potty walks. No problems, digestive tracts seemed to be normal. A few hours later, I am preparing for Dixy's run. The main goal was to get through cleanly with her. I take her to the starting line and, let's just say it wasn't pretty. I now know who ate the bulk if not all the cookies. I am thinking, this may not work out so well. To my surprise, Dixy did a wonderful job on her bird work. She was steady as a rock. Now I am under no illusions that Dixy is a field champion in the making but do enjoy the occasional run with the field trial fanatics. I always enjoy the way Dixy runs even if it she isn't a huge running dog. I go about my business knowing Dixy did a good job but also knowing there are 17 days entered and many of them multiple placement winners. After all the dogs in the stake had finished running only 7 came through cleanly. Now this is where the roller coaster of emotions begins. Before knowing this, I was content with the performance not expecting a call back. The judges sent word there were 4 dogs called back. Dixy wasn't one of them. Okay, expected that but a little disappointed none-the-less. I gather my dogs to take them for a run. I head out about a mile from the call back location. I am just about ready to set off in the fields with the dogs when the chairman of the events comes up and informs me Dixy was selected as an alternate. I was happy to be recognize (it is 5th out of 17 dogs) but don't expect the first four to not be selected. I watched the performances of the first two dogs. They do excellent. Looks like we will just be honored to be the alternate. The third dog goes into the ring. The bird flies away, gunners shoot, gunners miss. The handler doesn't realize the bird wasn't shot and sends the dog for the retrieve. Not a good idea. There is no bird. No bird, no retrieve, no ribbon. Okay, looks like Dixy is going for a ribbon. The fourth dog does a decent job. Now it is Dixy's turn. She finds the bird, she points the bird. I try to make the bird fly, not happening. I chased the bird all over, looking ridiculous along the way. The bird runs, and runs, and runs. Dixy is rock solid. Finally the gunners shoot the bird on the ground. It is about 70 feet away. I am thinking, here is where our hard retrieving training will come in. Well, it didn't go as plan. I was crushed. She did retrieve it to me but not as cleanly as she had been and she needed coaxing. I left the field thinking we blew our chance at a ribbon. I again took the dogs for a walk. It was short. I went back to the clubhouse and much to my surprise, we were presented with a ribbon. Crazy.

Back from another Training Weekend

2010-05-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

I headed out to Hastings Island with dogs in tow on Friday afternoon. There was just enough time to run the dogs before the fields would close. Along the way, the dogs pointed six chukar and a cat. You read that right, a cat. I had no idea the dogs were pointing a cat so I went to work it like they were pointing a bird. When I got there, I found no bird. When I looked down, to my surprise there was a cowering cat. Before I could rescue the poor soul, it broke to a full out run. Unfortunately, the dogs gave chance. Before I knew it, the cat was in a bush. Dixy decided to stick her nose into it and when she came out, her nose was a shredded mess. At least the cat was fine. What in the world a cat was doing in the middle of a hunting preserve is a mystery. I could understand ferals but this was definitely not a feral cat. It had beautiful markings.

Saturday we set out for a true training session. The goal was to work with Dixy and Grady. I have entered both of them in a hunt test May 22nd and 23rd. And as is with all dogs, they each have their own weaknesses which makes for interesting training sessions. Nothing is ever boring. Dixy was the first in line for training. My friend Walter help me out by simulating the shooting of the bird. I wanted Dixy to stand through the flight of the bird as well as the shot. As you can see from the picture below, she passed the test. This is one of Dixy's strong suits. Yeah! We will deal with her weakness (retrieving) later.

Now on to Grady. Unlike Dixy, Grady has some problems in this area. Let's just say, he gets a little anxious when he sees the bird fly away. He has been know to leave a wee bit early. Fine for senior hunter but not so much for master. No matter, we will work on it. At least on this day, he did fine.

Now back to working on Dixy's weakness. We have been diligently working on this at home, in the field, more at home, and more in the field in hopes of having her retrieve the bird to my hand in the Master Level Hunt test. Below are a few videos of our progression on Saturday and Sunday. Still some work to do but we have made a tremendous amount of progress. Below is our starting video.

We did this a total of ten times before quickly. She loves to please as you can see from the progression.

Finally, our last retrieve was an unbridled success as you can see from her happy demeanor of bringing the bird back to me with her head up and tail wagging.

Oh how the little successes keep us coming back for more.

Another Weekend at Hastings Island

2010-05-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

For the 4th weekend in a row, off to Hastings Island with camera and bird training equipment in hand. All this before June when the island is closed for a month. Although we are not entered in any of the events this weekend, we will be off training, training, and then more training with Dixy and Grady. I hope to see some improved results in our practice sessions. The other lucky dogs get to run and just have fun. I also hope to be able to take some photos of my friends in the field.

Training, Training, Training

2010-05-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well I took the plunge and entered Dixy in her first Master Hunt test on the 22nd and 23rd of May. I have been working diligently with her retrieving and she seems to have finally gotten it. I had really struggled to get her to retrieve the bird to hand but it appears we may have gotten over that hump. I am excited. Love Dixy and her spirit and drive. I am happy to feel I will finally have the opportunity to take her to that next level.

Another Successful VCNC Walking Field Trial

2010-05-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

The sunsets on another Vizsla Club of Northern California Walking Field Trial. The dogs and I headed out on Wednesday afternoon and arrived home on Sunday evening. I really enjoy the camaraderie of this event and the dogs think they are in heaven. People come from all over the state and even from outside to participate. The location was beautiful. It got a little warm by midday but not so much for the dogs to run in. Besides it is at an island so we were surrounded by water. Although my dogs didn't place this year, I was happy with how they worked in the field and the partnership we have. Below is a little video of some of the sights at the event.

A Sure Sign it is Spring Time

2010-04-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

Aside from the massive amounts of wildflowers because of the rain, another sure sign is the fact that the coyotes are very active. I took the dogs for a walk early this morning and about 25 minutes into the walk, there one was behind us. Normally I don't really worry about them because they usually warn you they are around by yipping. Not so today. This coyote was in stealth mode and it was until Sara was alerted that I turned and saw the coyote about 25 feet behind us. It was pretty bold. The dogs chased it off but the darn thing came right back. Finally after the second time the dogs chased it off it remain gone. We walked about another 1/2 mile and I noticed the way the dogs were walking with me (they encircled me) that something was odd. I turned around and there was another coyote trailing about 25 feet behind us. Again, very stealthily. I was a little shaken but thought it was interesting the way the pups protected me. I just find it a little odd that the coyotes are being so bold when the water and food is plentiful after this rainy season. Time to go back on the look out.

The Trials and Tribulations of a Hunt Test With Grady

2010-04-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Prep work-We practice, we praise, and we practice some more. We think he is ready. He does what he is suppose to in practice. We work diligently to prepare him for the next level. Everything works as planned. Okay then, let's enter that Master Level test and see where we are.

The Day of the Test-We are up early. Feeding the dog. Taking then out for their bathroom break. Do I have the blank gun loaded? Water for the dogs in vest? My nerves are on edge. What will he do today? Can't eat...oh well, after.

At the Line-The moment of truth is about to come. Did the training really sink in? Will he mess up the other dog? Will soon find out.

They Are Off-The brace has begun. The dogs are on there own now. Training, corrections, opportunities are gone. It's up to them. Just don't let me screw things up.

Fifteen Minutes In-So far, looking good. Found a back course bird. Grady handled it great. No problems. Maybe this will be our day.

Into the Bird Field-Bracemate goes on point. Grady gets his honor. Things are looking good. Again I think, maybe this will be our day. My fingers are crossed. All I need is for Grady to stand through the shot and not go until I tell him. Can he do it. Okay, he is on point. We shall soon see. He's holding. I work the bird....bird flies away...gunners shoot...Grady stays through the shot....wait no, there he goes. He left on the downward trajectory of the bird...AARGH!! At least he retrieved the bird to my hand. We need to find another bird so our bracemate can get an honor. Well, he found another bird. Will he hold this time...quick answer no. Again, I can only say at least he retrieved to hand.

Postscript-You think you have trained the behavior you want in your dog but they are beings too. Apparently they have minds of there own too. Oh well, back to the training drawing board.

Great Weekend

2010-04-18T21:17:00.001-07:00

What a great weekend. I went out on Thursday and just got back today. I was able to get multiple days of training in AND enjoy our annual VCNC Fun Field day. What a great turnout we had. People seemed to have a blast. I also entered Grady in his first Master level hunt test. No pass but mostly because of my ineptitude in the handling arena. No worries though, he is young and enjoys the work.

The above picture is my friend Mary's dog "Retro". He had just come out of the field and was cooling himself off in the tub.

2010-04-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Our annual Vizsla Club of Northern California Fun Field Day is going to be held on Saturday. Looking forward to it. Trying to prepare for the upcoming Field Trials and Hunt Tests. I really enjoy the Fun Field day. It's a laid back way to practice with the dogs and hang out with others who like to do the same thing. The dogs think it is doggy Disneyland. I don't tell them any different.

Writing

2010-04-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

Funny thing about writing, it takes practice. When I first started thing blog, I felt like words flew off my fingers. It was nothing for me to have at least one entry a day. Then, for some reason, I stopped. Don't know why but getting back into it has been more difficult than I thought. Seems like I got caught up in the whole facebook thing. It's a lot easier to type a few words into the status bar and move on. But what I realized is, facebook is like fast food, convenient, easy, and filling but has not substance. At least writing on a blog feels more like I have to think about what I am doing or saying. Regardless if any one is reading, it feels better and more useful to me. In some ways therapeutic.

San Francisco Photo Shoot

2010-04-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day. A group of us went into the city and shot pictures of the graffetti art, mostly in the Mission District. It is truly amazing how much graffetti art (stressing art) there is. Apparently most of this is very well know. We were also fortunate enough to be at a place where there was a Ceasar Chavez parade. The above is a photo show of some of the pictures taken.

Grizzley Island Hunt Test Weekend

2009-03-02T15:09:00.001-08:00

With all the depressing news that's out there, it's great to have my canine companions to realize what is important. Having fun can be so simple really. I am grateful to have them in my life to remind me.

Okay, enough of that. This last weekend I entered Sasa, Grady, and Duna in a hunt test. Sasa doesn't have her junior hunter title yet. She was too busy getting her conformation championship. Now that that is finished, I wanted to get the junior hunter title too. Sasa is from my second breeding of Mik and Sara. I don't own Sasa. She is owned by Eddie and Susan. Susan gets a little nervous in the field so she asked me to handle her which I gladly did. It is always fun to watch these guys do what they were bred to do. Amazing really...Sasa didn't disappoint. Our biggest fear was that she would make a mad dash back to her people. Thankfully, she is comfortable enough with me (and in love with finding birds) that she stayed with me. She is very birdy and hunted liked a champ. She passed both days with good scores. Two more passes and a new junior hunter will be added to the Red Dawn Clan. Both boys also had really good runs. They both have their junior hunter titles but aren't quite ready for the next level. But given how well they both did, they are not far off.

Above are a picture of Eddie and Sasa, Walter and Rusty (friends of the Red Dawn Clan) and the pups on a run after the test.

Baseball-America's Past Time-What a Sad Statement

2009-02-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

I remember as a kid, watching ballgames with my grandfather. What a time that was. The game seemed to have an innocence about it. It reminded me of summertime and playing catch with my friends. Now what do we think about when the word baseball comes up? Steroids, tainted records, and frauds. Now don't get me wrong. I am not naive enough to think that the stars of yesteryear were saints. Baseball players mirrored society as a whole. They ranged the whole spectrum. Today's baseball players (probably can be stated about all pro athletes) represented all that is bad about our society; greed, cheating, and selfishness. There was probably some of this decades ago but because the money is so great now, there are more kids (and kids' parents) who want to make it big like there favorite stars and will do whatever it takes to make it. What kind of role models are these guys? I know, many of these athletes say they don't want to or shouldn't be considered role models. They are right. But if they truly don't want to be role models, then don't sell your jerseys or likeness. Hearing that Alex Rodriguez took steroids was the final straw for me. As far as I am concern, none of these guys are clean. All I know is that I am angry that these guys (owners, management, and players) took some of my fondest childhood memories away from me. Greedy bastards, I wash my hands of you!

Grizzley Island Wildlife Preserve

2009-02-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

Grizzley Island Wildlife Preserve is made up of approximately 84,000 acres. It is the largest continuous estuary in the U.S. It is a beautiful place that where you can see all kinds of wildlife. It is also a place that allows the dogs to run and their owners to bird train them. Today, I took the opportunity to do just that. I was to meet friends of mine at 10 to work on training Grady for his next level of hunt test. I actually got out there at about 8:30 this morning to run the dogs a bit before hand. While we were out there, we saw a group of Tule Elk (they are a protected species) and the above pictures series are the show Dixy reaction when she first notices them.

It was interesting to watch these animals. In the top picture, you can see that there is one elk in particular that appears to be the head guy. We they took off after, he stayed back to make sure we weren't going to come any closer. Nature is really an interesting thing. Something I wasn't aware of, these animals lose their antlers. The dogs found one on the way back. It was huge and heavy. If the dogs had their way, they would have used it as a chew bone.

After all the running and treasure finding, we started our bird training. Below are a couple of pictures of Grady on point. As you can see from the second picture, I was a bit of a distance away from him. He held until I got there. All-in-all, his training day went pretty well.

Also, all-in-all, it was another great day in the bay/delta area.

Devoted to Our Canine Companions

2009-02-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

It's has been a while since I have posted anything. Perhaps because I have been lazy or lacking in anything meaningful to say. Today, however, I felt compelled to write because I was saddened by a story I read about a woman losing her beloved dog, Paco. After reading the story, I was moved by the obvious devotion this woman had to her dog and the devastating pain she is feeling from losing him. I don't even know this woman but do know that I would like her a lot because of the love she exhibited to Paco. So devoted and loving in fact that she named her business after him and he is the image on her website. One thing I can say, I gave extra hugs to each of my pups and realized how grateful I am that they are in my life. The thing about pups is that they love you unconditionally. I love that about them. They are safe creatures to give love to because you know they won't take advantage of it. We truly are lucky to have them in our world. And I hope when the day comes that I lose one of mine, I can reflect on all the good things they brought me.

Hard to Believe it is Winter

2009-01-18T11:38:00.001-08:00

Here it is, January 18th, and the weather is like a spring day. It was a little cool when we first went out (arrived at 7:30) but nothing like it should be for a winter day. By the time we left, it was sunny and 61 degrees. It felt like a spring day. I love this weather but can't help but worry about why it is this nice. We desperately need rain and are way behind our normal rainfall totals for this time of the year. January and February are supposed to be our rainy months. I don't think we have had more than half an inch during this time. This is the second year in a row. If we don't get some soon, it will be water rationing time. Oh well, in the short term, I will just have to enjoy it.

Another Industry's Hand is Out for the Bail Out

2009-01-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

I was reading through the CNN website and saw the headline, Porn industry seeks federal bailout. The first thing I did was check to see that I was not diverted to another website such as "the Onion.com". Nope, I was at CNN alright. So the next thing I did was read the article. No way this could be serious. I wanted to see what the joke was. Well, the joke was on me (or us taxpayers). Larry Flint (Hustler) and Joe Francis (Girls Gone Wild videos) were trying to make the case of how important the porn industry actually is to the US and of course they should be bailed out. That made me doubt the article that much more. How could they actually go to Congress with a straight face and ask for the money. Then it occurred to me...they have to have pictures on many of the members. How else could they possibly bring this up? Further commentary by Campbell Brown said it best, Leave it to Joe Francis and Larry Flynt to show the absurdity of the bailout. Let me just say this, if they get it, I am going next. I would require far less to get me through this tough time and once I am through it, I will be a strong contributor to the economy again.

Did My Civic Duty-Jury Summons Has Been Completed

2009-01-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

So today I fulfilled my civic duty by standing by for jury duty all day. This is only the second time I have been summoned since living in California (1991). Was not selected to even sit in the box to be questioned but did get to sit in the courtroom watching the jury selection process. Quite interesting really. Not only the questions asked of each potential juror but also the variety of folks who are summoned. The group was definitely a microcosm of society as a whole. Some of the folks really impressed me with there thoughtfulness and their desire to do the right thing. These folks seemed to truly want to do the right thing and give the individual a fair trial. Then, of course, there was the folks on the other end of the spectrum. I would hate to have any of these folks sitting on any jury that would be judging me. Fortunately, the folks that probably didn't represent the best and the brightest were excused by the attorneys. It really was an interesting process. Wow....

7:30am...37 degrees..Yea, Let's Go to the Beach!

2009-01-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

Everyone else was busy today so it was the dogs and me off for a walk. I am an early bird. I was up and out of the house by 6:20am. It was cold here in Antioch. The thermometer read 33 degrees. Brrr! I could not find my gloves anywhere. No worries, my mind said. It will be much warmer at the beach. Well you can see from the title of the post, not by much. But I am stubborn. We went on the walk anyway (I got no resistance from the dogs by the way.). The tide was going out so plenty of shore to walk on. I couldn't imagine getting caught in the tide today. It actually was a beautiful day. The sky was clear, the sun did not hit the water directly so the lighting was soft. I had the chuckit and tennis ball knowing Dixy would pester me the whole way if I hadn't brought it so there was plenty of ball throwing and Dixy running. Unusual, I know. Dixy does have the occasional dilemna. She asks herself, am I a tennis ball chaser or a bird dog. The above picture shows her trying to sort this question out. She is focused on the birds but hasn't quite committed to the task and still has the ball in her home.

Finally, instinct takes over. She drops the ball and it is off to chase the birds. I do believe she chased these birds for a good half mile before she returned. But not before she picked of the tennis ball from where she left it.I took this picture of the seagull because I really like how the bird was perched on the rock and the rock was surrounded by water. The bird was able to soak up the sun yet was set away from the dogs.
Here you can see Grady was not as deterred by the water as the bird my have thought. He is doing his best at sneaking up on the bird.

In addition to all this, I was able to find a bunch of really cool sea glass. Not only did I find great shapes but I also found some really cool, unusual colors. Again, it was another of those days where I am just so grateful to be in the bay area.

Grady STINKS!

2009-01-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

Went on a 6 mile hike today with Tanya and her dog Malbec. Within the first quarter of a mile, Grady found the most disgusting stuff to roll in. He covered the entire half top and sides of his back. I could smell him from 100 feet away. Anyone who has met Grady knows what a forcefully affection dog he is so after he rolled in whatever it was, he regularly attempted to get hugs and pets from both Tanya and me. It was a chore to keep him off. I had hoped by him running through the tall, wet grass it would take some of the stuff off. Well if it did, it didn't make much of a difference. Halfway through the walk we came to a water trough. So I picked him up and threw him in. It barely made a dent in the smell. Once we finished the walk, I pulled a gallon of water out of the truck, poured it on him, and then attempted to towel dry it off him. Again, helped a little but not enough. Finally got home and washed him with soap and water. Can you believe the scent is STILL lingering on him. Wow...I don't know how he can be in his own body. I guess it smells good to him. :-)

Another Win for the Duna Man

2008-12-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well here I am again sending a big congratulations to Christine and John Vermes again. Duna won for the third day in a row. He looked fantastic out there with his handler. What a striking picture they make. Duna now stands at 13 points, two shy of his championship. It is a shame there aren't more shows in the very near future. You hate to stop the momentum. Anyways, this little guy will be finished in no time. Then it is time to let do what he does best, be that wonderful companion animal.

Below are a few pictures from the day.

Grady (front) and Duna (back) in the ring competing.
Christine and Duna celebrating the win.
Duna in Mom's lap. Jean (his handler) giving Duna that thumbs up look.

Red Dawn Duna What a Good Boy Am I Wins for the Second Day in a Row

2008-12-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

Duna is a gentle little soul who is packaged in an almost Champion body. Today was another great day for him and his owners, Christine and John Vermes. Not only did he win Winner's Dog and Best of Winners but he also took Best Opposite Sex over a finished champion giving him another 2 points towards his championship. Now he is at 11 and counting. Four more to go my little peanut. Woo Hoo!!

A Good Day-Beginning To End

2008-12-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

First off, I need to give credit to Ann for taking the vast majority of the pictures in the photoshow. You will see that the photos are mostly a day in the life of our dogs, with a couple of us humans and how we get to be a part of their simple little world. Hopefully, it will give you the sense of just how easy they are to please. Maybe we can learn a little from them. I know that I always feel a little freer and a little more at peace during the times I am out with them.

Okay, now for the tale of the day. It started out great with Red Dawn Duna What a Good Boy Am I winning another point towards his championship. We are all very excited about that and look forward to a celebration when he is done. After the dog show, we all headed for the beach where we could give the little guy the best present we could think of, a romp with all his extended doggy family. The tide was high but we found a nice secluded spot that provided us with enough room to walk without getting overtaken. Of course, the dogs don't worry about those sorts of silly things. We spent a couple of hours there and really got the pups tired out, which was a good things since there was more fun ahead for the humans. After the long day at the show and then the beach, it was off to Kate and Jeff's for a fabulous evening of good food shared with good friends. What more could we want in life?

Tough Times...Living at the Beach (Seriously)

2008-12-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

Today I took the pups back to Fort Funston. We arrived at 7 am. It was just us today. The purpose for this post is not to talk about the beach walk (although it was truly lovely) but to remind me how lucky I am to have a home, job and nourishment. When we were on our walk yesterday, we came upon a fir tree that was decorated with obviously hand-made ornaments. About 50 feet away was an encampment with a tent and fire pit. I remember thinking that the sight of this tree and the tent was somewhat bittersweet. I had intended to mention it on my blog entry yesterday but got caught up in my own life's minutia and didn't. So today, while we were on our walk, I was reminded of this again because there was a fire going which I presume was to keep these folks warm. I had heard that the tent was where a family was staying. Well, obviously the parents wanted to give the kids a somewhat normal Christmas by decorating a tree for them. I was touched by that as well as somewhat saddened. I can't imagine how hard it must be to be a parent, have your family be homeless and still try to make Christmas "normal". I sure wish there was a way that everyone could have what they needed. Naive...I know.

Christmas Day-Brrrr (By California Standards)

2008-12-25T15:48:00.000-08:00

When I arrived at Ft Funston for the walk, I sky was full of clouds, the wind was gusting at above 50mph and the rain was coming down. Oh, and it felt about 30 degrees. I may have backed out had I not driven an hour and had 5 very active dogs in need of some exercise. I was there a good hour before the others were to arrive so when the rain and wind subsided a bit, I headed out with the dogs for a pre-walk. Well, thankfully, the rain and wind stopped and the sun actually came out. The dogs and I walk about 45 minutes then headed back to meet up with the others. Wouldn't you know it, the wind and rain kicked up again. Man, was it a biting cold wind. And me without any gloves. None-the-less, we were all up for the challenge (or ready to tired out the dogs) and walked anyway. Fortunately, I know the area like the back of my hand and we walked on a trail that sheltered us from the wind. After about 15 minutes, the rain stopped and the sun came back out. We walked for another hour and a half without another storm. It was a great walk with great people and sweet canines. What a life.

I Can't Get Enough of the Beach

2008-12-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

So my sister is visiting and we decided to meet Christine at the beach. When we left Antioch, it was 38 degrees so we bundle up expecting it to be even colder at the ocean. As you can see from the picture, it was a gorgeous day. I was amazed. By the time we were finished with our walk, it was 63 degrees. Perfect beach walking weather. These are the times I really appreciate living in California.

Flat Pam Visits Meets Her Co-workers Face-to-Face

2008-12-19T14:42:00.001-08:00

Well Flat Pam finally had an opportunity to not only be in St Louis Missouri but also mean her co-workers who, until this point, had only been voices on a phone. Whoo Hoo to that. The following are some of the photos taken on the trip.

The above picture is Staci who has been Flat Pam's Hostess for sometime now. She is proudly showing Flat Pam her 5 year anniversary award. Cudos to you Staci!
Looks like Staci has another award, right along side the Dilbert cartoons. Excellent! Apparently, they also have artwork in St Louis. This made my flat self very happy. I love artwork and love Van Gough.

Here, Flat Pam is being framed by the famous Arch. Why is it here...never understood that. None-the-less, very cool. One more famous American tourist sight I can check off my list to see.
Here I am back in the office. Someone's office over looks the Mississippi River. Not a bad view at all.
Flat Pam was exploring and almost got lost in all the vegetation in Staci's office. Thank goodness for survival skills.
It seems that my 2d self just can't stay out of the Christmas trees. What's up with that?

Ah...two of the famed team, Linda and Cheryl. Hmmmm...that stocking Flat Pam is in fits great...AS a sleeping bag. I guess that is a good thing. Looks like it is cold in St Louis.

Back to Staci's office....She has a lot of manuals...Flat Pam better take in as much as she can. She will need to transfer that information to me.

Here my 2d self is with Dave and Cheryl. There is the old Courthouse in the background. Another nice view from the offices.

Jana and Linda are holding me up. Thanks guys...Flat Pam is exhausted after the whirlwind day in the office.
It was a day filled with new adventures and people. I am sure Staci was exhausted too. Thankfully her sister Shelley drove us back to Waterloo.

Thanks a bunch for the great adventure. It is nice to put faces to the voices.

With All the Bad News...Thank Goodness For Pups and Parks

2008-12-16T17:37:00.001-08:00

There has been a lot of bad news lately and I just learned that many of my friends from a previous company have been laid off. A horrible time of the year to lose a job normally but particularly hard given what is going on in the economy. I felt a bit bummed out and realized how grateful I am to have good friends, wonderful sisters, loving pups and parks to walk in. Going on a hike always picks up my spirits a bit so I am glad to have the dogs because it forces me to get out there everyday. Even days like this where it is drizzling, foggy and cold. There is a beauty in this weather as well. Below is a picture of the hills covered in clouds. If it was clear you would be able to see the snow that had fallen.

Here is a picture of Dixy waiting patiently (not!) for me to throw the tennis ball. Her joy in the simplest things makes me envy her.More cloud covered hills.

The dogs running up the side of the hill, hoping to catch the birds that were constantly taunting them. No such luck (for the dogs at least. The birds were very lucky)

I hope that I can maintain a positive attitude through this mess of an economy. I hope that I can be a positive support to my friends who need it. I hope I can continue to be grateful for all that I have and not worry about what may be on the horizon.

More Flat Pam Adventures

2008-12-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

I have been wondering way I haven't been around the blog for awhile. Now I know. I have been in the St Louis area (in my 2d self). Staci and her family were kind enough to show me some mid-west hospitality and allowed me to participate in their holiday revelry. Apparently I got a little out of hand in the beginning and climbed up their Christmas tree. I wanted them to feel what it was like to have a cat in the house I guess. Actually, I wanted my picture taken next to the Rd Sox ornament. Go Sox!

Staci was able to coax me down from the tree by offering me a nice cup of hot chocolate. As you can see, there were a lot of marshmallows.

It's no wonder that when I went to climb back up the tree, I could only get as far as the nativity scene. I was praying to not be so stuffed and then to be able to breath again.

Once I was able to move again, I got into more trouble and attempted to knock down the Mark McGuire baseballs. But I was nabbed before I could complete the task.Joshua was good enough to entertain me by reading Flat Stanley to me. As you can see from my face, I enjoyed it very much.

Finally, I met up with someone my size. We passed the time until he melted. It was toasty in the house.

Thanks Staci and family for a wonderful visit during the holidays. I love Christmas decorated houses.

P.S. Love the orange pants. :-)

Oh No I didn't...

2008-12-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Oh yes I did.

Grady is wondering what the heck Dixy has on her head. It's an elf hat and ears my dear boy. Little does he know...It won't be long until he has his own head ornament.

Here he is with with his reindeer ears. Heck, between the two of them, we have the start of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer cast. Dixy would play Herbie the elf wanna be dentist and Grady as Rudolph.
As you can see by the above picture, Dixy is none to happy with this situation. Shortly after the photo was taken, she hid under the table. That is until....

Colvin had her turn as a Christmas Carol extra.

Oh, the holidays. :-)

Another East Bay Regional Park Hike-Briones

2008-12-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

Briones Regional Park is another in the East Bay Regional Park system. The land in this park is from what use to be a Ranch, a 13,316 acre ranch. I am not sure how many miles of trails there are in this particular park but suffice it to say there are enough for the dogs and me to get our exercise and then some. This ranch has a little different landscape than Black Diamond and Morgan Territory. It is much more full of knotted oak trees. It is much cooler here than the others because of the shade. Beautiful none the less. As usual, the dogs had all kinds of fun. They love going to a new place. They take such pleasure in the simplest things like new smells. I don't know how they do it. Wish I could be a little more like them. Our walk was relatively short as it gets dark so early now. I walked about 3 miles. Of course, because the dogs were excited by the new place, they probably doubled my distance. They have been fed and are now all cozy in their doggy sleeping bags.

What I know...

2008-12-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Facebook can be very time-consuming.

Early Morning Beach Walk

2008-12-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today has been a very busy day. Went to the beach early in the morning. Started the walk at 7am. The tide levels were just perfect. The tide was going out so we had a lot of beach to walk on. We walk south today. Because there was so much beach, we were able to walk for miles. I love walkingin that direction. At a certain point the beach is almost pristine. No one ever walks there. It is very peaceful. I was not going to put up these pictures because it seems I am always putting tbeach pictures up. However, I think they are different enough because it is in a different area. I hope that you all can see what I mean by pristine. After the beach walk, I went to the Vizsla Club of Northern California's holiday party. It was a lot of fun too. Now I am tired and full.

News That Makes Me Pause...

2008-12-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

Then just irked me.

-Okay please need to get over the fact that Barack Obama won the election. There are several suits that have been filed arguing that Obama is not a natural born citizen (he was born in the US) and therefore can't be sworn in as president. Can I just say to all you folks out there trying to argue this point...."He won the election fair and square! Get over it and get on with your lives"!

-Here's a CNN headline for you, "Seductive mom gets son's juror to 'fess up ". Seems this mother went to extraordinary lengths to save her son from prison even though he was convicted of ordering the killing of a 19 year old boy. She gave herself an extreme makeover and hit on one of the jurors for a number of months until she was able to get the desired information from him. Too bad she didn't put that much energy into keeping her son out of gangs.

-And another CNN headline reads "Commentary: Pregnant woman asks for help, gets ticket". Apparently there was a major traffic jam on the road the pregnant woman took to get to the hospital. Her contractions were three minutes apart so they drove on the breakdown lane until they met up with a state trooper who they asked for help. Instead of helping them he humiliated the woman by questioning if she was really pregnant and them made her proved it. On top of that, he gave them a ticket and didn't help them get to the hospital. In order to keep my language clean let me just say this, What an Idiot!

And my last bit of disturbing news for the day...

-"Craigslist baby sitter used tot in porn film". I am not even going to go into the story. The headline is disturbing enough.

Sometimes I have to wonder...what is wrong with us?!

Looking Forward to Seeing "Milk"

2008-12-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

Tonight I will be seeing the movie "Milk" with Suzy & Stephan. I have been looking forward to this movie for a long time. Harvey Milk and George Moscone being murdered by Dan White was a tragedy. I saw the documentary "The Life and Times of Harvey Milk" many years ago. I hope the movie does his life justice. I will give my review once I have seen it.

Another Great Day at the Beach

2008-11-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

Another great day at the beach. Here it is November 29th and it is clear, sunny and 65 degrees. Beautiful day! Above is a picture of Dixy intently watching the geese fly by.

Sara surveying the beach.

A random guy with his dogs, wakeboarding.

I have enjoyed my vacation immensely. Unfortunately it is over and I am back to work tomorrow. Oh well, more time off at Christmas time.

Black Diamond Hike-The Day After Turkey Day

2008-11-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

Nothing like hiking (I mean really hiking) a couple days in a row. Today Susan, Eddie, and I took the dogs for a hike in Black Diamond. It was great hiking weather again. There was a lot of fog for most of the hike but it wasn't too cold. I know I have put pictures of this park out before but these pictures were taken on a different hike than the previous areas. Our hike was about 6.25 miles of up and down landscape. It was the first time Eddie and Susan had been on these trails and they were quite impressed. I am fortunate to live 10 minutes away so am here often. It is nice to take new people here to see their excitement at the views. It helps me to not take my good fortune for granted.

As with yesterday's hike, I am pleasantly tired and will sleep well again tonight. The doggies are also tired and are resting in their doggy sleeping bags. I could do this everyday and not get tired of it.

Thanksgiving Day-2008

2008-11-27T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well, another Thanksgiving has been spent enjoying a hike and meal with friends. I can't think of a nicer way to spend it. Today Christine, John, Suzy, Stephan and I took the dogs to Morgan Territory Regional Park for a nice hike. We all arrived at about 9:30 to complete an approximately 6 mile hike. As you will be able to tell from the little photo show, there was quite a bit of clouds at the start of the hike. This is wonderful because it helps to keep all the hikers and dogs cool. It certainly did that for the dogs. They ran non-stop. We are really lucky to have places like this to hike with the dogs. They are much happier creatures with the right amount of exercise. Although the hike was long, the company was wonderful. Conversation flowed about numerous subjects. I had a great time. We had planned on having our Thanksgiving meal at the park after the hike. Once we got to the vehicles, we pulled out the food-cornish hens, potato salad, green salad, and a wonderful carrot/leek soup. There is nothing more satisfying after a long hike than a hearty meal. Boy, did we have that...hmmm. Christine was gracious enough to make a wonderful vegan pumpkin dessert. Very tasty!!

So now that the hike and meal is over, the blog entry is complete, I can go and take a little nap. What a satisfying day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!

Flashes of Childhood-Gumby

2008-11-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

I was at the store picking up dog food and what do I see...a Gumby figure. I couldn't really imagine this as a dog toy. Actually I thought it was a pretty silly idea for a dog toy. But I loved Gumby. Not the show but the figures. I had them as I was growing up. Gumby and Pokey...how funny. So I bought him. When I was bike-riding competitively, many of the cyclist had Gumby figures as riding companions. I don't know that today's kids would like them but they brought me back to a simpler time. Now I just need to figure out where to put him.

More Random Thoughts

2008-11-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

Well, it certainly has been awhile since the last post. Seems I've been busy but not with anything particularly interesting or funny. But...leave it to our American ingenuity to provide me with a topic to talk about. For those of you who have seen Wall-E the movie, you may know where I am coming from. A big premise of the movie was that the human race had gotten so into technology that over time, we became blobs floating along on electronic lounge chairs. Well, we may be moving closer and closer to that reality. Listening to radio news station, I heard a story that Domino's is working with TIVO to enable folks to place orders through the TIVO box. We won't even have to get up to get the phone. All I can say is...GET UP AND MOVE. If we don't use those muscles we will lose them. Seriously, isn't this a little bit scary?

This next item is more of an annoyance. I was watching a commercial where a young man was proposing to his girlfriend. Of course, they showed him on bent knee with the open ring box. As I was watching, I couldn't help but look at his hands. His fingernails were dirty. How did the ad agency not notice that. I realize that in real life that may happen BUT companies spend a lot of money on ads. Shouldn't the agency have caught that?

Random Observations

2008-11-17T16:06:00.001-08:00

Not too much to say today with the exception of a few random observations and thoughts. So without further adieu, here goes:

-Listening to the radio today I heard an ad for a company selling giant teddy bears, stuffed rabbits, you named it. You can even have a personalized t-shirt made. The final question the ad asks, "wouldn't you love a teddy bear taller than an NBA basketball player?". Ummm...no I would not.

-Also heard on the radio that the polar bears are so hungry they are eating each other. Thankfully though, Sarah Palin informed us there really is not any man made problems with the environment. I guess they have always eaten themselves.

-Looking out at the park outside my office window, I noticed a woman practicing her line dancing steps. The question my friend Staci asked..."is it really line dancing when it's a line of one.". Excellent question Staci.

-While taking a lunch time walk, I notice a commotion. There were five or six men holding down another man while they waited for the police. The held down man was screaming bloody murder. Apparently, he had just robbed some tourists. It was quite reminiscent of the show "Cops". Just goes to show, big cities don't just have high profile crimes.

-Can someone please tell how "Forbes" magazine can publish an article the "Hollywood's Most Influential Infants"? How in the world are these infants influential? And if they are...Shame on us!

Okay, before I get on to things that really peeve me, I will end this post. Whoo...feel a Little better now.

Grady and Colvin

2008-11-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

Grady seems to have really become attached to Colvin. He always wants to be near her. The really sweet thing is that Colvin is perfectly fine with him in her space. Normally, this is Colvin's chair. Grady jumped up into it with her and it didn't seem to bother her a bit. She is a wonderful old girl.

Sasa-The Tree Climbing Vizsla Part 2

2008-11-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Continuing to show her tree climbing prowess, Sara shows us how easy it is. Then she proceeds to walk down the narrowest part of the tree. This picture was taken right before she slipped off. As you can see, her brothers are very interested and amazed at what she is doing.

Hard to Believe It Is November 15th

2008-11-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

Well we were off to the beach again today. Not that unusual I know but it was 80 degrees at the beach today. That's unheard of for this time of the year. Of course it was beautiful but I can't help but think there truly are some greenhouse gas issues going on. Oh well, I enjoy the day and continue to try and reduce my carbon footprint. Anyways, below are a series of pictures showing the dogs stalking and chasing the seabirds. Funny thing is, I think the birds enjoy taunting them. They know there is no way the dogs will catch them.

I do love watching these guys run. I love their energy and athleticism. Wish I could get some. :-)

Red Dawn Mr Fritz-Super Showing at Nationals

2008-11-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

Another Sara puppy struts his stuff. Red Dawn Mr Fritz had quite a showing at the Vizsla Nationals in Tucson AZ. There were a total 164 entries and he last to the final cut of twelve or 13 dogs. Pretty amazing for a dog under three years old. He was more than ably handled by Cheryl Krajcar.

Grady-Truly the King of the Pride

2008-11-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

I always think Grady is the bottom of the totem pole in the household but I think he is smarter than I give him credit for. In this picture, he is letting Colvin clean him. It reminds me of Lions in a pride. It was sweet.

Monday Morning...And A Vacation Day

2008-11-10T06:13:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that I have decided to take a vacation day today. Tomorrow is a bank holiday so I decided to take the day off and extend the weekend to four days. I can't tell you how nice it was last night to know I was going to work today. I love long weekends. Truth be told, I would love to be retired. There are so many fun things I could fill my days with. Unfortunately, that may not happen as soon as I like with the way the stock market and economy is going. Hey...maybe a can will the lottery. It could happen. :-)

Flat Pam Sighting

2008-11-09T17:44:00.001-08:00

After her flight on Prairie Flyer's rocket, we all she was lost somewhere in Colorado but no...

Here she is in the wheel of a 747 in a Florida airport. She must have caught on as it was passing on her rocket flight. Funny, she lost her spacesuit and really flattened out to the point of looking like a sheet of paper.Once the plane landed, she made her way up from the wheel to the engine of the plane. Thank goodness the engine wasn't on. She would be shredded Pam.She made it from the engine to the ramp. Apparently she has designs to get into the plane. Our similarities ended at resemblance because I avoid going in a plane at all costs. Not so Flat Pam. She fancies herself as a pilot. What is she thinking. The altitude from the rocket ride must have effected her. Obviously that is impossible. She has only been on this earth for a couple of months. There is no way she could possibly have the require flight hours to get her pilot license.

Finally, someone convinced her to fly in the passenger area where she belongs and leave the flying to the professionals.

Dixy the Tired Dog

2008-11-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

This doesn't happen very often but today it did. After a couple of hours on the beach of non-stop tennis ball fetching, Dixy was exhausted. Of course, like a little kid, she fought it all the way.Dixy-"I am just relaxing."Dixy-"I'm not tired. Really. I am just having trouble keeping this eye open"Dixy-"Oh why fight it?"

To the Beach...Where Else?

2008-11-09T16:41:00.001-08:00

For a celebration of our good fortunes this weekend (like I need an excuse) we went to the beach. I was an absolutely perfect day. It was crystal clear but had the bite of autumn air. The tide was even right. I love days at the beach like that. I was one of the days that I felt like I could walk for hours. The really amazing thing is that there was not a lot of people there. Always okay with me. I enjoy the tranquility.

We took a different path than we normally take to get to the beach today. It was pretty secluded. The above picture was taken on that path. I love the sentiment. I wish it was more in the open. Certainly a message that should not be hidden.

As you can see, lots of shore. And of course, what would a day at the beach be if Dixy didn't have a tennis ball.

I love how foamy the water is. The tide would come in and the sea form would skitter across the shore. It was fun to watch.

Red Dawn Duna What a Good Boy Am I Takes His Turn.

2008-11-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

Well the Red Dawn Kennel had another great day. Today, Duna got his second major (3 points) in style. He took Best of Breed. Duna was shown by Jean Hargis who he seems to have a nice bond with. Duna was nicknamed Peanut when the litter was here. He has always been a very sweet and thoughtful boy. I am really happy for owners John and Christine who have given him a loving home and every opportunity to excel. WOO HOO!

Red Dawn Grady's All Wound Up JH Wins!!

2008-11-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

I am happy to say that Grady won Winner's Dog at the show Woo Hoo! It was a three point major. He just needs two more points to be a finished champion. I was thrilled as you can imagine. Below are a few pictures from the show today.

Stephanie with Grady and Erin with Jasper (Grady's brother)

Stephanie taking Grady around the ring.

Stephanie preparing Grady for the judge to go over him.

Grady standing for the judge and doing it well.

The judge moving Grady up to the head of the class.

Trying to Escape

2008-11-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in my office, playing free video games and doing whatever I can to avoid the election coverage. I can't stand it anymore and don't want to see a bit of it. If I could, I would sleep until tomorrow, when the results would be known and I could either mourn the state of our nation and our dashed hopes or could celebrate the possibilities of getting things back on track. I know that this is cryptic but that is how I want it to be.

Currently, all the pups are in the office with me. Each are in their sleeping bags and Colvin is snoring. Why can't we be as carefree as them? I love that about dogs. They are eternally optimistic and have such low expectations. We could learn a lot from them.

Flat Pam Has Her Own Adventure Courtesy of Prairie Flyer

2008-11-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

After Flat Tony experience his rocket ride in Colorado, courtesy of Dale. His blog is at the following address http://prairieflounder.wordpress.com/. Since he was orchestrating the thrill ride, I will let him tell the story.

Well Pam, your ride into the sunny Sky's of Northern Colorado didn't go so well.

First problem I encountered was an issue with Capt Danger; he just didn't want to share his rocket or capsule. I even tried to appeal to his vanity and tell him that if Flat Pam the Stunt Woman didn't fly in the stunt monkey rocket she would go up in a larger more power full rocket, and test a altimeter! This appeal didn't work. He took his capsule and left to visit some relatives in Florida, I think he is secretly volunteering to work for the Obama campaign, but I won't hold it against him, he is a good monkey just a bit willful at times.

Anyway I happen to have an extra I 366 Cessoroni motor that would work just fine in my Yin/Yang rocket that I build for Mile High Mayhem. I also had an altimeter to test, so it was off to the prairie to test out the new configuration. I debated whether or not to put Pam inside the vehicle or taped to the outside. I created a suit for her with a helmet, and even a parachute for protection in case the tape didn't work (Flat Tony can attest to this) The reason she didn't ride inside is that there is no capsule, and she would have to ride with the ejection charges (Black powder) so friction from wind won out over exploding flaming death. She is after all made of paper.
Yin Yang is an excellent test bed for altimeters; it's fast, tough, and can easily handle any 38mm motor. So out to the pad we went, I had everything set up and ready to launch, the altimeter was armed, and Pam was securely taped to the side of the rocket. I went back to a safe distance and the launch control officer counted down from five. Whoosh, up she went into the sky, a very impressive launch. It was when the rocket disappeared from sight that it occurred to me that the paper and tape on the outside of the rocket probably won't be able to withstand the aerodynamic forces. I run computer simulations on all my rockets to ensure they are stable and safe to fly. This rocket, with the motor I installed, was simulated to exceed 400mph and achieve approximately a mile in altitude above ground level. Hope Pam packed her own parachute! The search for Yin/Yang while short was quite a walk. It was a long way away but visible due to the brightly colored parachute. When I came upon the rocket the altimeter showed a peak altitude of 5438'AGL which was right on with the simulation. Now the bad news, apparently Flat Pam didn't make it back to the ground with the rocket. The only thing still attached to the rocket was her glove. No, I checked, and there was not a hand inside. So the search was on, here is a photo of the recovery area. The search was eventually abandoned at dusk due to a lack of visibility and a lack of volunteers. Also due to a large and angry population of rattlesnakes that seem to be everywhere, people were just not willing to risk their lives in search of a paper figure with a missing glove. (Go figure)
I am sure flat Pam will be just fine, we will be back next week for an EX launch. I bet it was a wild ride, and I bet her parachute worked just fine, otherwise we would have found her close to the launch pad.
Way to go Pam no guts no glory!
-PF

Thanks for a fabulous trip! I am sure Flat Pam (wherever she is) is still grinning ear to ear (unless she's dead) from the thrill of going a mile in the air at 400mph. WOW! That is fast.

Colvin-Still Playful At Over 11

2008-11-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

Even at a little over 11 years old, Colvin has a little spunk to her and still wants the tennis ball tossed so she can chase it. Unfortunately for her, there is no way she can out run Dixy so she never has a chance. What I usually end up doing is pretending to toss the ball in one direction which sends Dixy running like a bat out of hell and then lobbing the ball in the opposite direction so that Colvin can trot over and pick it up. I can usually do this about 4 or 5 times before Dixy catches on. Then she waits until she actually sees the ball leave my hands. Until that time though, Colvin is in her little piece of heaven acting like a puppy again. It is very sweet.

Below are a few pictures of Colvin with the tennis ball.

Back to the Tide Chart

2008-11-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

So when we got to the beach today, the tide was higher than I had anticipated. Not to worry though, I brought my Muck shoes. I figured my feet wouldn't get wet and all would be good. We walked along for an hour or so and all was going as usual. Dixy was chasing tennis balls, Grady was pestering Dixy, Sara was trying to get Grady to chase her, and Colvin was enjoying her leisurely walk. I was so focused on watching Dixy and Grady run up and down the sides of the cliffs chasing after the tennis ball that I completely lost track of where the tide was. With my back to the water and my eyes on the cliff, I was suddenly overcome with ocean up to 15 inches on my legs. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) the muck shoes do little good if the water goes into them. So I proceeded to walk another 45 minutes back to the car with squishy, soaking wet pants socks and shoes. All in 57 degree weather...Good times. :-)

Is it Daylight Savings of Not?

2008-11-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

I can never figure out when it is called daylight savings. Can't we just say moving the clock forward or backward? Anyways that is another issue. I had been planning a trip to the beach today (I know...a shocker) and read in the tide chart that low tide was at 7:19am. So I got up at 5:30 so I could feed the dogs, drink some coffee and get to the beach by low tide. Well, I decided to check my email (thankfully) and saw that the computer clock said 4:30. I thought...why is the computer clock off...it is suppose to be automatic. Finally, it dawned on me (would you be quick at that time of the day), the clocks were turned back. How come I didn't know?! I missed my extra hour of sleep...darn it!

Halloween and Sneaky Sara

2008-10-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get all the Halloween candy in a bowl, preparing for the trick or treaters. I had to run to the back of the house and when I came back, this.

Of course I knew who it had to be....Sara. It always is in these instances.

She is really quite sneak. Her she is saying "What, I don't see any candy...Hey how that get there?". Oh Sara, you sneaky girl you. How do you find it?

Another funny little Halloween story. I a group of siblings from 3 to 11 came to the door. I gave each of them some candy. They ran down the the sidewalk to their parents. Two of them came back, the 11 and 3 year old, to ask about the dogs. Next thing I know, the 3 year old is taking candy from the bowl. I think she has been secretly taking lessons from Sara on candy thievery. It was funny.

The Onion-Obama's Presidential Internship

2008-10-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many of you are familiar with the Onion but it is a satirical newspaper that is apparently now doing videos for youtube. I have been so bothered by the nonsense that is the run up to the election that I decided I would try to find things that were funny yet not nasty. found this and thought it was good. So I am sharing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU1QxIIb0JU

I really want to say, I am really disheartened by how nasty we are becoming to each other in this country. It is really not what the country was built on. Yet here we are, acting as though we are not one country. I believe that if we don't start working together that we will blow ourselves apart. People need to grow up, listen to each other and find common ground. If we don't, we may find ourselves going the way of the Roman Empire.

Learning About Sarah Palin

2008-10-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

Because we are getting so close to the election, I thought it was my duty to bring please a couple to chuckles. I know I need them because I am darn tired of this stuff and can't wait for it to be over. So here's to getting mavericky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liaaiyXPIyk

I will be searching for more fun stuff up through the election.

Morgan Territory Regional Preserve

2008-10-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

I took some friends and the dogs for a hike at Morgan Territory Regional Preserve today. Morgan Territory is another park in the East Bay Regional Park District that allows for off-leash dog walking plus is a beautiful place to walk. This park is approximately 30 miles South of Antioch and is even less developed than Black Diamond. There are approximately 4700 acres of land with many miles of trails. We hiked 5.75 miles through a variety of scenery, some very open and some very shaded. It is a really beautiful park where the dogs can run their little hearts out, I can get my exercise, and we can all enjoy the natural beauty. I feel really fortunate to live in an area that has as much open space. Especially when you consider just how crowded the bay area is.

Mis-reading The Tide Chart

2008-10-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

As usual, we headed to the beach today for an early morning walk. Last night, I checked the tide chart and thought I read that it would be a fairly low tide and we would have plenty of room to walk the beach for a couple of hours. Well, once we got there, I realized I may not have read it quite right. From the top of the hill, it looked like the tide was pretty high. None-the-less, I decided that it would be alright and the tide wasn't as high as it looked. That would be my wishful thinking mode (some would say stubborn) because when we got to the bottom, there truly was very little beach to walk on. For the dogs, not a problem. They are perfectly happy getting wet or not. I, on the other hand, prefer not to get my feet wet, especially at the very beginning of the walk. What I wanted and what I got were two completely different things. After the long drive though, I was determined to stay out there for a couple of hours. As you will see from the video, there was some areas we could walk along but more that we couldn't (at least not if we wanted to stay dry). Doesn't matter to me really though, when it comes down to it, a bad day at the beach is still better than most days away.

Colvin (the 11 1/2 year old) is very content after the walk. She is snoring...it is sweet.

Okay, off to do the NordicTrac.

Things That People Will Buy

2008-10-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

I went to Barnes & Nobles to look for images of southwestern, US birds and reptiles. While wandering around the store, I spotted this, "Toilets of the World". Don't ask me why, but I just had to have it . I mean who would think of putting together a book of pictures of toilets and their descriptions from around the world. As I was flipping through it, I found an assortment of toilet types. Everything from your basic outhouse to really elaborate hi-tech toilets. There were a few that I just had to share though. More for their really bizarreness. This one moves and shakes. Can you men imagine using this?

Who knows where they got the idea for this one. Kind of reminds me of someone I might see in a Gay Pride Parade.

This one made me feel uncomfortable even thinking about using these toilets. I mean who wants faces staring at you the whole time?

And then there was this one. Frightening on so many levels but funny too.

Anyways wanted to share.

Flat Tony and His 3D Self

2008-10-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

We just received this cool certificate from 3D Tony and his flat self. Thanks Tonys! Although, just being able to participate was much more fun than I could have imagined. It was truly a blast. I hope to continue to read about Flat Tony's adventures worldwide.

Vizlsas on Alert

2008-10-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

I am preparing my dinner and all of a sudden Sara jumps up on the couch, ready to pounce on whatever has dared to enter her backyard. Colvin is trying to figure out what is going on. I walk over to see what it is....leaves. It was windy. Good job Sara. We are safe from the threat of blowing leaves...phew!

The Demise of the Troll Clown

2008-10-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

I think the dogs have been reading the comments on the blog. When I came home today, I found this...

Dixy hovering over the troll clown. At this point, I am not certain whether it is Dixy or Sara who is responsible for this shredding. Of course Sara is saying, "who me?", as she is licking her tongue.Still not sure who is responsible, I assess the damage to the sinister troll clown.

As you can see, he is now empty-headed and hairless. Apparently, the dogs had little patience for his antics and did not want him wreaking havoc on anyone else's life. But still...which one was the ringleader? All of a sudden, it became very clear...

I should have known. Nothing happens without Sara's approval. She is, after all, the queen vizsla of the household.

Apparently Sara took my comments from the previous post to heart. She really punished him. Sorry Staci-he only lasted a day in the house.

The Troll Clown

2008-10-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Something fishy has been going on in my office. For the past couple of weeks, I have had all kinds of phone problems in my office. My phone would ring to nowhere and would be answered by a black hole. No matter who I reported it to, they weren't able to fix it. My frustration was reaching it's limits. I was at my wits end. Then I came into the office and caught him in the act. At first I wasn't sure what he was. I guess he anticipated that, so he added his own little note.

As you can see, he is a devious little creature. He was screwing around with my phone system. He must have tired of toying with me and allowed himself to be caught, figuring he would be free to move on to the next tied-to-technology human. He hadn't expected me to pack him in my bag and take him home to meet...

Sara...

She had decided to make him her own.

So there you are little troll clown, maybe now you will know not to mess with a vizsla owner. We are protected.

Another moral to the story...it's not just the gremlins that will get you.

Another Red Dawn Champion

2008-10-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

Red Dawn Mr Fritz finished his championship today by beating out six other males. He won Winner's Dog and Best of Winner's. This is the second of Sara's puppies to earn their championship this year and the third overall (Dixy being the other). Congratulations to the Hahn Family and Cheryl Krajcar, the handler. We are all very proud.

Duna-The Thoughtful Boy

2008-10-18T20:00:00.003-07:00

Duna is one of Grady's brothers. He is probably the calmest of that entire litter. While the rest of the dogs may be running all around us jumping for water, the tennis ball, or whatever, Duna always seems to rise above it all and calmly evaluates the situation. He has been like this since he was a wee little guy. As his human mom says, "Duna is very strategic". I just say he is a sweetheart.

Fearless Sasa-The Tree Climbing Vizsla

2008-10-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

Just got a couple of pictures of Sasa up in the tree she leaped into. Sasa is Grady's sister. She is the second of Sara's puppies that is a champion and a wild child. Dixy is the other. Anyways, wanted to share the pictures and Susan's (human mom) commentary.

"Here are a couple of pictures the one of Sasa in the tree- she is actually about 20' off the ground in a huge oak tree. If you have a video camera we would like to borrow it- she launches about 6' up to get to the first branch and has no fear running further up the tree. The pictures just don't capture how awesome it is."

The Bailout Explained

2008-10-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

So it has been a few days since my last entry and I was thinking about what I wanted to blog today. Initially I thought I would just let everyone know the mundane things that have been going on. BUT as luck would have it, my friend Staci passed along this gem of a video. It gives me the opportunity to better understand the reasons of how we ended up in this financial mess and how our bailout numbers were derived. You see, it is clear that these leaders of men went to the Ma & Pa Kettle School of Mathematics And we, the uneducated masses, just need to see this little video to understand that the numbers will add up. So...here's to educating as many as possible. Now we can all relax knowing our financial futures are in good hands.

Three Day Weekends-Yeah

2008-10-13T14:41:00.001-07:00

With all the craziness that is in the news, it was nice to have an extra day to recharge the batteries. It was a little difficult to realize how bad of a hit my 401k took. At this rate, I will never be able to retire. That being said, there is not much I can do about it in the short term so what better way to get my mind off everything but a trip to the beach. The weather was perfect. The norm is for September and October to be beautiful in San Francisco. Today it didn't disappoint. The temperature was about 72 degree with an ever so slight breeze. An added bonus was that since it was a holiday that only about a quarter of the population gets off, there were very few people at the beach. It really was relaxing. We were there for a couple of hours. I really envy the way the dogs are so carefree too. I wish I could get some of that feeling. That being said, I did come home feeling a little more serene, realizing that most of what's going on is out of my hands and I can only do what is in front of me. So that is my mantra re-enforced again.

Spenceville Wildlife Area

2008-10-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today Grady was entered in a dog show in Yuba City, CA. It is located about 2 hours NNE of Antioch and where my sister Maris lives. My brother-in-law, Charlie loves to hike as much as me and the dogs so he planned a great hike in the Spenceville Wildlife Area. It is located about 20 miles east of Yuba City. The day was beautiful, about 67 degrees with a nice breeze. The group of hikers included Maris, Charlie, Suragani, me and the dogs. At the beginning of the hike is a pool of water which the dogs enjoyed very much. Once we started out, we walk on a trail that followed a large creek that runs year-round. They were waterfalls along the way. The scenery was really beautiful. There were a lot of Oak trees on golden colored rolling hills. It was really a scenic hike all the way. And our special treat was the large waterfall (about 70 feet) at the end of the trail. It was really a wonderful way to spend the day. I am relaxed and the dogs are pooped. The above photoshow includes some of the images we saw today. I have also included a link to the area. The history is really interesting.

http://www.spenceville.org/

Living in the East Bay of Northern California

2008-10-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about living in the East Bay is that there are literally a dozen parks designated as open space throughout. None of this land can be developed and for anybody who has been to the bay area lately, undeveloped locations are hard to come by. I am fortunate enough to live ten minutes (3 miles) from one of these parks. It is Black Diamond Regional Mine Preserves. Besides the close proximity, it is really a beautiful park with a diverse landscape. On top of that, the dogs are allowed to run free. It's almost like 1000s of acres for my backyard. This particular park has over 65 miles of trails that cover all types of territory. Over the past seven years, I have hike almost every mile with the dogs many, many times. The park looks different at different times of the year. There is a softness to the lighting in the fall that really appeals to me. I added a photoshow of today's hike. These are some of the things we saw during our 3 1/2 mile walk.

Final Gnome Update and Jury Duty Summons

2008-10-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's day ten. I think he has reached his full size. He doesn't seem to be growing anymore. Only fading in color. One of his eyes is crossed too. Let's see if he brings me good luck.

On a completely different note. I went to the mailbox and pick up my mail. What did I receive today...a jury duty summons. First thing I think of is, darn, it will probably be during my Thanksgiving vacation. I open it up, expecting the date to be at least a month away. Yikes!!! It is for TOMORROW. I ask myself, how did that happen. I only have a ton of things to get done by Friday and I have multiple meetings scheduled tomorrow. I would normally request an extension by mailing in the form but it is TOMORROW. There was a number on the form to call but I was skeptical. How often do you call those numbers only to be put on perpetual hold or in an endless automated loop. Much to my surprise, someone answered relatively quickly. Terence was his name. When I told him I received the summons today for jury duty tomorrow, he said SURPRISE! Actually, he was very helpful and moved my jury date to January 5th. Funny thing is, at first I was a little perturbed but then I said to myself, whatever happens happens. There you go...Terence took care of me. Now I get to go to work tomorrow...hmmm, on second thought, maybe I am the loser in this deal.

Beach Story-Light Reflections and a Naked Man

2008-10-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

Wanted to tell another story about our trip to the beach yesterday. First off, I can't remember the last time I went to the beach in the late afternoon. There is something about the light on the water that is special. I tried to capture it in the pictures above. It was high tide when we arrived so there was little beach for the dogs to run on. So the dogs and I walked along the trails in the dunes. Periodically, we would find a spot where we could walk along the beach for awhile. When I couldn't walk on the beach without having the tide come up over my shoes, we would take a path back up to the dune trails for a time until another path led to an area with more open beach. After being back on the beach for awhile, I noticed there was a naked man walking from his set up into the water. He was about 100 yards away from us and I saw him before the dogs (thank goodness). They would have wanted to run up and greet him and that is the last thing I wanted to do. Don't get me wrong, he was harmless. Having lived in the bay area for so long, there are lots of areas where you will see a naked person at certain times of the year but that is expected. The craziest thing...the guy went swimming in the ocean. Do you know how cold that water is? Anyways, I decided to stay up on the dune trails after that. I was still able to see the light reflection on the water and the dogs had a perfectly wonderful time running all over the place.

Dixy's Obsession-Fetching Balls (or anything else that can be tossed)

2008-10-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Dixy is completely obsessed with fetching tennis balls. Doesn't matter what else is going on (except for birds). Today, I forgot the "Chuck It" toy in the car and didn't have a tennis ball to toss either. Dixy stuck by my side for about ten minutes, waiting for me to throw the tennis ball I didn't have. Well, when she finally realized I wasn't trying to hide a ball for her, she set off on her mission to find one for me to throw. The following photos are the sequence of events that ensued.

Dixy proceeded to bring me the first of her finds. As you can see it is in horrible shape. It didn't even have felt on it. No way I can throw it. But I have to try. She is so proud of herself. I threw it were she couldn't find it. Mean, I know, but I really couldn't see trying to throw that for the next hour and a half.

When the other couldn't be found. She replaced it with another. As you can see, this one was in even worse shape. At least it had felt on it. I was able to lose that one too. Again, not gonna throw it for the whole walk.

She searched for a long time hoping to find another, yet better, tennis ball. Didn't happen. But having the need to fetch, she found and brought me this...a golf ball. She is one nutty girl.

Weekend of Dog Shows-Grady's Nightmare

2008-10-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Mom made me do it again. We had to spend another weekend going to the dog shows. I keep expecting for it to be over but it is not. Yuck! I do not like it. Mom says I only need 5 points to finish (whatever that means). I just want us to go out and have fun. I don't much like the Judge going over me part. I always sit down when he checks out my rear end. Wouldn't you?! I mean who really likes that? Mom said I have to let the judges do that or we will never "finish". Yesterday, I sat so when the judge went over me so mom took me to our trainer last night. I guess she is trying to have me get used to it. Mom said I did much better today. I didn't take a step when the judge went over me. Didn't help though. We still didn't win. Oh well, at least a nice dog took the point. I don't like losing to ugly dogs. Mom put together a little show of what we go through at the shows. Look at my ears. See how happy I look? Not!

Well...Why Not....

2008-10-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

He couldn't possibly do anymore damage than those who are already in there. Right? Seriously though, all I could think of when I saw this sign was the cartoon kid with the big head who had a crush on the little red-headed girl AND always had the football picked up by Lucy before he could kick it. If this was you, wouldn't you have change your name to Charles, Chuck, even Fred? Anything other than Charlie(not that Charlie is a bad name). I don't know how much confidence this would instill in his potential constituency. I mean (although his intentions are good) do you want to vote in someone who can't even manage his own little league baseball team? Or whose beagle always gets the best of him? Just wondering what his handlers are thinking.

Just Curious, But Do You Think He Needs One?

2008-10-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking...Not so much.

Represented in Florida

2008-10-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law, indulging my weirdness in Lakeland, Florida. Thanks Michael.

Gnome Update

2008-10-03T16:14:00.001-07:00

Before
After

Yikes....and he his still growing...this after only 4 days. Watch out friend who cringes.

Introducing Flat Tony

2008-10-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

We are playing host to Flat Tony. His 3-D self lives in Tasmania, Australia and can't get away on many vacations. Many of us around this globe are showing Flat Tony around. If anyone else is interested in hosting Flat Tony, I am sure he would be thrilled. For further details on Flat Tony's travels or you want to host, check out Tony's blog. It is a good time. Tony's blog address is listed below.

http://ynot60.blogspot.com/

Things You Never Want to Find at the Beach

2008-10-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

But unfortunately you do.

Another Photoshow

2008-09-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

Have been meaning to put this out on the Blog. Still trying to perfect my skills using the software to put this together. So please bear with me.

We spent another lovely day at the beach on t Sunday with human and doggie friends. After the walk, we had a nice lunch and visit at Chipolte's. The photoshow includes pictures of Walter, Kate, Susan and Eddie. Good times. :-)

Update on the Prius with the McCain bumpersticker. Haven't seen it back in the garage since that day. Funny.

More Gnome Tales

2008-09-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

So I go out to the mailbox and what do I find, a package from my friend Eileen B. I open it up and inside is a "Grow Your Own Gnome" doll. Fortunately it will take about 10 days to grow all the way so I have time to make room in the house. I am happy. I will be placing it in water where it will grow 600% it's current size. Sounds big doesn't it. It promises to bring me good luck and a chuckle to all my friends. It also promises to make one of my friends cringe. So here you go friends...those who will chuckle and those who will cringe.

P.S. I will have a picture of the 600% grown gnome is approximately ten days.

Bay Area Road Trip

2008-09-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today I decided I was going to take a trip around the San Francisco and North Bay Coast. I haven't been around the North Bay coast for years and thought it might be fun to play tourist today. I started out the day (left the house at 6am) taking the dogs to Fort Funston. Boy was it foggy. The tide was low so we had lots of beach to walk on. I walked (dogs ran and ran) for a couple of hours. Once back to the car, I headed out to the north bay. The first stop was at the vista point over the Golden Gate Bridge. You wouldn't believe the difference. There was no fog once I was on the Marin side of the bridge. I was there for about 25 minutes, taking in the sights, taking a few pictures for myself, and taking pictures of the tourists with their cameras. It was really beautiful. There were a lot of people there. But there always are. The next destination was Muir Beach overlook. It is an area hundreds of feet above the coastline. It is beautiful on clear day but equally beautiful when the cloud bank is in. That's what we had today. It looks the same as when you are in an airplane above the clouds. Pretty cool really. There were some open areas where you could see the water. Quite stunning really. Next, I had lunch in Olema. It is a little town along the coast right before you get to Point Reyes National Shoreline. It's claim to fame is that is was at the epicenter of one of the earthquakes (I should know this but don't). I then headed up to Point Reyes. There is a lighthouse at the very tip of lands end. I was hoping to see the whales migrating. When I arrived there were so many folks there I couldn't find a place to park. Even though I didn't make it to the lighthouse, I was still able to overlook the shoreline. I am always amazed at how beautiful this area is. On my way out of the park, I stopped at South Beach (not the Miami one) and took a few more pictures. I really enjoyed the mini road trip. I forget how much there is to see around here.

Above is a little photoshow of some of the things I saw today.

Represented in Illinios

2008-09-26T12:04:00.001-07:00

Spreading the word and helping get the Feedjit Map red. And it is not even a family member's car. Woo-Hoo!

Games for Dixy

2008-09-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

On Thursday nights I train with Grady and Dixy. With Grady, we are working on a specific goal. With Dixy, not so much. With Dixy it is just a matter of trying to get her brain tired. She has boundless energy. This video is a game we play were she brings me stuff from the box. Everytime she brings me something she gets a click and a treat. If we are not fast enough in treating her, she lets me know. She is a real character.

Lordy, Lordy Look Who's Forty-Michael Guerin

2008-09-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am sending a shout out to my brother-in-law who is turning forty today (September 26th). Happy birthday Michael. Doesn't seem possible that you have reached that age. I remember when you and Tiffany used to come to my house on Sundays for chicken dinner and America's Funniest Home Video (can't believe I am admitting to that). That was more than twenty years ago. Wow! Anyways, you are a great brother-in-law and I am glad to have you as part of the family. Happy Birthday!

Pigeon Picture and Curious Actions

2008-09-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture I thought was interesting. I went to meet a friend for lunch today and as I was waiting for her I noticed this running water "fountain" in the center of the plaza. The birds obviously thought it was their personal bird bath. They were perched on the edge of the fountain as the water was running, just as comfortable as can be. Every once in awhile they would start bathing and preening. It was interesting to watch as I passed the time waiting for my friend. I tried to capture their reflections in the water but the angle and lighting weren't quite right. I am sharing it anyway.

Here is a curious thing. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home today. I usually go in there after a hike while I am usually in shorts. Today I went in wearing my work attire (business suit) and it was interesting how differently I was treated. The employees are always nice to me but today they went out of their way to see if they could help me. I am sure that they didn't recognize me even though I have shopped there for years. I just think it is interesting how we are perceived in such a different way based on what we are wearing.

Compelled by Dennis the Vizsla's "Go-Go Gadget Ears"

2008-09-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

I love seeing the pictures of the dogs ears flying in the wing. When I saw the picture of Dennis the Viszla going over the agility jump, it made me want to pull out a few of the pictures I have of flying dog ears. Hope you don't mind Dennis. Something about these pictures makes me think...boy, they are sure having a good time and how can I learn how to have fun with such reckless abandon. I haven't figured that out yet but the pictures bring a smile to my face. The doberman is our friend Flirtie. Her ears are always up.

Trolls, Leprechauns, and Gnomes-Fun Facts

2008-09-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have laughed as hard as I did today in a long time. I was speaking to a friend of mine and somehow the topic of Gnomes came up. She is very afraid of them and thinks they are creepy. I told her my mom collected them and I have a tattoo of one on my ankle (come to find out it is really a fairy). This led to a discussion about trolls (I think of the plastic dolls from the sixties, she thinks of the creatures from under a bridge) and how evil they are. Which further led to conversations of Leprechauns and their nastiness. Again, our images of them were completely different. She-Leprechaun the movie, me Lucky Charm Cereal. That led to her finding all kind crazy websites including one one Gnome that play really goofy music and another http://www.badmovies.org/ describing the Leprechaun movie.

Fun Gnome, Leprechaun & Troll Facts

Gnomes-There are several types. Woodland, Dune, Farm, House, Garden, & Siberian. The Garden gnome belongs to the general type. He lives in old gardens, even those hemmed in between the new houses of modern "model" cities. His nature is on the somber side, and he rather enjoys telling melancholy tales. If he begins to feel too closed in , he simply goes to the woods. But, as he is quite learned, he sometimes feels out of place there. The Siberian gnome has been the most affected by crossbreeding. He is centimeters larger than the European type and associates freely with trolls. In certain regions there is not a single gnome to be trusted. The Siberian gnome takes revenge for even the slightest offense by killing cattle, causing bad harvests, droughts, abnormally cold weather, and so forth. The less said about him, the better. There is even a Free the Gnome Society. Pretty funny really.

Leprechauns-One of a race of elves in Irish folklore who can reveal hidden treasure to those who catch them. But they don't like humans.

Trolls-don't see very well. They are as blind as a bat and can't see their own hand in front of them. Trolls hate the daylight (Unless you are Wendy's Troll Doll). If they are caught in the sun, they will turn to stone. The worst thing you could ever do to a troll is be happy. They hate happiness and things that make people happy. So be careful not to be too happy, you might make a troll mad. If you do, a troll will not take kindly to you.

Thanks for indulging my weirdness today.

In a World Gone Mad-Maybe I'll Sell Avon

2008-09-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

Now what would be crazier? Really...anyone who knows me knows this would be equivalent to reality television shows becoming unpopular. If you are wondering where this came from, well I was watching TV (first mistake) and an Avon ad with a chipper little woman comes on talking about how happy she was with her first big sale of Avon products. It went on to imply this was a good career choice. Now mind you, I have nothing against sellers of Avon but with all the craziness that is the state of our national finances it just really struck me as funny that anyone could suggest this is a viable career choice. But with everything that is going on...maybe this IS where the future is. Crazier things have been known to happen.

Sometimes We Have Stressful days Even at the Most Beautiful Places-Written by Dixy

2008-09-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Boy, was I excited about going to the beach today. Mom bought a new toy that would save her arm from the aches and pains of constantly throwing the tennis ball for me. Something about this thing lets her to throw it way far and it and it doesn't hurt. I don't understand it. I am not wired that way. Now ask me about sniffing out tennis balls and I can woof all about that. Anyways, we got to the beach at about 8:15 (mom didn't want to get there too early because long walk really make Colvin tired) and mom brought out the "Chuck It". Oh boy, was I excited. Mom flung the ball and I was off. It landed in a bush far away but I found it in no time. If rubber is what you are hunting, call my mom. I am really good at finding it. Okay, back to the story. We stayed at the top for awhile. We were waiting for my other brother and sister to show up. I like going on family walks even though I try to beat everyone to the ball. They don't seem to mind though. I think they just like to chase me. Oops, I am off track again. Sorry, my mind races a hundred miles a minute.

Today was a little different of a walk than usual. Mom was a little tense. I am not sure why but it might have been because a strange dog walked with us the whole time. It was really strange because he was without his people. I guess he lives close by and his people let him go where ever he wants by himself. He looked funny too. I heard mom say he was an unneutered pit mix. Not sure what that means but I think mom was worried he may not behave himself with the rest of us. Turns out he wasn't mean, just a real pest. He kept pestering Grady first, then Jasper, then Anise. He tried to pester Sara but she told him right off. He couldn't keep up with me so I was never even bothered. I heard mom saying something about how irresponsible his mom was. He didn't play with people too well and mom thought it was because he wasn't well socialized. Well because of him, mom wanted to turn and go back so the walk was a lot shorter than usual. Then on top of that, Kate's car was broken into. It wasn't the best day at the beach for the humans. I guess us dogs had a good enough time, just too short.

Annual Beach Clean up Day

2008-09-20T16:31:00.001-07:00

Today was the Annual Beach Clean Up Day. It is a day that is advertised in hopes that lots of people will come out and clean up the beaches. This year, Dave and his sons were out managing the hordes of people looking to help with the clean up. I like to help for a couple of reasons. One-I love the beach, as you can tell from how often I go there, and I hate that some people seem to think it is their trash can. Two-with all the bad press that dogs and their owners get, I like to show that we can be good social citizens. The dogs and I got out there at about 8am. We filled up a bag and brought up some old boards. I dropped them off in the dumpster and waited for friends who were arriving at 9. As you can tell from the photos, there was quite a good turn out. When we went down to the beach the second time, we weren't even able to fill the trash bag a quarter of the way. That was great. Anyways, it is good to see a lot of younger humans out picking up the trash. I hope it gives them an appreciation of the earth and how we have to take care of it. I am also grateful that the Daves in the world take the time to organize these events.