"Are You Still Alive!!??"

Watch this movie, and you'll know why I consider NASCAR to be completely lame. Rally:Real cars, on real roads, going real fast!

Foodies Rejoice!

I recently read a piece in our RV Club magazine about an internet discussion site called chowhound.com . It's a sort of craigslist for food-loving people who want to avoid the Olive Gardens and Appleby's out there.

I was searching for information on our favorite Asheville restaurant, Salsa's, (no web site, but here is the chowhound.com information on it.) It turns out my friend Steve, from Charlotte, didn't steer us wrong 3 years ago when he recommended it. It's the number one recommended Asheville restaurant on chowhound.

But, I digress. For people like us, (and other dog people that travel extensively), it's a great resource. Check it out.

They Really Aren't Just "Fur People".

From New Scientist:

"Last week, researchers gathered at a conference held at the Royal Society in London to hear the latest evidence on how animals interpret the world. One thing is clear: they do not see it the same way we do, and only by accepting that can we learn to care for them better. "The matter of central interest is the animals' own perspective on its quality of life," says James Kirkwood of the Universities Federation for animal Welfare, which co-sponsored the conference with the British Veterinary Association." (Emphasis mine.)

This tidbit is from a very interesting article on current research into the state of animal welfare. It's interesting to find out that what your vet doesn't know can make life miserable for your pet.

Read it all here. And a Hat Tip to Richard H. in Canada.

On the Road Again..

Back to our travels, as we're rushing headlong back to the present! After leaving Niagara, we spent Labor Day Weekend in Ontario, Canada, covering the Great Canadian Triathlon. Other than a disappointing outing at the oval racing, we had an enjoyable time. And so did this little one...



















After returning to Michigan we decided to stop for the night in Lapeer...

DINING TIP: The Blind Fish (no web site), in Lapeer has exceptional seafood and, so I'm told, steaks. Excellent Bloody Mary, (but not as good as mine.) Try the Southwest Grouper- a blend of flavors from chilis to cajun. Yum.

...so we could have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

Following a couple days in Jackson, we were motivated to get to one of our favorite stops of the year, the Wind Chasers Lure Coursing Club's annual Pig Roast. Oh yeah, there were trials, too.

Then it was time for our annual week vacation from sighthounds: The Dog's Camp. Held at the 4H Education Center in Swannanoa (near Asheville), it's worth an entire post in itself. So go get your clickers and treats, and get ready...

The Dog's Camp is fun!

Let's Get Serious for a Minute..

Before I finish up the travelogue, there's something I noticed this year that I wanted to bring up.

We've witnessed a couple of career ending greyhound wrecks this year. One in April in Ohio, and one a couple weeks ago in Racine. In both cases, these were really intense, fast, talented dogs who came by various routes from greyhound kennels or tracks. I really admire people who make a place in their homes for these athletes who may be retired, "downsized" out of a job, or not quite talented enough for the rigors of the track, but excel in the activities of the "outside" world.

But somehow, I question that motivation when these dogs are suddenly unable to play at the amateur level at lure coursing, or racing, or agility, or whatever the chosen recreational pursuit. In both cases, the dogs referred to above were uprooted once again from their routine and re-re-homed. That bothers me. I just don't get it. Help me out.

Had Buffy not been able to hunt following her cruciate injury at a very early age, believe me, she'd still be living with me. Maybe that's just me. Is it worth discussing??

Below the Falls..

Mouth of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario.

And a couple views from Old Fort Niagara.








 

And Now for Something Completely Different.

This is really, uh, really... well..., you judge for yourselves.

TOTH to Cindy... you heretic, you! :)

The Challenge...

Last two Falls pic, I promise. When we go somewhere that's visited by millions of people from all over the world, and photographed by the majority of them, the challenge is to come up with something different.

Did I do it? I don't know, but these are two that I liked.

"Wet" Shots

As promised, from the camera-in-a-baggie.

The "Hurricane Deck". It's amazing how wet you can get.

Whirlwind Time Travel

At the very least, I can post a few appropriate photos from our travels over the last two months. That seems the most I can do, as every time we get on a high speed network, it's at the end of a long day, (or in this case, a long week), and I can barely keep my eyes open, let alone think coherently. So...

Where were we? Oh yes- after the naked art fair, we did a more conventional fair in Monroe Michigan, in conjunction with the River Raisin..

Jazz Festival. Monroe is a very old city at the mouth of the Detroit River, (where it empties into Lake Erie), and is home to one of the largest fleets of charter fishing boats on the Great Lakes. It was also the boyhood home of this famous (or in-famous, depending on your ethnic bent) coursing hound owner:

The jazz was of the "smooth" variety, for which I have little tolerance, but the festival was across the river, so we didn't have to hear much of it. Several very good smaller acts played the gazebo in the town square where the art fair was held, and that kept us entertained through a very productive fair. Note to selves: People with pockets have more money to purchase art!

August was taken up with some racing, and some lure coursing. The weekend before Labor Day, we went to the LCLC trial in the Niagara Falls area. I'll forego the action pictures, with something a whole lot more touristy, as neither of us had spent much time in the past on the American side of the Falls. Our campground, the Four Mile Creek State Campground, was perched on a bluff overlooking Lake Ontario, which gave us some spectacular sunsets..

We hung around for 4 more days after the trial, so we could see the Falls. We did the ultimate Niagara Falls activity (no, we didn't get married!). We took the elevator 175 feet through solid rock to the base of Bridal Veil Falls... we got totally, soaking wet on the "Hurricane Deck", but I got pictures!! Which you'll see in another post, as it appears I've exceeded my alloted file size here.. They're pretty cool, so you won't want to miss 'em!

In Dog Years... I'm 8.58!!

Lookin' good, too.

Note world's largest gyros in background. 

Promises.. promises..

That's all I ever give you readers, isn't it? Maybe tomorrow. Or Thursday... I've got a milestone coming up Thursday.

In the meantime, here's the latest RV rear window graphic from Shot On Site. This, on Greg Cook's vintage '73 FMC gas pusher. Nice rig. Nicer picture. If you've got windows in the back of your vehicle, (and who doesn't?), give us a shout.

Time... and a Signal.

That's what you need to keep regularly posting to a blog. It's what we've been lacking the last couple of weeks. So, just to let regular readers know, we'll be catching up soon. The Lake Country Lure Coursers trials, and several days as touristas in the Niagara Falls area (we did not get married.), the Great Canadian Triathlon and associated events in Ontario, and it just hit me, I never did the piece I wanted to do on the other art fair we did... one with clothes on... in Monroe, MI. (It's even greyhound- deerhound- staghound related. Sort of.)

Meanwhile, here's an interesting image from Lapeer, MI. We're sure we don't know this person; but he sure reminds us of someone! LOL (and will undoubtedly provoke a comment.)