That's A Lot of Hot Air...

More images from the Balloon Festival...

About 40 balloons mass launch for the "hat toss". Pilots have to gauge the wind direction and speed to properly come across the field and toss a hat onto one of several poles that are placed there.










Nice try... but no cigar.



Old Mac Donald may have been funky, but this was my personal favorite.


Will add some from the small air show later... 

Old Mac Donald Had A...

...uh, hot air balloon? Well, yep, in this case.

One of the more mind-boggling examples at the Jackson (MI) Hot Air Balloon Fest today. Careful with that pitchfork, Mac!

More Fun With Dogs

Is this suit (and we're not talking about the guy's birthday suit!) frivolous? You decide.

Speaking of "birthday suits", we're now only two weeks away from the Art Fair at Turtle Lake Nudist Resort. Bet you can't wait for our post on that one!

Gentledogs, Start Your Engines!

Living with 4 hounds, I shouldn't be surprised by anything a dog decides to do. Check this out, as a f'rinstance. (BTW, this is an excellent blog for those of you who love automobiles as much as I do. Worth bookmarking.)

Another One In the Books.

As long as I'm talking anniversaries, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this past 4th of July weekend, (yes, the weekend the camera went missing!) marked the 12th year of the existance of Shot On Site Photography. Time flies.

Back in 1994 I was just toiling with the masses in corporate America. I was a Regional sales manager for a manufacturer of environmental testing equipment in Ann Arbor. (A company that has since been sold to a British firm who's brought their "nanny state" rules to the table... I'm oh, so glad I got downsized out of there! Rumor has it, they're on the sales block again. Whenever we have dinner with an old workmate, I'm told how lucky I am to be out of there. No shit.)

So, downsizes happen... I'd already been toying with the idea of a part-time photography business. Even came up with the "Shot On Site" name while I was still working. When the axe fell, I was forced out of a state of inertia, and into action. My first gig was the MGA trial in Metamora, MI.

Now, things were a whole lot different back then. My cameras- a Nikon FM, and a Nikon FTn Photomic, were totally manual, as were the lenses... including a 500mm mirror lense. This means I would have to focus manually on a moving object.. the dog.. and advance the film, manually, after each exposure. Of course, I was shooting film, (digital cameras were $10,000 behemoths that only the New York Times and wealthy gadget freaks could afford), and needed to run out on Saturday night to find a 1-hour lab to get the film processed. Then I would have to number each print, and put them in presentation books to show on Sunday. Many late nights were spent in grungy Knights Inns, drinking beer, watching ESPN, (or adult fare on HBO), while I performed these menial tasks.

Of course, this also precluded shooting Sundays, the second day of most trials, because I would be busy showing and, hopefully, selling proofs, reprints, and enlargements to the trial entrants.

If that first event, 12 years ago, hadn't been a success, I may not be here writing this blog post. I'd probably be greeting you at WalMart instead. But it was successful beyond my wildest imagination! Over $700 gross sales, which we still consider good for many events even now. So I decided to keep doing it, and the rest, as they say, is history.

There are a couple of heroes I should mention. People who helped make it happen.. First, is Jack Helder, who told me about someone he saw at a trial in Lexington, KY who took pictures on Saturday, and returned with stock to sell the next day. I believe that might have been Robert Nix, who I wrote about here. If Jack hadn't made it sound easy, (little did I know..) I might have looked for work elsewhere. The photo that accompanies this post is Jack's "Mali". This was my first "famous" image. I've said often that it's the picture that "made Shot On Site", and I'm not joking. It's been used by ASFA in brochures, and has been published often, even in the UK.

The other person is Dr. John Burchard, now of California, but back then he lived in Rhode Island. The MGA trial weekend had, as a bonus event, the ASA (American Saluki Association) Brahma Cup trial, so John and his then wife, made the trek out in their Argosy. John was sufficiently impressed with my work that he spent an unheard of $150 on proofs, reprints, and enlargements. Once I knew there were people with dogs out there, who recognized talent, I knew I was going to be doing this for a long time.

There were others there, that weekend, and they all made it possible. I have so much fun doing what I do, that it hardly feels like work. Switching to digital three years ago, probably has something to do with that, too. LOL.

Strictly Titillation

Odd, that until recently, I didn't know I shared the same birth year with the Bikini swimsuit. In an effort to make up for this oversight, I invite you to click here for a Brief History of the Bikini. It includes a famous photo of Brigette Bardot at Cannes. Her animal rights politics aside, she may be the most sexy woman who ever lived. At least that's what I thought in Junior High... even though I wasn't really sure of the concept of "sexy" at the time. Have fun.

I Didn't Know They Did This!

Here at the Holiday RV Park in Grass Lake, Michigan, the wildlife is very diverse... squirrels, chipmunks, flickers, cranes, deer, turkey... and this fellow who seems to have taken up residence in the base of a tree. Judging from the sawdust, he seems to be in the middle of a major remodeling project.

Any toad experts out there? I've never seen a toad in these kinds of digs before.
 

Another Interesting Blog

Fortunately, there are several alternate routes for us to get the motor home to the site of next year's Scottish Deerhound National Specialty in... in... er..., it's either North Carolina or Tennessee. It's in the middle of nowhere, that's for sure...

Anyway, one of the routes follows something called the Tail of the Dragon, and involves an unbelievable 318 curves in 11 Miles! Photographers actually have businesses taking pictures of all the motorcycles, and exotic sports cars that traverse this route. This blog shows some of the action. (Make sure you scroll all the way to the last picture!).

This web page tells more about the road and the area. Gee.... we can't wait. Even the routes we can take with the motor home will be difficult. Not like this, though.

Matt has moved!

The dancing blogger... or the blogging dancer, whatever he is, has moved his blog to here. I wrote about "Where the Hell is Matt?" a couple of months ago. He was recently on Good Morning America, again. It was recently divulged that his globetrotting, dancing, lifestyle was underwritten by a chewing gum maker. This begs the question: How can Shot On Site get a freakin' sponsor? We'll make the whole motor home available for graphics. Except the rear window.

Matt's newest dancing video would appear to be just around the corner. It includes Argentina, Easter Island, New Zealand, Norway, and more. You can see the 2005 video at the website.

An Irregular Feature: Crash of the Week.

And there were many to choose from, but this is the winner: Zuli vs. Adam. (Adam being the interloper, as noted by the leash with no human on the end.)

Brief Sports Comment: Loyalty

Events this weekend were momentous in Detroit pro sports history.

The Red Wings' Steve Yzerman announced his retirement after 23 years, the last 20 as the team's captain; an NHL record. He came to Detroit when he was 18, and stayed in Detroit to his retirement. This will probably never happen again in any sport. When you look up the word "captain" in the dictionary, it should always be accompanied by a picture of Steve Yzerman. (Detroit Free Press columnist, Mitch Albom, gives a proper tribute here. If you're any kind of Wings fan, or even a hockey fan, prepare to get weepy.)

The agent for Detroit Pistons' star, Ben Wallace, announced that his client was signing a big contract with the Chicago Bulls, and would be leaving the Pistons, where he helped the team win one NBA title, and was much beloved in Detroit, as much for his wild, Buckwheatian Afro, as for his fierce defensive prowess. He turned down an offer which would have made him the highest paid player on the Detroit roster. Detroit gave him a chance to flower where other franchises never even gave him a look. He'd played his college ball at some out-of-the way Division II or III school. He took the money and ran.

Who do you think gets my utmost respect today? Say goodbye to playoff basketball, Ben.

I Must Have Great Karma!

On Monday, July 3rd, I lost my camera. My $3000+ Nikon camera. Not only the camera, but the $900 zoom lens, the $200 brand new Nikon flash, and the $200+ Pelican hard case they were all in.

We'd just left the field in Metamora, MI where the weekend trials had been held. This is out in the (wealthy) boondocks of Northern Oakland County (or Southern Lapeer County, I'm not sure). It's "hunt country"... lots of horses, hounds, and large homes on huge chunks of land. The roads are dirt, narrow, hilly, and heavily wooded.

As usual, when we can't take the motor home to the site, we commute in the Escape. We'd loaded the EZ Up, and tables, and generator, and all the mundane pieces and parts that make up our "store" into the Escape, and as we've done dozens of times before, put a towel on the roof in the secure square created by the Yakima bike rack, and tossed the camera case up there, along with the lunch cooler. We've never secured these items, because they're very heavy- especially the camera case. The rear of the Escape was packed to the ceiling, so I had no center rear view in the mirror. We waved at the stragglers, and drove out onto Rock Valley Road.

After turning north on Barber Road, the longest, hilliest, most washboardedest stretch of the commute, we hit a big hole on the right side of the road- a hole I'd missed completely the first two days of the event. Margaret shouted her usual epithet, which I won't repeat here because her kids read this. I never checked the outside mirrors.

Forty minutes later, we pulled into the Water Tower Travel Trailer Park in Lapeer, got the dogs out of the motor home to walk, (they'd stayed back in air conditioned comfort on this day), when I glanced at the Escape- particularly the roof, and asked the stupidest question of the day: "Where's the camera?!!?"

Handing the dogs to Margaret, and jumping back in the car, I peeled out of the campground at just over the posted 5mph speed limit, and with Margaret's admonishment to "don't speed", made my way back to Metamora in the afternoon traffic... why were so many people still working on this day before a holiday?

By the time I got back to the stretch in the road where I was certain I'd lost the case, it had been over an hour. We'd seen two oncoming vehicles when we were leaving, either one of which would have seen the case if they'd travelled that far.. it would have rested right in the middle of the road, because there were hills going up on both sides of the road... the dropoffs coming a little further down the hill. What I found there, was what I expected: nothing. I checked the dropoff areas as best I could.. there was no evidence of any heavy object sliding down there. There was only poison ivy. Lots of it.

I drove back to the field to see if, on the off chance, anyone had dropped it off there. It was a way-off chance. I absorbed as much sympathy from the folks there that I could stand, and decided to drive back to Metamora and report my loss to the police. When I arrived there were a fat kid and his mother talking to a uniformed cop in the lobby... I was hoping that maybe they'd found this black case on the backroads and had just come to inquire if there was a reward. No such luck.. they were reporting an alledged theft of something the kid considered valuable by someone he had considered a friend. I think he decided to not file a complaint.

Another, not so observant, officer asked me if I was with these people. Duh. I said no , and asked if anyone had by chance turned in a black camera case with a few thousand dollars worth of gear in it. Not yet, he said. He said that most of the people who would be travelling those roads were rich and honest (I'm thinking that's oxymoronic!), and would turn it in if they found it. I left my name and number, and got back in the Escape to make the depressing, empty-handed, return to Lapeer. I called Margaret and told her to check the RV insurance to see if this kind of loss was covered. I wasn't optimistic.

Margaret was more optimistic than I. She kept saying that someone had found it, and would turn it in. I was thinking, "I'm going to get my Nikon D200 earlier than I expected". Most people are honest, but what would you do if you were driving down the road, found a case full of digital camera gear, but no identification? I know I'd be conflicted at the very least.

Anyway, a couple hours passed. The phone didn't ring. I started slamming doors and drawers, and feeling more and more depressed. I was burning pork and vegetables on the grill when Margaret came out the RV door and said, "Phone call". I got excited and asked, "Police?". She said no. I took the phone.

"Is this Dan?"
"Yes"
"Dan, my name is Cindy Schweiderson" (I have no idea if that's the correct spelling, I didn't ask), "and I live in Dryden, MI. Are you missing something? Something like a..."
"Like a large, black camera case loaded with expensive equipment?" I completed her question. "Yes, I am."

The story becomes rather unbelievable at this point:
"My husband's a conservation officer, and was returning home with his patrol boat on the trailer. He found it on the side of the road. When he brought it in and we saw what was inside, I said 'I'll bet this belongs to that man that was taking pictures at the field trial' ".

I asked her if she found me by calling the police. No.. she had been at the trial on Saturday, visiting with a friend who has Italian Greyhounds, so I asked if she'd been in our "store" and grabbed one of my business cards? No, again. So how did she find my phone number? She did what any thinking person would do: She went online to a dog list and made an inquiry. It's good to be famous.. or notorious, I'm not sure which.

Even more unbelievable is the fact that Mr. Conservation Officer didn't find it anywhere near where I thought I'd lost it. He spotted in in the weeds, on the side of Dryden Rd; a much heavier travelled, paved road, running from M-24 to the village of Dryden, and used by a lot more people who aren't "rich and honest". Obviously, the right guy came along, at the right time. We figured out it hadn't been on the ground more than 5 minutes!

I offered to come pick it up, and she said she was going to be in Lapeer the next day for the 4th of July parade, knew where the campground was, and she would bring it. Which she did the very next day. Even refused a reward, or a dinner at the White Horse- so I gave her one of my matted nature pictures.

And that's how I got my camera back. If that ain't great Karma, I don't know what is.

A Fabulous Fourth..

First things first... Happy Independence Day (belatedly) from our vantage point in the Meijer's parking lot in Lapeer, MI. Now if Dubya would quit tapping my phone I'd feel really independent.

We're Still Here!

Things get backed up some time, and that's where we are with the blog... tomorrow, I'll catch up on the schedule, maybe cover the Ridgeback Rodeo, talk about Steve Yzerman & Ben Wallace, and recount a harrowing tale (with a happy ending) about good Karma! Can't wait, can you?

Today's Health Tip

Here I was, thinkin' that I was going to meet up with Stone Phillips at this nice rural Ohio home, and we'd discuss teen sex on national TV... Instead, I get whacked over the head, and when I wake up, my back's been sewn up... and my kidney's gone!

In all seriousness... this is an example of why it's smart to cover up and/or wear your sunscreen! This is where one of two "atypical" moles had resided on the back of yours truly. The other one was on the back of the neck, and looks about the same.

They were removed last Friday at the Ann Arbor VA hospital by a pair of young... really young, dermatologists. I had thought, at first, that I'd wandered onto the set of Grey's Anatomy, they were so pretty... the boy doctor and the girl doctor.

So I spent the better part of an hour face down on a surgical table while they went at my flesh.

They reassured me that these were not malignant... but that they weren't exactly normal, either. All in all a scary proposition.

And that's why we weren't at the race meet in Antioch last weekend. 

Going... Going...

...and nearly gone. "I heard the news today, oh boy..." that the city of Detroit has finally decided to tear down Tiger Stadium.


And when it's gone there will be only Fenway Park in Boston to represent the old time stadiums. It's hard to get really worked up about it.. it's been sitting unused for 7 years now. The last game played there was in 1999.

This web site
keeps track of "at risk" ball parks. There's a nice sentiment there that resonated with me somehow:

For many, old ballparks represent simpler times and a more egalitarian atmosphere; they also serve as direct links to the past, bridges to childhood memories of time spent as a child with parents and loved ones.

No wonder, then, that an old ballpark can stir some powerful memories. In an ever-changing world, an old ballpark is an island of stability and tranquility. There are few places that are the same as they were 20, 30 or 75 years ago. Your grandfather's Tiger Stadium is the same as your father's Tiger Stadium. Sadly, it's not your Tiger Stadium if it's torn down to make way for a Best Buy or a Home Depot. That's why this list was compiled: to stir public awareness and to perhaps make people realize that there are old ballparks worth saving.

I don't know how "powerful" the memories are, but they remain.. Tiger Stadium is the one sports venue in Detroit that I went to more than once or twice. I saw one hockey game at the old Olympia... never went to "The Joe". Saw one Pistons game at Cobo Arena. Haven't been to the new football field yet, or Comerica Park- the Tigers' new home. I was trying to remember how many times I have gone to Tiger Stadium.. at least half a dozen, probably more.

I remember coming into Detroit to attend a game when I was very young. I was with my father, and the neighbor kids and their father. We were down on the expressway, and there was a house burning, up on the surface street. "Fully involved", as they say on TV. Had nothing to do with Tiger Stadium, per se, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

I think it was at Tiger Stadium where I first became unable to pee in public.. may need hypnosis to confirm that theory.. but there was an event in the public restroom that I remember well. Big room with long troughs. Very fancy plumbing, and zero privacy. I might have been 10, or so.

In later years, we drove down from Saginaw to see Mark "The Bird" Fidrych pitch. He was a phenomenon of the '70s. Known for talking to the ball. The game was rained out. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Lyndell AC. A legendary bar near the stadium.

I saw the Lions play an ABC Monday Night Football game there. The series was in it's second season. We could see Howard and the boys in the booth.

That booth was another phenomenon of Tiger Stadium.. hanging off the upper deck, directly behind home plate. Van Patrick, or Ernie Harwell, or George Kell, or Al Kaline would have to duck the foul balls. You could hear the ricochet on the broadcasts. And how did Ernie always know where the guy down the left field foul line, who caught the ball, lived? "That foul ball was caught by a man from Whitehall, Michigan..." Amazing.

I've sat everywhere in Tiger Stadium... the upper deck on the 3rd base side, the box seats on the 1st base side, the centerfield bleachers, lower deck behind the plate.

So many amazing things happened there, just in my lifetime. I didn't go to any games in 1968, (I was in the Navy), but I followed closely the World Series from my duty station in Memphis. They were all Cards fans- it was Tim McCarver's hometown.) The CW is that the Tigers saved the city that year... it was the year after the riots. The Tigers brought the city together.

Again in 1984, the year of "Bless You Boys". The Tigers started the season 35-5 and never looked back. That World Series gave us a preview of Kirk Gibson's proclivity for dramatic home runs.

An on and on. I can see the stadium in my mind's eye. I can smell it. I can taste the peanuts purchased from the vendors on the way to the turnstile. I guess I'm going to miss it. I'm surprised at how much the memories came back as I started to type.

Comerica Park's a nice place. One of the best of the new "retro look" parks. But it ain't on Michigan and Trumbull.

Panhandling

The observant among you will notice certain changes to the right of this post. First, the absence of the Google Ad. This was supposed to generate lots of income from the millions of readers of this blog, when they click on the ad for "West Highland Terriers For Sale", or "Mac lessons", or whatever. In a year in a half, the total number of click-throughs on this fine program totalled exactly: 0. I never even clicked on them myself, because that would be illegal! So, our total income from the Google AdSense program totalled exactly: $0.

Obviously, something wasn't working... and that something was: Google Ads. So I've resorted to a more direct approach: The Tip Jar. I really don't expect it to do much better than the Google AdSense program, but who knows? It works through PayPal, and it's for a good cause. When you click on the Tip Jar (assuming you find the content of this blog a) helpful, b) insightful, c) humorous or entertaining, d) educational, or e) all of the above), you will be directed to PayPal.com where you can donate any amount no matter how small (or large) to the "Bounder Fuel & Maintenance Fund". It costs a lot of bucks to haul this 10 ton behemoth around the country... lessee.... 80 gallon fuel tank X $2.75 a gallon..... wow! You could feed a platoon of Marines in Iraq for that kind of money. And, we just put over $800 into it for a tune up and new front springs; the coach batteries are dead.. that's another $150, minimum. And the beat goes on.

This will spur us (me) on, of course, to make this blog even better. It was enlightening to find, at the II, that people actually read it! I had no way of knowing.. readers rarely comment, which was the only way to know someone had looked- until I added the counter- another new feature on the right hand side. It is also linked to an ad. I have no idea what Pronto Pasta is, nor do I wish to find out. The counter's free because of it. Maybe if someone clicks on the Pasta thing, they'll report back on it.

Lastly, I was shamed into putting the link to "Go Coursing Dot Com"... since there's supposedly a link to our photo site on their site. (I haven't found it, nor have I found the photo credits for the fine photos of their hounds). The proprietors are good people, Red State-bound though they are, and the products I've used.. mostly the "Burn Out" (and mostly on me!) are excellent. When our coursing and racing blankets wear out, we'll replace them from GoCoursing... Check them out! Now, maybe they'll be shamed into making a donation for fuel...

Onward and upward...

Is This Oxymoronic?

Think about this: The Fifty Greatest Conservative Rock Songs. Apparently not to the National Review. Here's a commentary I found on the Huffington Post, where you can link to the whole sordid article.

By the way.. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" aside.. the Beach Boys's Pet Sounds was one bitchin' album. (And we were conveniently ignoring the "abstinence message" back in the '60s anyway... isn't that right dear?)

Speaking of Underwear..

We rarely stop at campgrounds that have cable TV.. and we don't have a dish, so discovering Fuse TV was quite a revelation last night. Proof that anyone.. maybe even me.. will do anything for money. You gotta see Pants Off- Dance Off. I can't think of anything to add.

Boxers, Briefs, or.......?

Never know what you're going to read at Slate.com, as the above link will show. Gotta admit, I like the 3rd option in cold weather, but in the hot, sticky stuff we've got going on now... going "commando" is preferable. Lessons from Vietnam well learned.

Where to Next...?

While it's fun to report, and opinionate, it's always good to be reminded what this blog-thing is really all about for us. The reminder came last weekend at the ASFA II when probably no fewer than a dozen people (probably more- I wasn't counting- but enough that I was astonished by the volume) asked: "Where you guys off to next?" Well, for their benefit and yours, here it is:

This weekend we're at Purina Farms, Gray Summit, MO for LGRA. Photography and racing (if other greyhounds are present.)

Next weekend- off. We were originally planning on another LGRA/WRA meet in Antioch, IL, but the VA called me and wanted me to come on over next Friday to cut some more out of my back.

June 23-25 The "Ridgeback Rodeo", in Pennsylvania. This one should be interesting.

July 1-2 Michigan Gazehound Assoc., ASFA trial, Metamora, MI
Jully 3 RRCUS specialty trial, same place.

July 8-9 LGRA, Oberlin, OH.

Aug 5-6 LGRA, Lewisville IN "On the banks of the ..... whatever creek it is" (Good dog cooling stuff.)

Autumn will be full, and will be posted later. As you can see, there are lots of holes in our Summer schedule. Holes that are sorely in need of filling, if we're to survive the season, and put gas in the beast... I mean the "Express". We could use some suggestions, here. Including non-dog things: art shows, little league baseball, soccer, horses, etc. This is our cry for help!

Dan's Latest, Greatest Tee-Shirt Design

Maybe not quite as daring as the "Freedom is...." shirt, but may have more mass appeal, especially among the Full Time RV set, who are our kindred spirits. I think it looks good on black. Margaret likes light blue. And it will be evolving, as we're never running out of "roads", (witness Colorado 94 in a previous posting.) $20 bucks. 

Interesting Developments From Across the Pond

In light of the recent demise of AB2110, I thought it might be of interest to see what's been developing in Great Britain.. where the ban on hunting with hounds emboldened the ARistas in California. One year on, the hunts go on. Read about it here and here.

Desolation Row

As promised... Colorado State Hwy 94. Somewhere between Ellicot and US-40. Not many people.. lots of Kamikaze flying insects, as shown on the windshield. Photo by Margaret. 

Buffy & Fanny See Gran'pa

This is the image that was supposed to appear in a previous post. We took the girls in to the Greyhound Hall of Fame to see their very famous relative..




As you can see, they were duly impressed, shocked, and awed.

Not sure why these images wouldn't load in the previous post, but they made it here. The mysteries of Java script, I guess.

ASFA II - Weekend's Best Images!

Pharaoh Hounds are not true "coursing hounds". But they are sighthounds- that is, they hunt by sight. Their true hunting style is similar to the Ibizan Hound, which hunts in heavy cover by leaping high to get a view of the prey. This Pharaoh Hound, "Emma", made the mistake of getting offline, and ending up in the dry "pond". I waited, for her to re-appear, and was rewarded with the following sequence. Up in the air, and looking for the lure.








There are more. When time allows. Most of the good stuff happens when the dogs cheat. Just a fact of life in lure coursing.

Travelling East.... and pictures!

This is why we ain't going to make it to Lexington, KY for the Saluki specialty this year. Yesterday we left Falcon, CO- site of the 2006 ASFA International Invitational. Possibly the most low key so-called "premier event" in my memory; at least since the last one held in Falcon.

Anyway, we travelled a whopping 200 miles. All the way to Quinter, KS. We took the "scenic" route. Sane people heading East, would drive the 3 or 4 miles back to US-24 in Falcon, and follow it Northeast through the relativly "civilized" ..ie: populated, areas to Limon, where you can then hop on I-70 and go downhill into Kansas. Not us. We meandered a few miles East on Falcon Hwy, to Peyton Hwy, then South about 6 miles to Colorado 94. Back on I-70 East, several days ago, I noticed the billboard trumpeting this as the "most direct route to Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak area". So we took it as the most direct route back to I-70. Makes sense, right? Once we got on 94 and headed East, we were confronted with the white-knuckle billboard: "No motorist services, next 95 Miles". About halfway to the intersection of 94 and US 40, I found myself humming Dylan's "Desolation Row". Not only were there no motorist services, there were damn few people. Between the last population center of Ellicot, and Wild Horse on 40 there were only the crossroad villages with maybe 30-50 hardy souls, total. The rest was filled with miles and miles and miles of nothing. Beautiful big country. And you get a real understanding of why it's called "Big Country". Images are still in the camera, but we'll try and show some of it when we get them loaded.

Once we got on 40, things picked up. We even went through Kit Carson, Colorado! When we finally hit Oakley, we were rewarded with the bigger than lifesize Charlie Norton bronze of Buffalo Bill and the Buffalo....

Full disclosure: I didn't take this picture. I found it on the Internet. We didn't stop.. we were more interested than normally in finding a gas station. But it was quite an impressive piece. Apparently, Mr. Cody was born 20 miles from here.

Once we got enough fuel to move forward, we stopped at the Castle Rock RV Park in Quinter. A pleasant, honor system park, which, if you're not observant, would appear to be closed for business. But we read the sign, and had the whole place to ourselves. Except for the numerous cottontails and ground squirrels that drove the dogs crazy all night.

Today, we drove another 200 miles to Abilene. (See why we wouldn't make it to Lexington?). As I sit here, we're enjoying free WiFi and cable TV at the Covered Wagon Campground. Not a bad deal at all for twenty bucks. Tomorrow, before we leave, we'll head on out to the National Greyhound Association headquarters to pick up a squawker, and maybe some new muzzles for NOTRA and LGRA racing, and we'll see what other interesting stuff they have for sale. Last week, on the way to Colorado, we stopped at the Greyhound Hall of Fame. We've been there several times in the past, but this is the first time we took Buffy & Fanny in to see Grandpa:

(there'll be an image here eventually... having trouble uploading it)

Eventually, we'll end up at the SLASH LGRA racemeet at Purina Farms in Missouri. More later.. I still want to put up a couple of images from the II.

Time again to catch up

Not in this post, however... Margaret didn't let me get near the computer today, (she's trying to earn us some money!), so all the thoughts I had planned on putting down have blown away in the gusting Kansas wind.

So much has gone on since the last posting... the quiet death of California AB2110, a couple of NOTRA race meets that Rally did well in, the recently completed ASFA II that Rally did very well in, all the travel to get from the Deerhound Specialty to the race meets in Indiana and Illinos, and the long haul from there to Falcon, CO and the II.. Whew! It's been an exhausting couple of weeks. I do want to get in a review of this II... hopefully in a couple of days. But, at this time, I can at least congratulate my friends, Teri and Jack on their IG, "Miller" winning the whole enchilada. And here he is:

More thoughts on the II and other stuff when it's not so freakin' late.

Life Imitating Art

We spent last week in Michigan's "Little Bavaria".. also known as Frankenmuth, a big-time tourist trap; known variously as the home of Bronner's, "The World's Largest Christmas Store", and Zehnder's Restaurant and the Bavarian Inn- two parts of the same family, vying for "Famous Chicken Dinners" supremacy.

The purpose of this self-imposed hell was not to be touristas, but to photograph the performance events at the Scottish Deerhound Club of America's Centennial National Specialty... (actually, according to the catalog, the first national specialty was onlyh in 1965, but the club's been around since 1906). I also wanted to make another trip to the Frankenmuth Brewery.. an excellent microbrewery and pub, overlooking the Cass River.

But, I digress... I was shooting the ASFA lure coursing trial when this altercation broke out (precipitated by a misunderstanding in the previous corner)


When I looked at the image.. it reminded me of something. Something very much like this:



Not exactly like this, but I couldn't find an image on the web to match what I was thinking of.. at any rate, picture fighting Chinese dragons. It was brief, but loud, and intense. Cooler heads prevaled and both dogs were dismissed to sit in the corner and think about their transgression.

If you like Scottish Deerhounds (and who wouldn't?), there are lots more images of them (behaving themselves for the most part) on our website, and if you want to know who won the various events, you can see them here

I'll leave you with my favorite shot of the whole week, and it doesn't even show a Scottish Deerhound doing anything... other than getting groomed prior to the big Parade of Champions on Saturday. I just like the way my new Nikon SB600 flash lit up the piper perfectly.

Therapy Dogs

"Therapy dogs" carry infectious diseases. They're brought into some hospitals to put patients in a better mood, but a study says 80 percent of the dogs have infections that could spread to humans, including salmonella and drug-resistant E. coli."

So goes the opening paragraph in today's Human Nature column by William Saletan at slate.com. Read the rest here, including links to past Human Nature columns about dogs- including how tasty they are.

More Great Journalism

Yet another positive piece on live coursing. The backlash against the wacko's may be in full swing. Thanks again to Steve Bodio's Querencia blog via friend Margory in California, keeping the faith.

Ultimate Cellular Service

This has been driving me crazy. Can anyone tell me why Jack Bauer's cell phone never needs a battery charge, and never goes out of range? Even when he's 2 miles under the earth's surface? How many any time minutes do you suppose he has?

The Dog Press Fights Back!

This article was just posted to a number of dog lists. Imagine... balanced reporting on a subject like live coursing! KGO in San Francisco should be so ethical. Now, if the author, M. J. Nelson would have given me the photo credit I'd be a hell of a lot happier with the article.

...And then there's the thousand dollar mint julep.

Ready to sit on the edge of your seat tomorrow to watch the Kentucky Derby? Then read this article, then ask yourself why. A different take on the race, to make you think. But I suppose we'll watch anyway.

More of Margaret's Pictures.. as promised.

These were all taken at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.. on a day while I was off hunting with Fanny about 30 miles away.

Self Portrait 

The Biggest Penis

We were enroute from Crown Point to St Louis, and decided to stop for the evening at one of our favorite stops... Prairie Pines Campground in Rantoul, IL; a very nice city-owned campground. Nice amenities, including huge, private shower rooms. Rantoul also has a pretty good Mexican restaurant- Sol Azteca. That wasn't what it was called last year, but the change in ownership had no effect on the Camarones a la Diabla. As hot and tasty as they were the last time.

Rantoul is also the home of a friend; a successful Urbana retailer... shoes and orthotics. He's had a '65 Shelby Cobra for a couple of years, which he really enjoys. But when I called to invite him to dinner at Sol Azteca, he had news. Big news. The Cobra is on the block. He's purchased something more... um, more. He said he should cruise by the campground in it. I asked what... the new Shelby GT500 Mustang? No, he said, more than that. I said not a GT!?!? Yup.

So here is the ultimate phallic symbol. 550 supercharged, intercooled horsepower; a top speed somewhere north of 200mph (although our friend will admit to only 145... so far). The engine is a work of art. The interior, positively cocoonish. The body... well, see for yourself. All the cues from the legendary GT40 that smoked the Ferraris at LeMans in the '60s are there. It's just 4 inches taller; right about even with my hips at 44 inches.

We spent a good 45 minutes, looking over the beast, and taking these pictures (and believe me, this is a small sample). A local guy stopped and asked permission "to drool". He kept congratulating our friend, and shaking his hand... like, did he just plunk down 160 large on transportation, or did he win the Power Ball lottery?

Anyway... we were too hungry to take a ride last night (!!!???), but we're on the next time we pass through the area, and call ahead.... yeah; steaks on the grille and 100mph+ joy rides on the back roads. Does life get any better? Oh, probably, but what's wrong with the occasional indulgence? 

John Lennon Would Love It!

While not as poignant, or serious as My Strange Nation, "I'm The Decider" is certainly a hilarious parody. But where can one get off calling Bush the "egghead". I thought eggheads were brainy.

Death Wish?

Is this the dumbest bird in the history of the natural world? Sure, birds fly into windows all the time, you're saying to yourself. But have a listen...

We were in the mud up to our rims at the Boone County fairgrounds, following the BCOSW lure coursing trial over the weekend. We decided to let the ground dry, and see if we could get out on our own without an expensive road service call. So, we spent a couple of nights there.

Around daybreak yesterday, I was awakened by a rapping on the bedroom window. The shades were down, but occasionally I could see a shadow corresponding with the rapping, pulled open the shade, and saw this young robin... not accidently, but purposely attacking the window, which is, not coincidentally, mirrored on the outside. So what he was doing was endlessly attacking his own reflection... which he must have assumed was a rival that had to be driven off at all costs. We began to think he was going to drop dead from exhaustion, but that didn't happen. With only occasional forays out for worms, he kept this up until we left the fairgrounds around 1PM! Now that's what I call a really slow learning curve! And if that's the case, what does that say for Gabriel on the inside? He was there for all those hours as well...

Updates, Updates, Updates

California AB2110

This odious piece of legislation has passed out of committee. I'm not sure when it will come before the full assembly, but people in California are advised to not give up now. It squeaked out on a 4-3 vote, with the bill's sponsor "sitting in" to fill a vacancy and break the tie on her own bill. Interesting.

Also interesting is a reported last minute amendment that will narrow the bill's scope, possibly banning only "competitive" open field coursing. Details are too sketchy now, but if this is true it should be considered a major victory, and probably more than the dumb asses who brought this all on themselves deserve. More here when details are known.


Shot On Site Schedule..

Getting back to the mundane... here's the latest on where we're going to be over the next several weeks..

• April 9 - GLIWA, Racine WI, ASFA trial. Irish Wolfhounds only
• April 15-16 BCOSW, Belvedere IL. ASFA
• April 22-23 WCLCC, Crown Point IN. ASFA
• April 25-29 Irish Wolfhound Club of America National Specialty. ASFA, LGRA, etc.
• May 8-13 Scottish Deerhound Club of America Nat. Specialty. ASFA, LGRA, etc.
• May 20-21 CCRR, Other Breed NOTRA, Carthage, IN
• May 27-28 Unknown
• June 3-4 ASFA International Invitational, Falcon CO
• June 23-25 "Ridgeback Rodeo" somewhere in Pennsylvania..

That's the news for now. See you out and about.

I'm Never Going Hunting Again

This news column by Eric Sharp, the Detroit Free Press outdoors writer, in today's issue, has helped me see the light!

EKOJASTI -- The state Natural Resources Commission voted today, April 1, to impose $1 surcharges on hunting and fishing licenses to help an animal rights group develop nonlethal methods of reducing the state deer herd.

At a special meeting in this Upper Peninsula village, the NRC also voted to ban antlered deer hunting in the eastern UP and create a spears-only zone in Ann Arbor. The ban on antlered hunting was approved in an attempt to increase buck numbers. The spears-only zone was created to learn if the most primitive hunting method can reduce urban deer populations without upsetting vegetarians.

Read the whole thing here.

I can now see clearly that if an entire state, like Michigan, which has a rich heritage of hunting, can make the kind of sacrifices outlined in this article, then I can make my own small sacrifice... So, on this First Day of April, in the year 2006, I make this vow: That I will never again release my hounds on a living animal. I will join P*TA, and the H*US, and will deliver to them the names and contact information of every person I know, (and those I don't, and those I will make up), who hunt with their hounds. I will turn over all of my hunt photos to ABC, CNN, and the above organizations, to be used for the greater purpose of ending worldwide hunting, including the hunt for Osama. I will work for the passage of AB2110 to ban coursing in California, because some coursers in that state have already shown they have the intelligence of a box of jelly donuts- minus the jelly- and shouldn't be allowed out of their houses unattended. That is my solemn vow. You will all thank me some day.