Since 2009, the retirement home of Shot On Site Photography... the source of the finest sighthound performance images in the world. As of August 1, 2022, the blog will become much more photo-centric. Not only will I post images from the homestead in the foothills of the Little Florida Mountains, and surrounding environs, but also tips about shooting, editing, archiving, software, hardware and more. The political rants will become few and far between (but not eliminated! It is 2022 after all!)
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Today's Health Tip
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.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Going... Going...
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.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Panhandling
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...
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Is This Oxymoronic?
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?)
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Speaking of Underwear..
Friday, June 09, 2006
Boxers, Briefs, or.......?
Where to Next...?
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!
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Dan's Latest, Greatest Tee-Shirt Design
Interesting Developments From Across the Pond
Desolation Row
Buffy & Fanny See Gran'pa
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.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
ASFA II - Weekend's Best Images!
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!
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.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Time again to catch up
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.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Life Imitating Art
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.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Therapy Dogs
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.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
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.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Ultimate Cellular Service
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.
Friday, May 05, 2006
...And then there's the thousand dollar mint julep.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
More of Margaret's Pictures.. as promised.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
The Biggest Penis
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?
Thursday, April 20, 2006
John Lennon Would Love It!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
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...
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
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.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
I'm Never Going Hunting Again
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.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Margaret Knows Her Way Around A Camera, Too.
But Margaret's been stretching her photographic legs lately, too, so we'll be posting some of her interesting work here. Much of her stuff is shot from the righthand seat of a moving vehicle,(She shot the "Impeach Bush" yard sign for the previous post). So here's some more from that perspective: These were taken on the mountain south of Jellico, TN on I-75. We were going north and seeing our first snow in nearly 48 months! That would account for the extreme concentration on the part of the driver... I really like the use of negative space in the above shot.. it gives it a feeling of true desolation. (Which is how it felt at the time!)
Will post some of Margaret's good abstract nature work in the future. Watch this space.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Home Sweet Home
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Incest and Vomit and Bestiality Oh My!!
I love Netflix.com. Since many theatre chains refused to book
The Aristocrats, I was only able to see it courtesy of our Netflix subscription. Without going into details that would gross out even the least squeamish of our readers, it's a documentary, produced by Penn Gillette (of Penn & Teller) and Paul Provenza (shown below demonstrating Drew Carey's punchline gesture). It's the deconstruction of a 100 year old Vaudevillian joke, that comedians still tell to each other, (but rarely to the public- when you see the film you'll know why. Film critic David Edelstein says, "If The Aristocrats doesn't shock you, there's something deeply wrong with you. You need to be locked up—now." And that from a positive review!). It features 100 comedians from Robin Williams to Gilbert Gottfried, and from Rita Rudner to Whoopie Goldberg... all putting their own spin on this classic underground joke. My favorite? The special South Park animation sequence; and in a segment you'll have to see*, the joke is told by a mime! There are moments where you'll be asking yourself, "what th....??", and others where you'll be, like Rob Schneider at the Friar's roast of Hugh Hefner, on the floor in gut-busting pain. I guarantee it. I'll let Margaret have the last word.. "It was completely disgusting, but I still enjoyed it". What more do you need? Check it out.
*He was a mime after all...
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Totally Irrelevant Celebration
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Sirs, Lords, Ladies, and all that British Stuff
"Human nature being what it is, people have always wanted baubles and prefixes, and human nature being what it is, these things have often been for sale. After all, the baronetcy, a quaint hereditary knighthood, was devised by King James I in the early 17th century specifically to raise cash. With the advent of electoral politics, it was parties that turned to selling honors—and prime ministers who were beset by importunate wannabes. After Lord Salisbury became prime minister for the first time in 1885, he said that dealing with those aspiring lords or sirs had "been a revelation to me of the baser side of human nature."
That was then. This is now... the article, entitled So You Want to be a Lord: How to buy your way into the British aristocracy, by Geoffrey Wheatcroft (Sir?), covers the latest British scandals involving buying and selling of titles. So now you know the whole story!
War Declared on your Dog!
While I'm on the subject of blogs... there are a few more that I've discovered recently- none more informative or entertaining than this one from New Mexico falconer and houndman, Steve Bodio. His take on the current coursing controversy is enlightening, but you should check out the archives for much, much more. Warning: This site will also make you hungry from time to time. Maybe even hungry enough to try jackrabbit!
Speaking of the coursing controversy in California, there is still time, (although it's running out) to do your part to help Stop the California coursing ban. Note the quote from my Rightwing friend, Bob Jahn (shown here doing his best King of the Hill's Dale Gribble impression). I tend to reject just about all of Bob's politics, but he's spot on here.
The last blog, is my pitiful attempt to counter the gloom and doom. It has nothing to do with dogs, or coursing, or politics. It's Where the Hell is Matt? The journal of full-time globe-trott... er, globe-dancer from Seattle, Matt (Last name not given). He's the guy you may have seen on Ellen, or Good Morning America, or other programs. Wherever in the world he is, he gets someone to film him doing his goofy whiteguy dance. The locations are incredible. Check out the film here. Not only is the blog generally hilarious, but it is educational as well. Well worth a look.
Monday, March 20, 2006
A Different Kind of Writer's Block
Susan Werner
Those of us who despair of our nation's downward spiral to the Right can at least take comfort in the fact that there's someone out there who can voice our despair in a poetic way. And a beautiful voice it is. Give a listen to Susan Werner's My Strange Nation. It gives us hope that the America we learned about in grade school can be returned to US. It's been getting a lot of play on Sirius Disorder. And it's a free download at the website.
That Greyhound "Thingy"
Well, it went off without a hitch. Unless a 1000 yard drag lure that wouldn't work, and a serious leg injury to one dog, and numerous toe injuries to a bunch of others can be considered "hitches". Other than that, I guess it can be considered a rousing success. In fact, just from the numbers alone: 40 entries! it can be considered a rousing success. Organizers are unclear, but they think this is the first time in ASFA history that the Open Stake in greyhounds has had to be split.
We're happy with our little part in the event. That would be Rally's 3rd place finish in the Open Flight A, not the income derived from photographing the event- that would currently stand as the 3rd worst weekend event for us since we took our show permanently on the road. At least it was enough to get gas to get to the next event in Ohio, and there will still be some internet sales, so it might eventually be a financial success as well. One can hope.
One of the delightful surprises of the weekend was meeting, and hearing speak at the banquet, Sir Mark Prescott- the man who rescued the Waterloo Cup from rust and disuse, and wrote an excellent history of the event. He discussed some of the history at the banquet, and gave a cautionary tale on the recent brouhaha about open field coursing in California. Based on what he told us, it's apples and oranges, and he's got nothing of use for us. For instance, it's unlikely that any open field event in the United States will ever draw 100,000 spectators. That was the crowd for a Waterloo Cup in the 1920's!
Meeting a live Knight was interesting, but it's getting old hat. A few years ago in Lexington, KY I met, and had dinner with Sir Terrence Clarke, another notable canine authority. Wha..? What's that? Oh. I didn't know that.. it turns out that "Sir" Mark is not a Knight. He merely inherited the title. I wonder if that's also true of Sir Terrence. Probably. And Sirhan Sirhan as well, I suppose.
Anyway, back to the action. Without going into all the ins and outs, when all was said and done, a whole bunch of hardware, champagne, and fancy big rosettes were handed to my good friends, Mike and Karen Lorenzo, whose Dresda ended up winning the whole shebang. A much anticipated matchup between Dresda (codename: Tweezer; just check that bite!) and Jerry Burrus's Gilda didn't happen as Gilda, AKA: the blackest dog I've ever seen, dislocated a couple of toes in winning the Open Flight A.
And then there was this:
When I first saw it, it was just after a course had been stopped due to equipment malfunction, so I naturally assumed it was the caution flag. No racing to the finish line, and pit lane is closed! I don't know. Margaret finally 'splained it to me.
The Next Events
Leaving the South. I'm insisting it's way too early to head north, but north we will go. This coming weekend, March 25-26, we'll be at Twin Tower Park outside of Fairborn, OH. Then we'll try and get the awning fixed in northern Indiana, known as RV Central. (It was damaged in Georgia back before Christmas.) From there, we'll go to Belvedere, IL for the BCOSW trial. That will be the 1st and 2nd of April. Not sure where next. I'll let you know when we know. There's an Irish Wolfhound specialty there, somewhere. What fun! A mystery!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Today's Observation
Monday, March 06, 2006
Hanging out in Tallahassee
We decided to hang around for a couple of days, waiting for some mail that should have arrived Friday.
Meanwhile, there was the Appalachee Coursing Club trials this past weekend. While the course plans weren't exactly what I was used to from past trials here, I still got some good action. And, as usual, the lunches were first rate.
The Best in Event was won by the greyhound, Donald, owned by Glen and Pam Davis. A relative lure coursing rookie (this might have been his third or fourth trial), he's an accomplished runner. Here, he's shown in his Sunday preliminary run.
The event trophy, is the Robert Nix Memorial Trophy, which was donated by Les Pekarski a couple of years ago. While I only met Robert Nix once, back in 1996, I owe much of what Shot On Site Photography has become to him. Robert is generally considered the father of lure coursing photography. Long before the advent of digital cameras, Robert was shooting events with old, reliable manual Nikons and Leicas, and even though he eschewed photo labs, he always had images to show the very next day. Les recounted yesterday some evenings when he shared a hotel room with Nix where, the bathroom would be unavailble for most of the night because it was turned into a slide processing lab. Here is Les presenting the Robert Nix trophy to Glen Davis.
The other noteworthy happening of the weekend also involved, peripherally, Les, and his wonder whippet Gala. Gala became the first ASFA Veteran LCM3! On top of her previous 20 LCMs, that's an amazing career. Les has computed it out, and Gala (and her running mate, Spy) have each run more than a million yards. You go girl. Here's Gala (muzzle), and Spy running on Saturday.
We're still waiting to see where we're going next weekend. But while we're here, we're going to check out the area. If we find something fun, we'll let you know.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Back To Basics..
This weekend we'll be in Tallahassee for the ACC ASFA lure trial. This is one of my favorite fields to shoot. The course plans always present the hounds a couple of times on each course, so I always get really good action stuff here.
The following weekend, March 11-12, we're either going to be off, enjoying Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, Georgia, or we'll be at the GOGLC trial in Brooksville, FL- this will depend on whether someone from this trial will be at Tallahassee and I can find out if we can go there in the motor home.
March 18 & 19 we will be back at Old Mill Farm in Cartersville, GA for what is being called an "ASFA National Greyhound Specialty", and which I have been referring to in my emails as "that greyhound thingy". This is a good field to run, and we may run Rally if her injured toenail is healed enough, but it's always been problematic for getting good sight angles for action. Back at the year end trials there, I did get an opportunity to shoot from a unique perspective. But Les Pekarski isn't going to bring out the 62 foot lift truck every weekend.
March 25-26 will bring us back up North for the first time since September, and it's a little too early in the season for my tastes, but we'll be at OKIGO's AKC trials in Fairborn, OH, which is another good field for unique action perspectives.
Our future plans also include the Scottish Deerhound Club of America's 100th National Specialty in Frankenmuth, MI in May, and a NOTRA weekend in Carthage, IN, also in May, and we'll be in Falcon, CO for ASFA's International Invitational in June, and this may preclude us from getting to Lexington for the Saluki Specialty.. it will require a long run, using lots of gas! Will depend on how well we do at the II.
Our 4th of July plans are up in the air right now.. we'll either be at the MGA ASFA trial in Metamora, MI or we may go back to Cartersville, as it's some sort of anniversary event, like the 20th or 25th or something.
That's it for now, we'll fill in the blanks as we get closer to April and May events.