Super Wide

Finally got the lens I've coveted for over a year. I would have had it long ago if Nikon would have anticipated the hit they had on their hands. The lens covers the range of super wide angle, 18mm, to telephoto, 200mm, thus replacing a couple of lenses in the bag. In addition to the astounding range, it also has vibration reduction... so I can handhold shots at slow shutter speeds I would have formerly had to use a tripod for.

This above shot is Sandia, on the loose, and having fun. Shot at the 18mm setting, this image has been cropped about 40%, and the puppy was only about 3 feet from the front of the lens, which accounts for the little bit of distortion.

And how good is the VR? This shot was taken in the Express, at 1/2.5 seconds... hand held. Other than cropping so you can see the detail, this picture hasn't been sharpened with Picasa editor. It is as it was. Click the image to enlarge and look at the detail around the eyes. Pretty cool. It helps when you can catch the subject in an abnormally pensive... and still... moment.

And the best difference between the 18-200 and the giant 80-200 f2.8 I've been using for the last 4 years is that it weighs almost nothing.. probably almost 2 pounds less I have to carry around all weekend. I love it!

And that's how you foist more puppy pictures on the unsuspecting public without boring them to death.

Recall...

....Needs a little work.

Yes.. he was being called here. He's developing an independent streak.

Shakey Jake.

Every small town... and Ann Arbor was once a small town... has unique, special characters. From the early 70's and beyond, that character was Shakey Jake Wood, street person extraordinaire.

Word reached us today that Jake died on Sunday. He was 82. Maybe.

I have a picture I took of Jake in 1974, at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival- In Exile. (It was held in Windsor, Ontario Canada that year). How Jake got over the border, and back, is still a mystery to me. Anyway, the picture shows him hawking the Ann Arbor Sun- the counterculture paper of the day. If I can find the original slide when we attack our storage locker Thursday, I'll scan it and put it up here.

HT to Margaret's son, Tony. RTWT- especially the comments!

"I Brake For Jake".

Incriminating Evidence.

Why yes... we do have a new puppy. How did you know?

Frankly, I'm happy that the boy is reading at such an advanced level. I wish he would do a better job turning the pages.

An Economic Decision

This morning we made a tough decision to forego our originally scheduled event- a LGRA meet with an added ASFA Fun Trial- at Oberlin, OH. Instead we'll be very nearby our Jackson, MI campground, for an AKC trial about 30 miles away.

This wasn't an easy decision. We really hate to make a change- especially a last minute change- once we've posted an event on the blog and at the website. However, we learned that the entry at the race meet and trial would be quite small, while the AKC trial had a good number of pre-entries, including many Junior Courser runs each day. Add to that the fact we can leave the motor home parked where it is, and take the car to the trial, thus putting off buying gas for it until next Friday, and also that I have an early morning VA appointment in Ann Arbor on Monday.. it just made economic sense.

We apologize to the LARC folks, for leaving them in the lurch, and we will return to Oberlin next year. Raisin River Rhodesian Ridgeback Club?? We'll see you tomorrow in Manchester, (where I intend to bug somebody about this club name... as far as I know, the body of water is officially known as the River Raisin. Not the other way around.)

Heinous Crime!

It's not like I enjoy making fun of Georgians... they just seem to bring it on themselves.

The Top Ten Valuable Things I Learned from SPAM.

Number 10: "Out of more than 50 drugstores CanadianPharmacy proved to be the best"

Number 9: "you may be eligible for a $1000 Target Shopping Spree'"

Number 8: "thousands of cars are seized by different Government agencies."

Number 7: "You could find a beautiful home that has been seized by the Government"

Number 6: "The second hand moves JUST like the real ones"

Number 5: "People judge your dick size by your shoes size."

Number 4: "Doesn't matter what is the problem - we have pills to cure everything"

Number 3: "A giant progressive jackpot waits to be grabbed!"

Number 2: "ladies like em big"

...and the NUMBER 1 Valuable Thing I Learned from SPAM:

"the average American has 6-10 undigested meals resting in the colon!"

And you all thought it was just useless clutter.... (SPAM, that is, not the meals resting in your colon.)

Caption?

Why we never miss the Wind Chasers Lure Coursing Club September trial...

Weekend's Best Crash.

Uh Oh...



...and they finished the course.

The Others

With all the fuss over the new puppy, you'd think we didn't have any other dogs. Well... most of you know better.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Test dog extraordinaire! Best described a few years ago by Sandra Moore as "the best fixed broke dawg I ever saw!". And still the prettiest dog on the planet.

UPDATE 1: I'm looking at this, and it reminds me of something. What is it? Wait! That's it!!

All Relative.

Since I posted pictures of Sandia's parents last week.. (or was it the week before?), I thought maybe readers might like to go back another generation to see the grandparents..

Above, is Grandmother "Zanda", and below, Grandfather "Xicot", (the tall, dark, and handsome one in the group- pronounced, "Chico".) Click on the link to see some background information, and a list of European titles... most of which I don't understand. Probably show, racing, and lure coursing, but I'm not sure.
Images courtesy Anke Schute, in the Netherlands. Thanks!

EDIT 1: And, just to close a circle here... When I wrote the story of my Galgo "quest" back in August, I mentioned exchanging emails, back in the late 90's, with the "Little Lobitos" folks in Germany about their pending first litter. Well... it happens that in that first litter was a cute little girl... by the name of Zanda!

Small world. (At least in Europe it is...)

As before.. to view Zanda's puppy picture, click on the link, click on "Puppies", click on the "A" litter, roll your mouse over all the cute puppies until "Abizanda" shows up, then click on that picture. For some reason we can't link directly to a specific page on the website; only the home page.

Nature Finds Us.

We generally don't have to go looking. Case in point, yesterday; we're packing up after the weekend's trials in Hobart, IN. We've had the puppy's travel crate outside all weekend. It makes a nice table/workbench/catch-all. Under all the stuff I find this guy...


He/she had plenty to eat this weekend; the mosquitos were quite horrendous. If I had to guess, I'd call this a Grey Tree Frog. Any amphibian biologists out there want to help out, feel free to jump in. It's about 3 inches long, got some serious grippy toes, and was a dull grey with vibrant black and yellow areas under the arms and legs.

Look closely, and you can see the self-portrait of the photographer in the eye!

If You Have to Ask... You Must be Dick Cheney.

The Question? Are Liberals Smarter?

William Saletan at Slate.Com reports on a study that shows that "Liberals' brains 'are more responsive to informational complexity".

Where's the news there? I knew that. Didn't you know that?

First Rabbit!

But he seems to have a kind of Abu Ghraib attitude about them. Should we be worried?

Who's Yer Daddy?!

You know it's true... nobody works harder to get you a unique, spectacular image of your hounds..

So, where will we be working hard in the upcoming weeks? Why, it's time for a schedule update:

Sept 8-9 WCLCC Hobart, IN ASFA trials (and annual Pig Roast!)

Sept 15-16 LARC Oberlin, OH LGRA racemeet, and ASFA Fun Trial

Sept 22-23 NCC/ASFA Region 6 Invitational, Ravenna, OH

Sept 26-30 LCLC Romulus, NY ASFA & AKC Events

That's it for September! Remember, if you just want pictures on a disk, you're cousin Vinnie can handle the job; if you want a Full Time Professional Photographer, offering a comprehensive photographic product list, including: Prints, CD's, CD Slide Shows, Posters, Photo T-Shirts, Mouse Pads, Tiles, Checkbook Covers and Wallets, Cutting Boards, and... and... the list goes on- you get the idea. Call us!

Today's Puppy Pic To Die For.

People wanted more pictures... we're glad to oblige.

Coincidence?

One of today's visitors...

Observation.

You can always tell when we're parked in one place for more than a couple of days, can't you?

New Links

Added a couple of new links on the sidebar. Definitely worth a look as we try to be less sighthound-centric here at the Hare-Brained Express. Patrick Burns has working terriers. He posts sometimes witty, sometimes scathing commentary on all things dog, and other related subjects. He's recently had a couple terrifically entertaining posts on the show dog - working dog dichotomy.

And because gun dogs need representation, too, we have Andrew Campbells Regal Vizsla. He has puppies, too. When you're tired of looking at Galgo Espanol puppie pictures here, click on over to Regal Vizsla and see how the puppies are progressing there! (But for the life of me, I can't imagine why, with a name like Andrew Campbell ,the man doesn't have Scottish Deerhounds!). Andrew also enjoys cycling, and actually admits to being a University of Michigan grad! Welcome.

Embarassing? I'll Give You Embarassing!

One piece about the Michigan-Appalachian State debacle last Saturday, and then I'm done with it.

Yes, I'm a Michigan fan. Margaret, too. We both were born and grew up in Ann Arbor. Margaret's parents are rabid fans.. they not only go to the major sports events, they go to women's gymnastics, softball, baseball, lacrosse, and even field hockey, (the Michigan Women were National Champions a couple years back). My parents were also die-hard fans. My dad worked as an usher at the Big House, and passed the job on to me when he retired back in the 70's. Neither of us attended UM, but when you grow up in "A-Squared" you're either a Michigan fan, or you're the equivalent of some kind of child molester.

So yes. It was embarassing last Saturday as the scores ticked in throughout the afternoon. It was doubly embarassing because I was shooting a trial in Dayton, OH that was rife with incorrigible, hated Buckeye fans... (who were probably secretly thanking whichever deities they believe in that their school wasn't stupid enough to schedule Appalachian State, a move which, win or lose, would have no good come of it).

Very embarassing. Can't say it enough. Nearly as embarassing as, say, going to a high profile National Championship football game and getting bitch-slapped around by a team nobody thought should even be there. (And then, to add insult to injury, to show up at another National Championship game in another major sport just a few short months later, and get bitch-slapped around by the very same school for all the world to see.)

Yup. Last Saturday was almost as embarassing as that. I'd put it at Number 2.

The Queen!

I've written often here about my Scottish Deerhound, "Randir", who turned 11 a couple weeks ago, and I have more to write on the subject. That's an advanced age for a deerhound, especially a male, and the funny thing is he really doesn't know he's old.

Randir's in the minor leagues, however, compared to Megan, a deerhound in Berkshire, UK. Astounding! HT to Ellen B. in Jersey!

Well After All....

...his name is Sandia!

(Photo taken with Motorola Razr phone cam.)

Something Different.

Mom, Dad, and the breeder. That's "Gogal" on the left, "Tuxedo" on the right, and Chris in the center, at the 2007 Dutch Salmon's Pack Hunt. I'll try and put better pics in the album.

Command Performance

For all those clamoring for more pictures.. here's a nice movement/construction image. Just look at those feet! He's going to be about Fanny's size.

One Smart Puppy

Forget everything you've heard about puppies.. especially kennel raised puppies. Here's a 13 week old pup who'd never had a collar on, never been on leash, never been in a crate, never been away from his siblings, etc. etc. etc.

Chris was at work when we left on Sunday, so we had to capture this kid on our own.. the plan was to take the big food dish to the puppy pen. All the puppies follow the bowl into the pen, which is when we were supposed to grab him while he was thinking about food. Well, guess who figured out something was up, and didn't go with all the other puppies? Un huh. Sandia. He stayed back, out of reach, and when I went to get him, he ran back to the garage, where I cornered him under a workbench, and got his collar and leash on.

He then did the "mule" thing, planting all four and refusing to budge. Not wanting to waste time, and he being a small pup, I just picked him up, took him to the van, and unceremoniously pushed him into his crate. We were packed, and ready to go, so Margaret got the gate, and I hit the gas, with Sandia yelping and screaming like he was being murdered. Fanny told him to shut up, in her inimitable fashion. It worked.

By the time we hit Texas, he was sound asleep. We stopped to walk dogs, and found he'd pee'd and pooped in the crate. After cleanup, he went back in without a problem. At our next stop, in Oklahoma, Margaret got him out of a clean, dry crate and walked him, where he pee'd for about 4 minutes, to much great praise. We slept in the van at WalMart Sunday night, but by Monday night we were feeling grubby, and tired and stopped for the night at a motel in Effingham, IL. By this point he'd kept the crate dry for over 30 hours, but hadn't pooped since we left. He promptly took care of that, twice, after getting out of the van... along with another long pee. He was now also walking normally... if you consider normal trying to trip me, or jumping up on me, or stopping to "sit and think" periodically. And most impressively of all, when we went into the room, he leaped onto the spare bed, curled up on the pillow like you see here, and spent the entire night there... next to a coiled telephone cord that would have sorely temped a lesser dog! Dog's not normal!

"I'm Not Gay!"

...My Gaydar says otherwise, you old Log Cabin Republican, you...

Introducing:

TSH WatermelonMan @ Shotonsite. ("Sandia"). Born 5/18/07. This little fellow wasn't originally available, but once he showed signs of getting a wire coat, he was. You don't have to ask us twice! He caught my attention the first time we looked at the pictures. The eyes have it!

Thank You Chris! Watch this space for more pictures... lots more pictures ;-)

Road Trip...

Dateline: Edgewood, NM
Yup. After weeks of trying to finagle ways to get a puppy from NM to wherever we happened to be at the time, we decided we might as well come out ourselves and actually see the live versions, and make our pick.

Wednesday, we dropped off the Express, and the Escape at Done-Right Auto & RV Repair in Mason, MI, hopped in a shiny white Enterprise Rent-A-Van (bare-bones cargo version... no cruise control!), with all the dogs and the cat and began our 1500 mile trip... which we accomplished in 29 mind numbing, and sleep depriving hours.

Finally confronted with puppies in the flesh, which one would we choose? Would it be "Kiko",

the tan boy we picked from the photos when our original pick was deemed to be "not quite right in the feet",

...or would it be "La Adelita",

that very same black and white girl who now seems to have normal feet?

Or would we like another puppy altogether...?

We're leaving tomorrow morning.. hope we've got it figured out by then! As I've said before... stay tuned.

What Are the Odds?

Ironic, isn't it? As I sit in Starbucks, waiting for the MWCC trial pictures to upload to our website, I'm browsing Slate.com, and stumble on this.

Happy Birthday! (Belated)

"Randir", born August 19, 1996. Keep chasin' jacks!

One More from the Sky

Couldn't resist one more overhead shot from the weekend. This is one of our favorites. Jack Helder's "Rev". If you think you've seen every possible view of your dog, think again!

Anniversary

This week marks the 4 year anniversary of Dan and Margaret's "Full Time RV'er" lifestyle... still relative newbies, we've met folks who have been on the road 20 years and more. How many more years will we do it? It's unclear, as the search for land in New Mexico continues. Stay tuned.

Schedule & Travel Updates.

The MGA trial "up North" was a mixed success. It was on the small side, but was actually bigger than we expected. 7 Ibizans?? Better sales on our end would have certainly been a plus. Most of the dogs here we've shot many times before, but with the overhead perspective from the snow-maker tower, they've never been seen like this before! Talk after the trials was to move the date to October next year, during that northern season known as "Fall Color". It should be gorgeous. And when word gets out how beautiful the location is, there should be more folks showing up.

So.. the travel schedule:

This coming weekend we'll be at the Midwest Coursing Club trials at the Racine, WI kennel club field. We'll apparently be sharing southeast Wisconsin real estate with thousands and thousands of Harley H.O.G. members. Motels are booked 50 miles out, and more, and the rates are doubled! If you don't have a place booked already, forget it.

Next week, the Express, in it's seemingly never-ending need for repair, will have to be left at Done Right Auto & RV Repair to have a cracked exhaust manifold replaced. So, we're letting Enterprise "pick us up", we're packing up the dogs, and we're all going to New Mexico to pick up the Galgo puppy. We think we know which one we're getting, but that could change when we get to see all our choices. So forget everything we've written before. ;) This, of course, means we will not be at the LARC LGRA as previously posted.

Labor Day weekend we will be at the OKIGO ASFA trials and fun runs at Twin Towers Park near Dayton, OH.

September 8-9 is the event we never miss! Wind Chasers Lure Coursing Club ASFA trials at Deep River Park, Hobart, Indiana. Pig Roast on Saturday night! MMMMmmmmm!

Monday through Friday, we may be at the Escapees big Fall "Escapade" in Goshen, IN.

I'm not sure what the rest of the month looks like... we will catch a LARC LGRA and fun trial in Oberlin, OH, and the LCLC trials in Romulus, NY. Other dates to be filled in as we know them. And don't forget the LGRA/NOTRA OB Nationals in Carthage, IN the first weekend of October. (Which means we miss the Loomis (NE) Dog Races.... again!)

Cwazy Wabbit!

This one's getting heavy traffic, but maybe some of you haven't seen it yet. HT to Frank Vignieri in New Mexico.

Or: Don't Cross Wanda!

View from the tower.

A Better Perspective

Here's a more telling angle of the field. The course was only 556 yards, but with elevation change of nearly 70 feet in that distance, it would probably equal a 900 yard soccer field course. Today I shot from the snow-maker tower you see on the right hand side. What a perspective, as the dogs ran directly below! Best crash of the year... coming soon!

Up North

To a native Michigander, that means anywhere above the tri-cities of Saginaw-Bay City-Midland. I've extolled the virtues of Northern Michigan previously on these pages, so you know we're happy to be back here. And this time we're here to work!

A few people from the Michigan Gazehound Association thought it would be fun to host a trial way beyond the ordinary latitudes...in fact we're just 2 or 3 miles south of the 45th Parallel. The location for this weekend's trial is a premier golf and ski resort known as Shanty Creek, and the dogs will run from the very top of the place. This is the view from the top floor of the Summit Resort lodge.

This is also the view of the lure coursing field! Dogs better be in shape! Maybe later this week I'll post a shot or two of the action.

Nature Shots of the Weekend

From Scattergun Reserve. Conneautville, PA....
Plant life. Any botanists (amateur or professional) out there know what this is? It was deep in the woods, next to a small pool, and it had no relatives nearby that I could see. A hermit. It sure is red.

Plants and animals... I know this image is kind of cliche'd, but I don't use my macro lens nearly enough. So here it is.

If you like them, I'd look for these and others like them at our Nature and landscape image website .

EDIT: Well, well, well... thanks to reader "Anonymous", we now know that that beautiful red flower above is known as the "Cardinal Flower". You can look, but don't eat it!

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!