It's Good to be Back in Civilization!

Hanging out at Cabela's parking lot in Wheeling, with a good, strong signal for phone and internet. Been out of sight and out of mind in rural Pennsylvania since last Thursday. Shooting dogs at the 2nd "Ridgeback Rodeo". Got some interesting hound action, but the best part about this is that it's held on a private hunting preserve, Scattergun Reserve, and last night I took the opportunity to cruise the fields and woods in one of the off-road golf carts and got some really cool nature stuff, which I'll try to post.

Nothing much else to write; I just wanted to see if I remembered how to do it!

Schedule Note: Lewisville, Indiana this weekend, LGRA race meet. (Rally's oh-so-close to being ready to rock and roll again), and then MGA's first try at a trial in waaaay northern Michigan at a very classy golf and ski resort.. that's the following weekend. And finally we'll be at Racine Kennel Club for the MWCC trials. After that, I may leave Margaret and the Express parked in Franklin, WI, while I drive out to New Mexico to get Kiko. (That's the pup's name if you didn't get around to watching the video.)

Penn & Teller Give You Some Truth About You-Know-Who

This is more preaching to the choir, I know, but it's too entertaining to pass up. Last month I was killing time, perusing Steve Bodio's Querencia and checking out some of his links to favorite blogs. I found this on the Terrierman's blog... so a big H.T. to Terrierman, Patrick Burns. Warning: Not for impressionable kiddies. Language, you know...

The Boy's Been Named!

It's Open!

Not finished, mind you, but open. This is the very fancy, expensive, new Interstate 280 bridge over the Maumee River in Toledo. The Veteran's Glass City Skyway took 2 or 3 years to get to this point, but the cable-stayed bridges are very cool looking.

Shot this through the windshield the other day... don't mind the occasional bug-spatter.

This, That, and the Other Things

This is known as catching up on the odds and ends.

First, I want to tell you about a fun new group that Sally Papin at Windyglen has started up... (and foolishly made me a moderator of!). It's an old fashioned photography club, and anyone can join, (except for those lonely, or bored, young girls who have recently been sending me emailed invitations to look at their pictures). It's called CanineFoto_Boneanza, and you can just go to the link and join up, or you can email me and I'll send you a personal invitation to avoid the red tape. Any (or no) skill level is welcome, as is any equipment level... there's even a member who claims to have made a pinhole camera out of a pumpkin! Join the fun.. this weekend's project is "feet". Run with it. No pun intended.

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Restaurants and food- Well, we've stumbled on another jewel and, unfortunately it's one most of you will never get to unless you come to a BGCC trial near Columbia, KY. It's a bit out of the way, north of town on Hwy 55. It's a Mexican place called ...and it was surp.. no, stunningly good. Jalapeno's good. (If we haven't mentioned it before, Jalapeno's is our favorite Mexican restaurant in Lexington, KY.. we just stopped there the other day, in fact). When Steve said it was "better" than the other Mex place in Columbia I didn't expect much. What we got were Shrimp and Chorizo Nachos, and a plate of shrimp enchiladas... and the shrimp in both entrees were anything but.. shrimpy. Huge, perfectly grilled, tasty. And, as if it weren't perfect enough, it's all 15% off, all day on Wednesdays! I wish I could tell you I enjoyed it with a perfect margarita. Sorry folks... we'd have to travel 40 miles to Lebanon, or 75 miles to Bowling Green to partake in that, or any, alcoholic beverage. As one unaware couple at the trial found out when they inquired about finding the wine section at the IGA, "alcohol is for sinners!" (Insert appropriate ominous music here)

Our other find on this recent trip was during the trials at Old Fort Niagara in New York: Probably the best prepackaged marinade we've ever tasted. On Saturday night we parked the RV along with a dozen or so other folks at a house out in the country. Our host prepared about 40 chicken breasts to go with a potluck dinner on the deck. The number one question from most everyone who wasn't from the area: What is that marinade? Well, it's no secret now, it's Chiavettas. And Margaret picked up 4 gallons of the stuff at Sam's Club on the way out of town. We did discover later that if you marinade say, pork chops in it, and then you get invited to dine on something else that night, and you get back to the pork chops about 3 nights later? The flavor may be a bit too intense for your palate. Just a personal anecdote there. ;)

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Woes- A bit of our Karmic lustre seems to have worn thin lately. Some wear and tear is beginning to show on the Express. We had to have a mobile repair guy come out to Columbia while we were there to help get our rear view monitor to work, and our steps to retract when the ignition is turned on, and to find out why the front air conditioner (in the humid, 90 degree Kentucky Summer) was only putting out a gentle breeze. Then, when we thought we were leaving Kentucky, we suddenly lost almost all our power on the first gentle grade. Flashers on, get to the shoulder, creep up to the crest and over, then everything was fine again... until the next hill. We stopped, called our very good road service provider, found that the only place that could even look at us within 60 miles was 15 miles back down I-75... the way we'd just come. So it was off to Piles Chevrolet, (imagine the joke opportunities lost because it's not a Dodge dealer... think about it) in Williamstown. Two days and 9 bills lighter, with a new fuel pump, we finally left Kentucky. But not before we dunked the Nikon D200 camera and lens into the dog's water bucket; an event too painful to even go into the details here. It is currently undergoing extreme drying in a home made dehumidifier...

CW says to not even try to power it on for at least 10 days. Of course we didn't read the CW until we'd already broken that rule. It may be toast. I may be able to dry out fruit with this thing if it doesn't work out for the camera. :(

Life on the road. Usually it's fun.

A Big Edit.

Photo courtesy Steve Garth

So it's a different color. And a different sex. It's still a Galgo. Wanna make something of it?

We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming.

That Puppy.

The story is nearly ready.. but it needs pictures, and Blogger is having problems uploading images right now. Hopefully we'll have it here by tonight.

UPDATE 1: It's finally done! Just below there.... see it?

The Story.

To get where we are today, I have to go back almost 10 years, when I found this picture..

Image Copyright Doma Vaquera Kennel

..on the internet. I thought, what a magnificent hound! I immediately forwarded the link to the Deerhound list, jokingly stating that here was the way to bring back the red deerhound! That's how my quest for the Galgo Espanol, or Spanish Greyhound began. I found more websites on the breed, most notably The Little Lobitos site, run by Claudia and Thomas in Germany. That was well before the charming critters you see here (click on the link, click on "Puppies", Click on "A" box) were born. I emailed my compliments on the great photographs on their website, one thing led to another, and we were soon in preliminary email discussions on getting a puppy from Germany when Paula was bred.

That process was interrupted when that staghound icon you all know as Buffy the Vampire Slayer became available at the Quad Cities Greyhound Adoption in Illinois. The rest, as they say, is history. Until now.

Last month, at the Saluki specialty in Lexington, KY, many of the folks we hunt with were all abuzz about a new litter of Galgos bred in New Mexico by Chris Mason... that being the reason Chris was not at the specialty.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I received an email from an aquaintance of Chris's in New Mexico, (who also happen to have Galgos). Chris wanted my phone number. I joked that I couldn't imagine what Chris wanted to talk to me about.. could it be she wants to sell me a puppy? I said I was fine waiting for puppies from her Camille, ( one of the finest jackrabbit hunters I've ever seen). I was assured that when she had puppies, one was mine.

Last week, I was sitting in the shade at the BGCC trial while the course was being re-strung (a rare "drag" meet in the East), and my cellphone rang. It was Chris Mason. She said she wanted me to have a puppy, because I "like Galgos". No argument there! The rub is that we're full up in the Express... 4 dogs, a cat, and two humans is about all we can handle. That was going to be my excuse, although the other problem is that we couldn't afford one. We would wait for a Camille puppy.

We chit-chatted, and I innocently asked what she was asking. She said, "I'm asking a thousand dollars a puppy...", and then gave me an offer that was impossible to refuse. Sent me pictures..

(Puppy image by Steve Garth)

..and said "pick one". The brindles and one fawn (not shown) were taken. You could say the puppy came right to us!

She'll hang out in New Mexico until Fall when, if travel plans work out, she will probably make her public "debut" when we're at the ASFA Greyhound thingy in Oklahoma. By then, I hope she'll have a name! Chris has given her a name for now, but she's not stuck with it. I've looked at some Spanish names, and I really like Adelita. We've also just read Larry McMurtry's Buffalo Girls, which is a good name in itself, but one of the main characters is Calamity Jane... another great name. Maybe a new, non-binding, poll will turn up here soon.

That's our story. We're sticking to it.

The Superstitious Would Be in Panic Mode!

Just a little anecdote before I post about the new kid coming...

Today, Friday the 13th, we had lunch at Tray's China Garden restaurant in Columbia, KY. Good place, been there at least 7 years. My fortune cookie was empty! I've never seen that before. And with the tip, our bill came to $13.13!!

Am I worried? Hell no.... bad luck and trouble, I laugh in your fa

Return of the "Longdogs With Pedigrees"

I wish I had a good excuse for not blogging lately... laziness seems so, oh, I don't know, pedestrian as an excuse. I have so much to catch up on, like the return to Wheeling, and Dr. Radcliffe's office... yes, Rally is progressing nicely, and a second visit to Metropolitan Citi Grill proved the excellence of the first trip was no fluke.. I love Chilean Sea Bass!

Anyway, there were so many other things I wanted to post I can't remember half of them... a Penn & Teller bit from YouTube, and several other things. But this news supercedes it all. Someone's coming to live with us...

Story to follow.....

Where I Spent the Week

 

Well.... where else would you park the "Express"?

Fun Site.

But any more bits of information like this, and life will lose a little more of its fun.

VideoJug:

Caption This!

Fun image from the Kentuky Horse Park. Send your captions!

UPDATE: I thought this piece was humorously relevant.

IIt's Over.

And the winner of the 2007, American Sighthound Field Association's International Invitational is......(drum roll... rat a tat tat tat rat a tat tat tat..... etc.)...
Not Sailor. (But he was the Gillette winner!).

The winner, in the eyes of the judges (which is all that really counts),

Was the Whippet, Ember.

Congratulations to all who ran fast and safely, and a "well done" to the Minnesota clubs who put on a stellar event. The gauntlet's down for next year's organizers, whoever they end up being.

See? Margaret was afraid I was going to editorialize a little too much. I think it was just right.

The First Day Of the II

Rain was in the forecast, but it didn't happen. At least not until the trial was over. Then it rained. With a vengeance. Probably got 2 inches of heavy, heavy rain. So what if it proved the "water resistance" of our brand new EZ Up was a joke. It didn't effect the trial which, despite the wailing of the cassandras who didn't even bother to show up, went off without a hitch. The people who were here were determined to have a good time, and a good time was had by all. In fact, I'm guessing most people are happy that the grumps stayed home (you know who you are.. I don't, but I've been assured you do). The clubs who put this event on have done a great job.. I'd say better than last year's event.

Meanwhile, the sky has cleared, we've relaxed with our single malt to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs, and it looks like tomorrow morning will break as clear and sunny as this morning. And with the truncated entry, it looks like we'll be able to get out of here early and make it to Lexington on Tuesday for the Saluki specialty.

Oh yeah... and I got hit by a whippet today. I'll post the last picture I took before I said "Oh F*ck" when I get it loaded on this computer. My knee hurts.

Update 1. Ah, there it is...

Y'know.. I think right about this point he was saying it, too!

First Day at the II

It's the premier event of the year for ASFA. The "International Invitational". Say it loud, say it proud. And international it is. We're parked on one side of a driveway... that driveway will represent the Detroit River. On the other side of the driveway are no less than 6 vehicles sporting Ontario, Canada license plates. We must be in Michigan! But no! We're in Minnesota! Which also shares a border with Ontario.. it's a really big province!

Anyway, this is not about borders, or Canadians. It's about dogs. And while a whole lot of dog owners have chosen not to come to Minnesota for ASFA's premier event, the ones who are here are determined to have a good time.

We arrived yesterday afternoon. We were really early, and enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep at the Dakota County Fairgrounds. Tonight we're surrounded by the aforementioned Canadians, plus Virginians, Wisconsonians, Michiganders, and the occasional Arkansans and FIBs from Illinois. (Ask your mother). Not to mention dozens and dozens of Minnesotans. We had a good free dinner tonight of fried chicken, and good Minnesota wild rice (I love Minnesota wild rice!), and some really rich brownies.. So far, so good..

Many of the people who chose not to come did so based on the fields... considering them "too small". Based on the reconnoitering I've done so far, the fields look fine. The smallest of the two fields has a course over 1000 yards, and it's not cramped. The large lilac (or whatever plant it is) in the middle of the course is really going to separate the dogs who pay attention from those than don't. It should be quite entertaining. Especially if any of the dogs stop to pick up one of the thousands of chicken bones left over from last weekend's Hmong chicken food fight. Apparently the Hmong don't believe in dumpsters, having a more primitive outlook on eating. Unfortunately, I'm not shooting at this field.

I'll instead, be at the field that most recently hosted the World War III of paintball massacres. There are literally thousands of unexploded paintballs in the field. Walking through the field in a haphazard manner will leave you looking like this hapless soul...

....I can't wait to see how the white dogs look after a run through this minefield.

Anyway, that's it from Farmington, MN... and if it seems as if I'm rambling more than usual, well... 3 margaritas will do it every time.

Oh Nooo!

I had no idea my eschewing beer would lead to this drastic change in the marketplace. I feel so guilty. Well... it's Todd's fault too! =)

This Week's Scary Image.

Is this the scariest bridge in the US? I can't say, not having crossed every bridge in the US... but this one tops my personal list! Just look at this sucker... it's what I'd call an "over/under" design, only instead of the usual 2, or 4 lanes above and below, this is a single lane, as it crosses the Missouri River between Nebraska and Yankton, South Dakota, (hometown, apparently, of Tom Brokaw).

It's not exactly a wide lane, either. Add our high profile vehicle, and a strong, gusty wind coming from the West (our Left), and you've got a recipe for white knuckle driving.

This was the second time we'd ever crossed this bridge, and it wasn't any more fun than the first time.




Images by Margaret, from the co-captain chair.

"Home"

Everywhere we go, someone invariably asks, "So, where do you guys call home?". Well, here it is. Really. This is 411 N. 6th Street, Emery, South Dakota, 57332. Our "home" has been in Emery for nearly 4 years now. We've been here exactly three times, most recently this afternoon. Picked up the mail, and we're on our way to Minnesota for the II. See some of you there!

Soggy II

Here's a fun image, typical of the entire field.. on Saturday.. 16 hours before the 3+ inches that fell on Sunday morning. This was what was left from the Thursday and Friday rain. But doesn't include today's rain. Does "soggy" make sense now?