Big muddy

Larsen, not the river to the west of us. Aki's Memorial Day week drive from Atlanta to Chicago, and then on to Cleveland, was in a downpour of cold rain that turned the rich black topsoil of the Great Lakes area into quagmires of mud. Some of the older hardwoods (whose taproots admittedly were gone) had simply toppled over in the muck, producing gaping holes filled with milk-chocolate water.

Larsen loves the driving cold rain. He hit the swamp and immediately began tracking deer, whose tracks were three inches deep in the mud. On a run, he fell into a bole-hole- - completely disappearing under the muddy water before bobbing up and then scrambling out to resume his chase. Need I mention that the little dog had the time of his life?

Larsen looks toward to his next run at Bradley Park in Westlake, Ohio.

Frank appears to be having second thoughts about inviting a muddy spaniel into his Evanston apartment.