Trust but verify

Just remember this, the next time you see some ridiculous blogpost here.  Larsen may have acked-hayed my asswords-pay.

Source: Peter Steiner, New Yorker.

Early morning on the beach

Larsen appears to be putting his best paw forward while out on a cold and clear Atlantic Ocean morning.

Favorite things

We hope you got some of your own favorite things for Christmas. 

As for ourselves, a breakaway whistle lanyard onto which slide Hunt Test qualifying leg hardware is our own favorite thing.

More than the hardware itself, it indicates that 2010 was the year Larsen matured and started putting together the pieces.  He earned a Rally Novice title, and two (three needed) Rally Advance legs.  He earned three (four needed) legs on his Junior Hunt Test title. 

All of this would have been unthinkable a year ago.  Of course, a year ago, he was sleeping in a blue barrel in a kennel in Sumter, South Carolina.  As we leave 2010, it is on a high note and with the anticipation that we can cinch up expectations, earn the final Junior Hunting leg, and then progress toward the equally unthinkable Senior Hunting title.  

Larsen counts off his JH medallions.

The sun is shining, the grass is green

The sun is shining, the grass is green,
The orange and palm trees sway.

There's never been such a day
in Beverly Hills, L.A.
But it's December the twenty-fourth,—
And I am longing to be up North—

Christmas giving

Aki stuffs this Christmas basket with all sorts of goodies.

A Starbucks card.  Someone will like that.

A ribbon adds the  finishing touch to this little gift.

I wonder who will get this treasure trove?

Bob Feller 1918-2010

All of Cleveland, and the baseball world, mourn the passing of Indians' great, Bob Feller.

The Emerald Necklace

Unlike the Cleveland Orchestra, few have ever heard of the so-called Emerald Necklace around the Cleveland area.  Like the Orchestra, the Emerald Necklace is a national treasure.  The Cleveland Metroparks portion of the necklace had its origins in the Rocky River Valley.  It now has unconnected beads in Huntington, Big Creek, Hinkley, Brecksville, Bedford, South Chagrin, North Chagrin and Euclid Creek.

Another of the unconnected gems in the necklace is the Boston Mills Historic District (which technically is part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park).  Boston Mills fronts the Ohio and Erie Canal just north of Akron.  The canal paralleled part of the Cuyahoga river, which in that region of the state winds north from Akron to Cleveland and then into Lake Erie.

We accompanied Cousin Dave, his wife Meg, and their 12 year-old Brittany, Scout, on the trails of the Rocky River and Boston Mills parks during Thanksgiving.  We had some nice, chilly outings. 

Meg, Aki, and Larsen enjoy a cold and wet Thanksgiving afternoon as the turkey cooks at home.

  
Cousin Dave and Scout lead the way.

Do you recognize this?  It's the Cuyahoga River.

Aki, Dave, and Larsen view the waterfall from a distance.

The former canal towpath in Boston Mills has been reclaimed for recreational purposes.

The low winter sun casts sharp shadows on this little store in Boston Mills.

Hardware store

In today's world of big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes, you might not know of, or have long forgotten about, the neighborhood hardware store.  Such a store carried all manner of hardware, stacked to the ceiling in trays and bins and on shelves.  It may even have had yellow decaled footprints that (reminiscent of Burma Save) instructed "This" "Way" "to" "GE" "Bulbs".  Even your neat and tidy Ace hardware store is the city cousin to this country mouse.

This particular store, not far away, brags "Over 50,000 Items.  Many Hard to Find."  Does the owner know that, in truth, all of those items in his store are hard to find?

A patron examines the Dura Flame logs, next to the cast iron skillets and flashlights.

Light bulbs and repair parts for any electric lamp made between 1900 and 1950.

Christmas catalogs

Those catalogs can save some time, but sometimes they just drive you crazy.

2011 Westminster invitees

The Westminster Kennel Club has invited these Welsh Springer Spaniels to the 2011 show February 14-15.  Listed in alphabetical order (not by ranking):

• CH Rock Springs Hawk Of The Battle ("Gavin")
• GCH CH Heatherstone's Jopa Blue ("Winston")
• GCH CH Holly House Empres Josephine
• GCH CH Rolyart's Full Of Grace JH ("Grace")
• GCH CH Statesman's Corinthian ("Starbuck")

Gavin (Kit Goodrich) was 2010's Best of Breed at the 2010 WSSCA National Specialty.

Winston (Shannon Gandee) was 2010's Best of Breed winner at Westminster.

Empres Josephine (Holly House) is a WDX.

Grace (Shelley Traylor & Cindy Ford) was a 2007 and 2008 Westminster entry and is a Junior Hunter.     

Starbuck (Meghen Basel and Susan Riese) was Winner's Dog at the 2009 WSSCA National Specialty.

Good luck to all!

Snow day

Kim Parkman of Pocotaligo Kennel ran Larsen on Sunday while I enjoyed a bright cold winter day in Chicago.  I had some business meetings on Sunday and was reduced to receiving the results via text message.  I learned that Larsen seemed pretty distracted on the line with Kim and that he really didn't want to hunt. 

Larsen and I will go back to training.  He's come a long way.  He earned his third leg on Saturday and was going for a run of the table on Sunday and his JH.   It would have been fitting and fun to have earned that final leg on the same weekend that Mazie earned her MH.  On the upside, I'll have the joy of finishing him myself. 

Wrigley Building from the Trump Hotel in Chicago.

Susan and Mazie

Congratulations.

Ch Ivywild's Mazie Morning Dew MH

Susan's dog (and Larsen's dam) Mazie successfully completed her sixth and final leg and earned her Master Hunter designation today at at the Atlanta Cocker Hunt test at JL Lester WMA.

This is a most remarkable achievement.  The unofficial count says that Mazie will be the 9th Welsh Springer Spaniel in U.S. history and 2nd female to have earned the Master Hunter designation.

Mazie completed the Master Hunter requirements with a water retrieve in the mucky and shallow JL Lester reservoir.  In her own fashion, Mazie swam to an unlikely portion of the shoreline and then took her sweet time--but steady and unfaltering--bringing the bird to Susan.

Tomorrow, Susan will run Mazie in another Master leg for the sheer fun of it.  It will give Susan a chance to see Mazie with clear and unworried eyes, and watch her in the same way that we have enjoyed watching her.

 Susan displays Mazie's Master Hunter ribbons.

Focus

For handler as well as pup.  I'll pay attention to him this weekend and bring him to sit if he seems to be fooling around.  Otherwise, give him his nose.