Jo Ann's Place

Scotland - Golf for T, Zoo for Me

2011-10-02T16:15:00.001-04:00

One final free day in Edinburgh (outskirts) before flying to Dublin for the Ireland portion of our trip. Since we were to be staying at the Marriott Dalmahoy which is surrounded by their two gorgeous golf courses, Terry planned to play a round of golf that last day in Scotland and I planned to spend the day at the Edinburgh Zoo.

The back of the Marriott Dalmahoy. The hotel purchased a beautiful old estate and turned the mansion into the hotel and the grounds into two 18 hole golf courses. Turn around on the spot and this is what you see:

One of the courses at the Marriott Dalmahoy. Terry was anxious to get out there! Unfortunately for us both, the weather was not the best, rainy. It got better later.

I started out indoors at the zoo. Edinburgh Zoo has a very good reputation, they have a big research program. They have a lot of monkeys, many of which had young babies. I had my camera all ready with the big lens on. Unfortunately, some time early in the day, I changed the setting on the camera without realizing it, as I was taking it in and out from under my coat to protect it from the rain. I learned a valuable lesson, as I don't tend to look at the LCD display as often as I should, so I didn't realize that the camera had been changed to "manual" (with no settings!) until MUCH later. Most of my pictures were ruined - some of which I could tell would have been really good. I had spent quite a bit of time at an outdoor monkey enclosure with great access, lots happening and lots of babies - all of those pictures were useless. Oh well! Could have been much worse, could have happened for the Royal Wedding!!

I did get a few decent pictures though.

Barbary Macaque mother and baby.

Barbary Macaques again, could be a little sharper but I really love the expression on the baby's face. So cute and so human.

My favourite shot. A Victoria Crowned Pigeon. They are big, the size of a female turkey, and really beautiful.

Lilac-breasted Roller.

Green-winged Dove

Chimpanzee contemplating life.

Contemplation over.

Next, the final Scotland post: Scotland - The Dogs!

Scotland - More Royal Wedding!!

2011-09-07T09:41:00.002-04:00

Our one free day in Edinburgh, the most beautiful day weather-wise of our whole vacation also happened to be the day of the Royal Wedding of Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter. Walkable from our hotel...of course we had to go! Forever grateful to Terry for being a sport and standing with me for the day. It was fun!! Original quick post and different pictures can be seen here.

We kept seeing news of the Royal Wedding on TV, but they never mentioned the time. We asked at the front desk of our hotel - you can imagine the glances between themselves - these tourists think they're going to come to the U.K. and see the Queen!! Right! And we really didn't think we would see much, but we wanted to take in the atmosphere anyways. And a super atmosphere it was, people happy and chatting, the police talking to people and everyone in a good mood.

The Church (Canongate Kirk) is behind the trees on the left. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is down the street and around the corner, the Royal family came from that direction. The flags were given out to everyone in the crowd by some tabloid and said "Congratulations Zara and Mike".

The "regular" wedding guests arrived from the opposite direction from the Palace, past us, in Mercedes Benz coaches.

Lots of waiting, but when things happened, they happened quickly! We waited for four hours before the wedding and didn't see a lot and got just a couple of far-away pictures of a few people. Once they were all in the Church, Terry asked if I wanted to leave, but I figured why not wait another hour for the ceremony to finish - probably some of the crowd would go and we could get a better position. Bingo!

After the coaches the next-important guests arrived in black or white Jaguars, also past us.

And more waiting. What did we notice about the police that was different from North American police? None of them were armed (that's a small billy club, not a gun).

Apparently these sniper types with binoculars on the balconies were armed - but I didn't see any guns, and I took some close ups.

My best "pre" wedding picture - the father of the bride, Captain Mark Phillips, ex-husband of Princess Anne. The bride was with him but being on the other side of the car I couldn't see her at all. The Royals arrived in Bentleys from below, coming from the Palace of Holyroodhouse. This girl in the green t-shirt was a champion leaner-over-the-barriers and ruined more than one picture for me! People did leave after everyone was in the Church and that gave us the opportunity to get a much better spot. I totally lucked out diving under people's legs and in a crouched position got pictures of the entire Royal family! I even got elbowed and yelled at by paparazzi. I was praying that no police would step in front and cover the hole I had found for my camera lens, and again, I was lucky.

The Best Man (Iain Balshaw) and Maid of Honour (Dolly Maude).

Flower Girls

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The man holding the door open looks so reverent.

The Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He looks so good for being over 90 years old.

Mother of the bride, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal. She's the only female that got in the far side of the car, giving me a better chance at a picture.

Prince Harry, Will and Kate. I really think those hats are at least partially to protect them from photographers!! I was definitely on the wrong side for the angle of the hats.

Camilla and Prince Charles.

Camilla. Notice how every one of these women are wearing the same nude coloured shoes, with the heel varying depending on their age.

Prince Andrew, Princesses Beatrice (blue) and Eugenie (beige/brown).

The Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, with his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex. I think she looked so attractive, great outfit and super high heels, I love this shot.

Canongate Kirk (kirk means church like loch means lake), where the Wedding took place. When we came back to Edinburgh at the end of our time in Scotland, we were able to visit the Church. It had been closed because of the impending wedding prior to that. The flowers over the front door were leftover from the wedding.

Inside Canongate Kirk facing the altar. I was really surprised how simple and unpretentious this Church was, and also the light blue colour was a surprise. Canongate Kirk is the official kirk of the Palace of Holyroodhouse and of Edinburgh Castle.

This the Royal Pew, in the front to the left of the altar. The sign says "The Royal Pew" and there is a wooden crown on a stand attached to the back of the pew. The pew is closed off on the sides by a velvet rope at both ends.

The pew opposite the Royal pew, to the right of the altar. From left to right, written around the crests is: "Keeper of Holyrood House", "Lord High Constable", "Great Master of the Household", "Lord Lyon King of Arms", "Royal Banner Bearer", "Captain General of the Bodyguard" and "Governor of the Castle".

Looking towards the back of the Church and at the organ above. There were 400 people at the wedding, the Church didn't seem big enough. Cozy and quaint.

It was a super day, one I will never forget!

Scotland - The Borders and Edinburgh

2011-09-04T17:02:00.006-04:00

Our second day tour from Edinburgh was "Rosslyn and the Roman Border" which took us through the border country of Scotland and just across the border of Scotland into England to see Hadrian's Wall.

Rosslyn Chapel - built in the 15th century and widely known now because of the Da Vinci Code. ("Rose line"). Part of the movie was filmed here as well. Really beautiful and ornate (and old!).

The border of Scotland and England. A big rock with Scotland written on one side and England on the other. Scotland does have more markings and flags up as well. There was also a bagpiper here!

Town of Melrose, Scottish borders. Very typical Scottish town - stunningly beautiful and neat as a pin.

Hadrian's Wall. A 73 mile long, 8 foot wide, 10 foot tall wall spanning the width of the country, built by the Romans in AD 122. It took them just SIX years to build this! Stones have been removed from the wall over time. We climbed (and it was a CLIMB) up to the wall at the site of Houseteads fort. Bless our guide who walked up there with us. I would only ever do it once!

The view from the top of the wall.

The HUGE organ just inside the entrance to the museum in Glasgow. We didn't take too many pictures in Glasgow - because there really isn't much to see there. We were so very glad St. Andrews is closer to Edinburgh, which was key to our decision to base ourselves in Edinburgh and so spend a lot of time there. At the end of our stay in Scotland we went on a four day tour that started in Glasgow. We were only in Glasgow one afternoon and night. It's skipable! All museums and art galleries in Scotland (Ireland too for that matter) are FREE so we did take advantage of that. What a great idea to make them free to the public. People really do use them, they were all busy. We were lucky to visit the Glasgow museum when this organ was being played - spectacular!

Ah, Edinburgh. We both agreed that it's our favourite city in the world so far. So much history, so beautiful, so much to do and see. This is Edinburgh Castle - right in the middle of everything (but WAY up), you can see it from everywhere. We had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the castle and this was the view from my seat at our table.

The view over the city from inside the castle grounds. You can easily spend more than one day at the castle.

This is the present day boy's school in Edinburgh that was the inspiration for J.K. Rowling's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Royal Mile, which runs between the Palace of Holyroodhouse at one end to Edinburgh Castle at the other.

Typical shops, etc. on the Royal Mile, this was close to the church where the Royal Wedding took place on July 30, 2011.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's offical residence in Scotland. We didn't have a chance to see inside it as the Queen was there for the Royal Wedding. The Royal Yacht Britannia is also docked in Edinburgh and is also normally open to the public but was unavailable due to the wedding. We'll have to see them both on our next visit!

The view over Edinburgh from Holyrood Park. Edinburgh Castle is in the centre.

St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile.

Inside St. Giles Cathedral.

Scotland - The Highlands

2011-08-24T16:14:00.001-04:00

From our base in Edinburgh we took a couple of day trips, one being to the Highlands (Loch Ness). On our four day bus tour, we also spent two days in the Highlands. Only one stop was the same on the two trips though, which was our favourite little town of Pitlochry so that was fine with us! The Highlands are breathtakingly beautiful!

Little house in the Highlands. The mist on the mountains is typical.

The view where we stopped for lunch in Onich, on Loch Leven.

Me on our boat tour of Loch Ness. It was cold and windy that day but I didn't mind. A bucket list item for me.

The shore of Loch Ness. The Loch is big enough and deep enough to support a Nessie or two. Just huge.

Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness.

A bagpiper at Urquhart Castle. I love bagpipes!!

A farm in the Highlands, sheep in the foreground. Note the waterfall in the mountains behind.

Typical fields with animals (mostly sheep) grazing. Sometimes the fields they are grazing in are almost vertical.

A ram with horns that look like they'd be a bit of a hassle, both for him and anyone having to deal with him. Sheep are everywhere and are left out as there are no predators. There are also cattle and some horses, but mostly sheep. We noticed that the livestock in Scotland all look super healthy and very content. The purple in the picture is thistle.

One of our favourite hotels of the 10 different ones we stayed at on our trip. The Newton Hotel in Nairn. Nairn is close to Inverness.

The shore of the North Sea, a very short walk from our hotel above in Nairn. Too small in the picture to tell, but the dog on the beach is a Springer Spaniel with a full tail. LOTS of purebred dogs in Scotland.

Highland cattle are shaggy beasts with impressive horns, but seem quite gentle. This one and a few others were on the grounds of the Newton Hotel in Nairn.

Had to take a picture of this street sign in Nairn. We wondered what she's doing with her arm...pushing him into traffic??...or?

Houses along the street in Pitlochry, a beautiful little town. I realized I didn't get enough pictures of the Highland towns or of the beautiful Scottish houses, all of which seem to have very impressive gardens. Guess I'll have to go back!

Scottish thistle. Looks better there than in my yard!

Scotland - St. Andrews

2011-08-22T14:39:00.000-04:00

Our 21 day trip to Scotland and Ireland was part do-it-yourself, part day tour and part multi-day tour. This trip was the first time trying out organized bus tours, we did like parts of doing that. The first week though, we discovered Scotland on our own. A very easy country to tour on your own, we totally fell in love with Scotland! In particular the City of Edinburgh (one of my favourites of any country!) St. Andrews and the Highlands.

But first, after arriving in Edinburgh and getting over the time change, we headed out the next morning by train for two days and a night in the golfer's mecca of St. Andrews. Terry was in his element! We stayed in the nicest B&B right near the Old Course. Even besides the golf, what a beautiful town this is.

The first tee and 18th green of the Old Course, St. Andrews. Everyone watches the people teeing off on this historic course. Pressure!

Terry in golfer's paradise.

They have an 18 hole putting green right beside the Old Course which anyone can play for one pound fifty pence! Very popular and a lot of fun, we both played.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, sitting right on the Old Course starting tee.

Terry on the Swilken Bridge. Bucket list item crossed off!

View of St. Andrews and the sea from the Castle Course, one of seven courses in St. Andrews.

A beautiful spot, golf or not.

Cathedral ruins in St. Andrews. Switching religions over the centuries left many cathedrals, churches and abbies in ruins in both Scotland and Ireland. Still incredibly beautiful.

The huge cemetary at the cathedral ruins. Some interesting reading on the grave stones. All of this is near the sea.

University of St. Andrews - one of the oldest in the UK, founded in 1413. Parts of the university are all over the town. Beautiful old buildings! Where Will met Kate of course!

A coffee shop right across the street from the University and where Will and Kate went frequently for coffee. A local told us that while Will was at University in St. Andrews there was an agreement by all in the town to let him "be a boy" and not bother him at all. Now that they are gone though, this small sign is in the window to mark the spot...and for tourists like me to take a picture.

The below are random pictures of a church, houses and a street in St. Andrews, to illustrate how beautiful it is. People here at home think their 30-50 year old houses are old - it's amazing how beautifully fixed up and preserved these centuries-old buildings can be.

Just an "ordinary" church.

Someone's house. All of Scotland was so neat, tidy and clean!

A street in the old town. The chimneys have multiple stacks coming out of them as each and every room in these old houses had a fireplace.

New and old mix without compromise.

Goodbye to a True Gentleman

2011-08-16T13:24:00.000-04:00

We came back from our 21 day trip to Scotland and Ireland to the news that Mason had a critical problem the day before our return (probably a tumour bleed out). Our dog sitter and my sister managed to keep him going long enough for us to try, unsuccessfully, to nurse him back to a reasonable quality of life. Their efforts did give us a chance to say goodbye to our boy.

Mason has been sick for over six months, with good days and bad. Many tests and bloodwork could not pin down exactly what his problem was, which is really frustrating. In the end, we figured it had to be some type of stomach or bowel cancer. He was up and down but did have many more good days than bad. When he would eat, we would feed him all he wanted. Still, keeping the weight on was a struggle.

Terry and I had discussed that we didn't think Mason would overcome whatever it was he had.

Sometimes there is no satisfaction in being right.

These were the last pictures I took of him, from the back porch, on June 30, 2011, his face and front wet from a long drink of water. We knew he probably wouldn't be with us by the end of the year, as each turn for the worse left him that much more compromised and the bounce back was less each time.

We will really miss our handsome and gentle boy. He lives on through his beautiful children and grandkids - when we open puppy pictures we are sent we so often see Mason's "teddy bear" face in them.

This has been a real roller coaster of a year for us.

It is difficult for me to think that we still have three much loved dogs that are older than Mason. All I can do is hope for their continued good health.

Willow Cove's Prize Patrol - February 1, 1999 to August 16, 2011.

We will miss you so much buddy.

Right Time, Right Place

2011-08-06T19:30:00.000-04:00

Just a quickie to share some photos and excitement from Edinburgh, Scotland last week!

First - I am a fan of the Monarchy. New and old. So, when we found ourselves in Edinburgh during the time of the Royal Wedding between Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall, and their wedding day was our only free day, it was a no-brainer for us to try to get a glimpse.

While we weren't willing to camp out or anything like that, we did stand behind the barriers for over five hours ... but unlike many, we were hugely rewarded in a few frantic minutes after the service.

This was the scene. The Church was directly across from the building that is half white (top) and half stone (bottom). The buses with the guests went by us, but the Royals, etc. came up from below.

It was really a lot of fun, we all had commemorative flags to wave that were given out to everyone, we got to know our neighbours well and chatted with the police too, everyone was in a festive mood. Our position wasn't great, but I did manage a bit of a shot of Prince Andrew. We didn't actually "see" anyone else before the service. But, we decided to wait until after the hour long service (what's another hour after four already spent) and that paid off in spades! Positioned right behind some paparazzi who were pretty aggressive, none of my shots of the bride worked out - I'm just too short and they were blocking me off. Terry, however, lifted his little camera and got a few fuzzy pictures of the bride (and groom)!!!

Sometimes a fuzzy picture is worth using!!!

Realizing I wasn't going to get a thing going over or through, I dived under, found a little hole between two photographers, prayed no police or others would step in front and block my vantage point. I started to shoot and didn't stop until all were out of the Church. I was rewarded with pictures of the entire Royal Family and more!! The position I was in was painful and I paid for it with sore legs for a couple of days but it was so worth it!!!!

My best shot of HRH Queen Elizabeth II (Prince Phillip beside her). So exciting!!

Prince Charles and Camilla

Will and Kate, with Harry in the shot at the far left.

One of the most unforgettable days of my life! What an experience.

Much more to come later.

Sitting Pretty

2011-07-20T07:27:00.003-04:00

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

A Class Act

2011-07-15T20:30:00.002-04:00

Shortly after Joan passed away, the President of the Canadian Collie & Shetland Sheepdog Association contacted me to ask if the Club could do a tribute to Joan in their magazine "Bright Eyes and Bushy Tales" to recognize her contributions to the breed. I was very touched by this and of course gave the okay, and also permission to use some photos from Joan's memorial site for the tribute.

Delayed by the postal strike, our complimentary issue arrived in the mail today. Neither Terry, Joan nor I were members of this club at the time of her death, so they were kind enough to mail us a copy of the magazine containing the tribute to Joan. I hadn't said much to Terry about it - I watched today as he read the lovely tribute to his mother in the CC&SSA magazine with tears in his eyes. Her birthday would have been this Sunday, July 17, so the timing is fitting.

It's often the little things that really count. One of the things that meant the most to me was a comment left on Joan's memorial site by a woman that none of us have any idea who she is, that sat next to Joan at the ASSA National in 1988 and remembered Joan all these many years later as a person who chatted to a newbie, shared her knowledge and made her feel welcome. That was Joan in a nutshell. This stranger was touched enough to write a lovely comment on someone she met once - 23 years after the fact.

Thank you, Canadian Collie and Shetland Sheepdog Association, for taking the time to remember someone who made a difference. Your kindness will always be remembered.

The tribute page from Bright Eyes and Bushy Tales, a publication of the Canadian Collie & Shetland Sheepdog Association, can be viewed here:

CC&SSA Tribute in Memory of Joan Pavey

Sheltie Ambassadors

2011-07-11T13:39:00.001-04:00

We love getting pictures and updates on any of the Whitegates Shelties, so we were thrilled with the latest from two girls that are regularly out and about spreading all kinds of great PR for our breed.

Lacie (below) and half sister Jovi (a tri litter sister to our Sugar) were at the Scotiabank CHIN Picnic on the Canada Day long weekend participating in three shows a day and meeting and greeting the crowds (250,000+ in attendance every year).

Each dog performs their "specialty" and of course for Lacie that's skateboarding. Jovi is the weaves champ.

Lacie is pictured on her board at the CHIN picnic at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto. As her owner said, the only thing that would make the picture even better would be some graffitti on the wall for this little street rider!

Lacie looks sooooo much like her dam, our Sizzle - Ch. Whitegates Icy Hot. Lacie is sired by Pop Star.

I'm so proud of them both and their owner. I love it that these girls are out promoting our breed to so many people and having a blast doing it! Not to mention getting our beautiful blue and black Shelties out there for JQP to see and appreciate.

Nice going ladies!

Canada Day

2011-07-01T07:46:00.006-04:00

Happy Canada Day!!

Song & video produced by
Julia Bentley & Andrew Gunadie
London, Ontario, Canada

Close Encounters

2011-06-19T09:38:00.002-04:00

It's unusual for us to see cats around here, since we really don't have any neighbours. So I was surprised to see this little orange and white guy checking out all the birds and critters in our front yard.

While he was staring up at a bird feeder, I noticed he was wearing a collar, so I went out to see if it had owner info on it. Our house is on a highway, so it's no place for someone's cat to be wandering around. What a friendly little guy, he came running right up to me, purring and rubbing on my legs, throwing himself down for a belly rub. His collar was made of reflective material, so his owners have to know he's playing in the road! And while there is a little ring attached to the collar where a tag USED to be, there's no tag there anymore. I'm sure he's no more than 10 months old, really nice temperament, but not only is he running around in a very dangerous area, he's not neutered either.

Reflective collar or not, I hope he's just happened to get out and far from home this one time. He will hopefully find his way back safely, and that will be that. Hopefully he hasn't been dumped "in the country" to try his luck against the coyotes. I'm hoping the collar means someone cares about his welfare at least a bit.

I was totally shocked to look out the window a while later and see the cat and a raccoon within a foot of each other! I had NO idea that a raccoon would just march right up to a cat like that!!!

Some hissing and posturing going on by the cat, the raccoon doesn't seem too worried. I am ready to make a commotion if I have to, but I don't want to startle them into a fight either.

They seem to decide they are okay with each other. A very good thing, as my money would be on the raccoon. I still can't believe it would do this, very glad that rabies is one shot I take seriously and keep mine up to date!! All I could think of is the big puppy pens I would make outside with ex-pens - covered against the birds of prey. Never did I think of this kind of encounter!

The raccoon decides the cat is not worth a tussle. I think this cat's owners would be quite surprised to know what he's up to when he's out wandering!!

I took a risk hoping the cat would get home safely, knowing I would feel horrible if I saw him dead on the road the next day. But he wasn't and there was no sign of him the following day either, so I was hoping that he got home fine and his owners would be more careful with him. I had also decided that if I saw him again, I'd bring him to the animal shelter for his own safety.

Well, he showed up again yesterday while we were working outside. I called him over and didn't he run right up to me and then past me, headed straight for a chipmunk that was at the base of a tree, and didn't he CATCH it and run off with it right in front of us!! I'm very partial to my chipmunks (of which we have a bumper crop this year) so that was pretty horrifying for me!

This cat has to go, he's bad for my front yard critters, who aren't used to predators at all, and it's not safe for him to be running loose around here, not to mention soon to be making kittens that no-one wants. So I took him to the shelter. I felt bad leaving him there, but I would have felt a lot worse if I found him dead on the road and hadn't done anything to help him. His owners have until Thursday to claim him and if they don't - he goes up for adoption. The shelter is new and really nice, they are no-kill so he stays there until he finds another home. I was impressed that the first thing they did was scan him for a microchip (none, of course!). Being a sweetheart and a pretty colour he should go quickly. I think any new owner can't help but be an upgrade for him over his previous owner!!

Montreal Odyssey - Part III - Jo Ann

2011-06-07T21:42:00.010-04:00

Finally getting back to our Montreal odyssey, on to the West Island of Montreal where I grew up. It's been quite some time since I've been to this area so a blast from the past for me. Terry was never familiar with this area so it was all new for him. Lots of good memories again. But, going back has it's pros and cons for sure. I know there are some West Islanders that read this blog, so .... fasten your seatbelts! (ggg) as we go back.

Our house today. My parents were the first owners of this house, newly built in 1962. The mature trees have been cut down, replanted, and matured again at this point. I was across the street taking pictures when a guy came out, saying hi and asking why I was taking pictures of the house, so I was super friendly, turned the charm on, chatted him up, said I had grown up here, my parents were the first owners and owned this house for over 30 years, yada, yada, my room was the room over the garage - was it still cold? The driveway wasn't that wide before, there was a hedge here, this was there, etc. - but he didn't bite. Although he was friendly enough, I did all but ask and didn't get an invitation for a closer look. Terry felt so bad, that we got into his house and not into mine. Never mind, it was more important we got into his at this point. If someone randomly arrived at your house and said they had lived there - would you invite them in? I figure maybe 25% of people would - and most people have said probably even less than that.

This was the only old picture of the house I could dig up - it was when we first moved in and not much in the way of trees yet. I believe the tree that is no more than a sapling attached to a stick above is the same tree in front of the house today. Other trees and foliage have come and gone in the interim. My sister and I are in the doorway here. I was 5 years old when we moved into this house, and lived there until I moved to my first apartment.

Speaking of which - my first apartment in Dorval. Looks pretty much the same. An older building, the rooms were big and the other attraction - dogs were allowed, and more than one was okay too, and lots of grassy areas all around. Not the first place I've chosen because it suited the dogs. It was close to the highway to drive to downtown Montreal to work too.

Lake St. Louis - as can be seen at the end of the street from the door of the apartment building above. Montreal is an island, so you are always close to water. Something you don't always appreciate when you live there. (Lake name pronounced "Lewie" not "Lewis").

Stewart Hall in Pointe Claire. One of my very favourite places. A mansion right on the lake that was donated to the City, it was the Public Library. I loved this place, picking out books every two weeks, the smell of the library, the quiet, the shelves, the gorgeous rooms and stairways. The sheer beauty of this building. I wondered what it would have been like to live in Stewart Hall, as people at one time did.

The back of Stewart Hall, right on Lake St. Louis.

Incredibly, the 50th anniversary of my High School (NOT my class - the school itself) was this same weekend. So, my High School, which was very close to my house, was totally opened up for visitors on the weekend we were there. It's a huge school, taking up an entire city block, so this is part of it. Ecole Secondaire St. Thomas High School. Green and white, green and white, fight, fight, fight!

The halls of St. T. Beat-up lockers and all. Not one single thing has changed about this school. Not one tile, not one piece of linoleum. All of it is 50 years old, except bathroom door graffetti painted over each year for the next batch. Having to use the bathroom, NOTHING has changed with all the same same sayings on the door, and the usual "if you can't spell", "so and so is a ...." and then I saw "LOL" written a couple of times. Okay, that would be new!

The principal's office. Bench on the outside and move to the bench on the inside and then go through the door to face the music. I swear the paint is the same colour. And is that the imprint of my butt on that bench....???

And we ate, we ate. Although we had a couple of upscale meals, the really memorable ones were the "only in Quebec" foods - the smoked meat sandwich at Dunn's that I'm still thinking about, the coleslaw, the fries, the sugar pie (OMG!) and the things we wanted to get and just couldn't stuff enough in - we just might have to go back. On our last night we ate at the Manoir - which has been in Pointe Claire for almost 40 years and was a very popular hang out when I was young. Cheap and excellent. It hasn't changed at all except for the big screen TV's literally every couple of feet and the addition out back. Terry loved it and I sure wish we had something like this here - I might never cook again. How to explain a brasserie, wikipedia does it best:

"In France and the Francophone world, a brasserie is a type of restaurant with a relaxed, upscale setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. The word "brasserie" is also French for brewery and, by extension, "the brewing business". A brasserie can be expected to have professional service, printed menus, and, tradionally, white linen (unlike a bistro which may have none of these). Typically, a brasserie is open every day of the week and serves the same menu all day."

The windmill by Lake St. Louis in Pointe Claire Village that is the symbol for the City of Pointe Claire.

We agreed that we both grew up in great places. And that we both still love "La Belle Province". How could you not?

It's hard to go back, and you can't, really, but ......je me souviens.

It was good.

Congratulations are in Order

2011-06-03T08:00:00.012-04:00

At one time I would have.

Celebrating 8 years smoke free today.

Hummingbird Interlude

2011-06-01T21:56:00.001-04:00

A hummingbird ballet, series of shots on a too dull day that worked out quite well regardless. Pretty good stop-action, wish the lighting had been better, but happy none-the-less. I could watch these little ones forever.

Montreal Odyssey - Part II - Terry

2011-05-28T23:40:00.006-04:00

Most people don't realize that Whitegates was a place - it was Terry's childhood home. It was common years ago to name houses, especially on country properties. Whitegates was named before any kennel name was needed - it was named for it's white gates which were part of the white picket fence in front of the house. Later, when a kennel name was needed, it just made sense to use the house name.

We decided to go see the house, which Terry lived in with his family from 1953 to 1967 - so his whole childhood. This was Joan's favourite house, good times were had here. I was excited to see it!

We headed out over the Champlain Bridge to Richelieu. The house is right on the Richelieu River. A road goes in front, but the strip of land and waterfront directly in front of the house and across the road goes with the house. Terry had not seen the house in the 44 years since he lived there.

When we arrived, the owners were having a yard sale. This was good - it put them outside so we could talk to them. I snapped a few quick shots first. Between our rusty French and the lady of the house's much better English, we managed to make ourselves understood and explained that Terry had grown up in this house, etc., how good it looks, how we were here for his mother's burial, so we wanted see the old house and area, etc., lots of chatting and then she uttered the words I was so hoping to hear: "Do you want to look inside?" DO we!! I still can't get over her generousity, we got a complete tour and she was so nice.

The house as it looks today. This couple has had the house for just two years and they've done a lot of work on it - it looks fabulous. Lots of character and unique features inside and out that have been beautifully preserved. All the hedge, etc. (and the white picket fence) that were in the front are gone.

Whitegates when the Paveys first bought it, they thinned out some of the growth later, like the tree in the corner front. That's Joan in the driveway. Part of the white gate is showing.

Whitegates in winter. Two Collies in the drive!

Part of the living room today.

The fireplace in the living room as it is today.

The Pavey boys sitting in front of the windows as seen in the living room picture above. L-R Chris, Gord, John and Terry.

Terry's Dad Walter in his chair by the same fireplace as above, the mantle and surround were painted white then. The built-ins are gone, and another window is there now. The same wainscoting is still there, painted a contrasting colour now.

Joan in the living room on the other side of the fireplace. The bottom half of the built-in is still there. The wood floors in the house today are the original wood floors. You can see them in both the old and new pictures.

Terry, John and Gord sitting in front of the same fireplace as above.

Part of the kitchen as it is today. It's a really huge room, with a large eat-in part, and and extra sitting room part to the right. Through the door where the piano is straight ahead used to be the dining room - that piano was left by the Paveys when they moved and is still in the house!

Christmas dinner in that dining room as above. Terry is the little one beside Joan.

Part of the kitchen as it is today.

Walter Pavey with three of the boys and a Collie. If Walter were to look to his left, he would be looking at the kitchen as it is seen in the picture just above. L-R John, Collie, Gord, Terry (and Curious George) with Walter. The one and only TV would be in front of them.

The front porch as it is today.

Walter Pavey and three of the boys (John, Terry, Gord) - with one of the pillars of the porch as above behind them.

The side of the house with the garage. The white gate has been preserved between the house and garage.

The boys and Joan standing in front of the same garage in 1958. Chris, Gord, Joan, John and Terry.

The white gates between the house and garage, seen from the back patio. When we showed interest in these the owner of the house said to us that the house used to be called "White Gates". We just about fell over! We hadn't mentioned a thing about this. I don't know how she knew about the name after 44 years and who-knows-how-many owners of the house. Our French/English exchanges weren't good enough to get into those nuances.

The Richelieu river right across the street. REALLY steep to get down there. Someone has built a deck about half way down. This property also belongs to the the house. I couldn't believe how FAST the water is there. Almost rapids. Terry and his brothers swam there all the time growing up, and lots of it unsupervised. That would never happen today - supervised or not! I couldn't believe they swam in that fast water but he said they were all strong swimmers. I guess so! It was that or drown! When we saw white water just down river that they used to ride inner tubes on, I asked him if he remembers any kids drowning in those days, but he doesn't. The stuff we all used to do! We saw guys with special kayaks, gear, helmets, etc. getting ready to take the same rapids the kids used to inner tube on. Things change!

The steps down to the river in the same spot as above back in Terry's day. The dog even got into the action. Terry is at the bottom, Joan at the top.

Terry standing by the house numbers in 2011. We had looked at old pictures of the house before we left Toronto, and we were taken aback when we realized what the house numbers were (he had forgotten). 2's, 0's and 8's have followed us, and especially him, his whole life. Our current phone number is nothing but 2's, 0's and 8's. Our current house number has 8's and 2, last house a 2, last house phone number 292-6808. His current cell has three 8's and two 2's, my current cell is a 2, two 0's and two 8's - you get the picture.

Terry (closest to numbers) standing beside the Whitegates 2008 house numbers (which were on the post by the gate then) in 1955. Fifty-six years between the two pictures, and a lot of memories.

I will never forget the kindness of this woman to let us explore Terry's old house. This was the highlight of our trip and really meant a lot to him and to me.

Next stop - the West Island.

Montreal Odyssey - Part I - Joan

2011-05-26T19:57:00.007-04:00

The long weekend found us making it even a little longer by embarking on a journey back to Montreal. The main purpose of the trip was to attend Terry's mum Joan's inurnment at Mount Royal Cemetery on Friday.

Terry and I both grew up in the Montreal area, him on the South shore and myself on the West Island. We both have very fond memories of Montreal - I have never met anyone who ever lived there that doesn't love this city - what's not to love? Joan loved it too and the fact that she was going to be laid to rest there would have made her very happy.

So the plan was to drive out to St. Sauveur in the Laurentian mountains north of Montreal to stay with Terry's cousin and his wife at their cottage for one night, head in to Montreal for the gathering at the cemetery, then stay at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel downtown for two nights, exploring downtown Montreal and Terry's old house and haunts on the South Shore, before heading out to the West Island to see my old house, school and hang-outs.

Crossing the border into Quebec from Ontario - woo hoo, quite the fancy new sign with "Welcome" in four languages. Really nice, nicest border marker of any Province or State I've seen. AND, no ker-thunk-thunk-thunk change of pavement right at the border anymore either! Smooth transition into the Province.

What a gorgeous "cottage" on the lake Terry's cousin Michael has, great hospitality, great meal, great company. Michael and Cheryl were very close to Joan, so this is a chance for them to say their goodbyes as well. Lots of reminiscing between the four of us.

We drove around Saint-Sauveur the next day before heading into Montreal, what a pretty town. This is the typical huge Catholic church that graces most every Quebec town, even the smallest of villages.

I'd forgotten what real Mountains look like - it was nice to be back in the Laurentians where I spent quite a bit of time as a kid. This is real ski country, and multiple lakes. More built up but still unspoiled.

Mount Royal Cemetery, one of the most beautiful cemeteries in North America, on the North side of the mountain (Mount Royal) that is the center of the City of Montreal. 165 acres of terraced cemetery opened in 1852.

More Mount Royal. Beautiful and peaceful.

Everything went well, although I know I discovered I hadn't healed as well as I thought I had and I know Terry felt the same. A little too much like an old wound being opened. But, we moved forward more quickly this time. I just focused on Joan and how pleased she would have been with this spot, in this place. Fittingly, it was one of the few truly gorgeous, warm and sunny spring days we've had this year.

Our home for two nights, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, largest hotel in the Province. Beside it with all the statues on top is the Basilica-Cathedral Mary Queen of the World.

The Queen Elizabeth hotel was where, 42 years ago (today! May 26, 1969), John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their week long bed-in for peace in this corner suite (rooms 1738-40-42) at the Queen E. They recorded "Give Peace A Chance" in this room. I remember when it happened, as I lived in Montreal at the time and it was big news. I'm not sure when they put the plaque on the door, but I knew I had to get a picture of it!

View from one of the windows in our room, looking towards Old Montreal. The tall black building in the center of the picture is where I was working when I left Montreal, on the 38th Floor, for the legal department of a large shipping company (as in ocean going vessels). I loved that job, best job I ever had. I was there five years and it was really hard to leave it behind. The building is Place Victoria - "Tour de la Bourse" (Stock Exchange Tower).

We decided to walk to Gibbys for dinner, which is a well known restaurant in Old Montreal housed in a 200 year old stable building. This is the courtyard there. It used to be the best spot for an unbelievably excellent meal; although very expensive. Now it's just very expensive, but still packed with people. Sometimes you can't go back!

The next installment catapults us into Terry's past.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

2011-05-16T12:49:00.000-04:00

My favourite photo subjects are definitely birds and animals. There is a challenge to capturing them when you can't dictate positioning or anything else.

This year we've had so many more birds than ever before, and so many different types as well. It's good to see. And hear! Everyone comments on the constant bird song around here.

We've had many, many Purple Finches this year. A very good sign! Up to 4 males and 6 females at one time. Last year we had one pair, and the year before, none. This is a male.

The female Purple Finch. I love this shot.

Toronto's bird - the Blue Jay. We have an incredible number of these this year as well.

White-throated Sparrow.

Another view of the White-throated Sparrow.

An Eastern Towhee. First time I've ever seen this type of bird. I'll have to try harder for a better picture, if I see it again.

A colourful staple, American Goldfinch. Changed over to breeding colours.

A White Crowned Sparrow. Sunning itself in the rare sunshine we've had this year. Longing for some sun like the rest of us!

Our bright and beautiful veteran girl Tiffany at age 12 1/2. I snapped this picture of her on the back porch this weekend while I was sitting there waiting for the Hummingbirds to show up. She is looking just incredible for her age - for any age for that matter! As good as it gets.

Sailing Away - Part II

2011-05-09T09:53:00.004-04:00

The second port was Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Our ship is the one on the far left, white hull. We got to see quite a bit from our bus on the way to our one and only excursion of the trip - a half day at Magen's Bay Beach - supposed to be one of the nicest beaches to be found, and it really was.

Away from the town, a typical view.

Magen's Bay Beach below. The beach and land was donated by a family on the condition that no hotels or condos ever be built there. Really a gorgeous beach with clear water, going out gradually and a plain sandy bottom. Already we had decided that a cruise to sun destinations was not for us, we really missed the water, despite being surrounded by it! The pools on the ship are way too small to be appealing - too many people for the size of them. We had no desire to try them out. This beach was really worth it and we so needed it by then! Most of the time though, I think the cruise ship people get ripped off on what beaches they can easily use when in port. For sun destinations at least, I'll take a good resort any day!

This is a private house on St. Thomas that I thought was just gorgeous. The stonework has green and blue stones interspersed and it just "fit" the surroundings.

I took this picture of a Laughing Gull at the beach - I thought it looked like a comic book character!

Saving the best until last - coming into St. Maarten. This was our favourite port and we would return here to see more of this island.

St. Maarten - Philipsburg. Dutch side of the island. Really beautiful. Seemed more Caribbean than the other two ports.

Beautiful beach, a boardwalk behind it, restaurants/bars on the boardwalk, and two long streets of shopping behind that.

After walking around, checking out the shops and walking most of the boardwalk as well, we decided to sit for a while and people watch. We just had to pick one of the bar/restaurants with seating on the boardwalk - they all were pretty much the same, how to choose which one? Sometimes you just know it when you see it:

Yes, this fits!

And more birds....

We had seen these Brown Boobys (yes, real name) at the beach in Magen's Bay, St. Thomas U.S. V.I. where they would plunge into the water for fish right beside swimmers. They are about half the size of a Pelican and odd looking as the feathers on their heads start behind the eyes. This one was in St. Maarten right beside our ship as we were waiting to pull out, and we watched it wrestle with this fish that seemed too big for it. It lost the fish in the end after a struggle underwater with it.

We saw some brown Pelicans as well - beautiful and prehistoric looking.

It's now over a week since our trip and I'm still having vertigo problems. We had fun, but our instincts were right, cruising isn't for us, at least not for this kind of destination. "They" say the vertigo problems don't always happen to the same people, or can happen even if it's never happened before. All I can say is I'm really ready for the floor to stop moving!!

Sailing Away - Part I

2011-05-04T12:26:00.011-04:00

We're back from a "test cruise" to the Eastern Caribbean, 7 nights, 3 ports. Even though we've travelled a fair bit, we've never had the urge to go on a cruise. We've recently thought about doing a Mediterranean cruise as a way to see many places from one base, but thought we really should try out the experience on a short cruise first. I'm glad we did!

Our home for a week - the new and absolutely beautiful Celebrity Solstice.

Terry always has to have special accommodations while on holidays - it's not necessary for me but it's his thing so I of course go along! I must admit to remembering fondly many of the fabulous rooms we've had on our trips. He booked a Sky Suite for the cruise, plenty spacious in every way. There is a couch, a large bathroom and double closets outside of the picture.

I've outlined in red and pointed out with an arrow our stateroom's balcony on the ship. Port side, aft. Perfect spot to watch stragglers running for our ship or an adjacent ship as the gangway is being taken apart! A popular spectator sport with chants of "run, run, run" from all the decks.

Going by Fort Lauderdale beach on our way out to sea. I was not worried about sea sickness as I've been on several deep sea fishing boats, etc. with no problems. And even though we had rough seas for the first couple of days, I was fine. Terry ditto. However, I've been off the ship since Sunday a.m. (over three days) and I'm still swaying. I've been lurching around the house and sleeping on a moving bed and getting pretty tired of it at this point! I want to get off the boat please! Now I know how poor Netta feels with her minor bouts with vestibular disease. Apparently this can last for a while. A big negative on cruising for me! I'm more than ready for the floor to stop moving. Terry didn't get this after effect at all. Leave it to me to get "land sick"!

Leaving Port Everglades, Florida.

Morning coffee on our balony - a favourite time of the day. So serene to be surrounded by the ocean with no land in sight. I took to watching the flying fish, the only critters that we saw at sea.

At the beginning of the trip we got some of the weather that affected much of the U.S., but within a couple of days we got away from it. You can see rain coming for quite a while at sea.

Pulling into our first port after two days at sea. San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It was nice to see birds again once we got near land. These unusual looking birds were flying around the port area, it is a Magnificent Frigatebird. They are all wings and tail, and have the largest wingspan to body size ratio of any bird.

This picture shows the length of the tail better. Both of these birds are females.

In Old San Juan the buildings are kind of a cross between Havanna, Cuba and New Orleans, LA. I guess it's the Spanish influence common to all three places.

Fort San Cristobal, San Juan. The oldest fort in the New World.

Fort San Cristobal above and a lookout tower below. Definitely effective.

Halt, who goes there?

First Track of the Year

2011-04-12T20:43:00.006-04:00

I finally dragged myself out there and did a track with Sugar. The fields all around our house are still dormant and so aren't too difficult for her to navigate. Later, they'll grow so tall and thick that I can't use them for tracking. Why it's taken me so long to get out there I'm not sure. I know I'm very much a fair weather tracker, and I don't think that's really going to work! You need to track and train in all weather. I could have been tracking for a month or more already. But. I haven't been.

She's right on here, and the field is so short I can use the little flags, no problem.

She did pretty well on her first track in a very long time. Three turns, track of medium length. I didn't age it for very long since it was her first track in quite a while. She got a bit muddled in the middle, but worked it out. Sugar loves being "the one" to be taken out to do things with me. She just turns herself inside out over it all. Makes me feel guilty about not doing it more often with her. She is so game! This weekend I'm going to a tracking seminar. I'm really hoping that will get me motivated, because I sure need it.

Weird and Wonderful !

2011-04-08T22:55:00.000-04:00

We've had several new birds coming here this spring, and I've been trying to figure out what they all are - I find the easiest way is to get a good picture and then use that to identify them later. We've had Common Redpolls (for one day), Pine Siskens (ditto), a lone House Finch and for about a week now, several Song Sparrows. All of these were first time sightings for me.

I got this pretty good shot of a Song Sparrow, and no sooner did I figure out what it was, when a strange visitor appeared.

The first leucistic bird I've ever seen with my own eyes! I was lucky enough to get several shots of this leucistic Song Sparrow. I wrote a little about leucism here when we saw the leucistic alligator at the New Orleans Aquarium. Leucism can be partial or complete, but is not the same as albinism.

This is a grainy picture of the same bird - it was far away. I used it because from the front, it looks like a normal Song Sparrow (except for that solid white tail sticking out!).

Looking over its shoulder, tail and most wing feathers are solid white, with some white feathers mixed with brown ones on its shoulders. Head is a normal colour.

Really a thrill to see something as rare as this in my own yard!

They're Back

2011-04-07T21:10:00.003-04:00

We haven't seen turkeys around here for a very long time, but some of them obviously survived the winter and they're back again, looking none the worse for wear and scrounging under the bird feeders.

Beautiful feathers...

...with a face only a mother could love (maybe!).

I watched this chipmunk and turkey eating together - so close it looked like she was pecking him. The chipmunk wasn't bothered a bit by her size. Each ignored the other.

Turning tail.

A Big Birthday

2011-04-02T07:35:00.006-04:00

Today our Netta turns 15! It's been a rough winter for her as well as the rest of us, but Spring is slowly trying to take over and things should go much easier for her now. It's no fun watching your dogs grow old. I took these pictures over the last 2-3 days, never feeling satisfied that I was capturing the essence of my old dog. Looking them over though, there were some that were better than I thought. A bi-black is never easy to photograph, she sure was happy to toddle back into the house and to her bed once I decided I had something I could use. I wanted current pictures for her 15th birthday! She is somewhat unkempt as she doesn't much like to be groomed and at her age it's a real trial for her, so we do just the minimum to keep her looking decent, plus nails cut and feet trimmed.

Ch. Shadypines Viennetta at 15.

Netta is still top dog here. She has the kind of strong personality that had her vying for the top spot in the pack almost from the day she arrived here. She had a few ahead of her in line to conquer though, but eventually she moved to the top and has stayed there without challenge. She wasn't particularly nice to the very old dogs when she was younger, and I had to watch her. She would try to take them down if she thought she could. I warned her that some day she'd be the old one and then watch out! She's lucky though, no karma for her, everyone is quite happy to let her keep her position even though any of them could easily best her now. She still asserts herself every now and then, but all are most gracious and just pretend she's still as quick, spry and "bad" as ever, letting the situation diffuse with her dignity intact.

Our beautiful old girl.

A Request

2011-03-31T20:00:00.001-04:00

A friend in California asked me if I could post some pictures of Cardinals, because they don't have Cardinals there and she thinks they're so beautiful. They're a favourite of mine as well, between them and the Chickadees, it's a coin toss. They're really difficult to photograph though, because they're very shy - the most shy of all the birds that come here. It's not easy to get close enough, even from behind a window. The shyness seems to go with the bright colour. A natural defence? So, I considered it a challenge to attempt to get a few decent pictures to post.

Male

Female Very bonded with their mates, super parents, beautiful song and very cute babies. Nothing not to like about these birds!

Had A Little Lamb, Little Lamb, Little Lamb

2011-03-27T17:51:00.001-04:00

We have very good friends we initially met in 1987 when they bought a puppy from us through a newspaper ad. It would have ended there except that dog was lost when he was staying with relatives while they were away, and was never found. They came back to us for another puppy, and we sold them one that "could finish". Would they be interested in having him shown? Finish he did and then came co-owning a bitch, travelling to dog shows together, lots of fun times and a friendship that has lasted for 20 years! It didn't take too long before they realized that conformation wasn't for them though, and Sue really found her niche with herding! They have their own successful herding facility for lessons and clinics. Licenced herding trials are also held there every year. Of course you need the livestock and it's much easier to breed them yourself and that means ..... lambs! This year I finally managed a visit while there were still lambs that were really young!

Some of the sheep, none with lambs, neutered males and females without lambs.

Sue keeps Indian Runner Ducks as well, also used for herding.

An older lamb, still cute but....

Cuter! This guy and his sister below are just over a week old. He is the only coloured lamb on the place this year - I told Sue she should keep him intact and she says she's been thinking about doing that. I just love his colour! He was so relaxed too. Adorable!

Here he is in the stall, you can see why I love his colour! Anything remotely merle, ticked or roan does it for me!

This is his little, and I mean little, sister. She is smaller than normal. Her mother didn't bond with her - when she was born she got stuck somewhere where her mother couldn't easily get to her. Now she doesn't want her and butts her away when she tries to eat so Sue has to pin the mother against the wall so the little one can get to her.

Here she is in the pen....cute OVERLOAD!

Sue's still got a few Shelties and it's always nice seeing the old girls! Both of these girls come down from our Dream and share the long life gene that runs in that family - both these girls are close to 16 years old. This is "Courtney" Ch. Prairieview Coloured By Night who is sired by our BIS Ch. Whitegates Beam Me Up, C.D. and many more titles. I finished Court and she was so much fun to show. She's the dam of Sue's superstar herding Sheltie, Kip.

And this is Dare, Ch. Blueprint's Dare To Dream (herding titles) who is out of our Ch. Whitegates Only In Dreams, a Dream daughter. Dare is still so beautiful. Dare's dam just passed away recently at almost 18 years old, I did a post on her here. Nothing better than the old girls - not even lambs! And a changed course of lives stemming from the simple answering of a newspaper ad.

Signs of Spring

2011-03-21T18:28:00.000-04:00

Sunday was the first day of Spring, and even though it's still overcast all day long, all the snow is gone and there are definite signs of Spring around here.

While the light wasn't great today, that always seems to be the best conditions for the dark coloured birds, animals or dogs. I took this picture of a Common Grackle today, and it doesn't look so common to me. These birds and the Red-winged Blackbirds are one of the first Spring arrivals, and both have appeared.

The chipmunks are awake again! I watched this one gathering bedding of dead leaves and twigs. I think it's too early to be nesting for babies, maybe just refreshing its own bed after a long winter.

And of course, the Robins, the traditional harbingers of Spring.

Okay, not a sign of Spring, these red Squirrels drive us crazy all year long, but now I know why recently this particular feeder is being completely emptied every single day! The feeder is at least 8 to 12 inches from the pole, which has nothing for them to hang onto...these guys can get into anything.

The Cat Thing....

2011-03-18T16:14:00.005-04:00

....is over. After my camera was stolen at the store, I had finally come to a point where I wasn't looking over my shoulder all the time, a little more relaxed. Still, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue, not just because of that, there were other things as well. But, when asked if I would stay on for the month of March, I figured I would give it one more month. That first day in March was a good day, I met a foster person, the store was a little busier, the cats were all good. Done with my shift, I go out to the (almost empty) parking lot to come face to face with the imprint of another car's door in the driver's side door of my brand new, not-had-it's-first-oil-change-yet, car. No note of course! That would be too easy - and too honest! The repair will have to come out of my own pocket and I'm still seeking out estimates, trying to keep it under a grand. Just six weeks of volunteering - camera, car. Expensive cats!

To all who have asked me - NO - I don't have a cat now! I must admit to being overly sensitive when the cashier at the store said to me "Aren't you the cat lady?" (Cringe - No, no, NO!, I'm (so!) NOT the cat lady!). Then the funny look when I explain I don't even have a cat, I have dogs.

One thing I learned - really irresistible cats are quite few and far between and they do tend to go quite quickly (although never as quickly as they should! - people get stuck things that don't matter like sex and colour - just like with dogs). Elmo was by far the best cat, there were two others that I really liked. All males! Having never been around a clowder of cats (I just googled that - I knew it wasn't a herd or a flock - but seriously, I didn't make that up!!) I hadn't really thought about the personalities of males vs. females, but they are a bit like dogs in that the males tend to be more affectionate, even-temperamented and just more endearing. Why is it more people seem to want the females?

Anyway, I feel for the cats because a lot of them are not at all outgoing, they have a lot of disease issues that are especially risky in "clowders", like respiratory things, feline leukemia and feline HIV. Nasty stuff. People are particularly irresponsible with cats for whatever reason and because they seem to survive better than dogs as ferals, it's all a huge problem. Cats really do skew shelter and euthanasia statistics because of shear numbers, disease and adoptability issues. Dogs and cats should be counted and considered separately for the numbers to make any sense.

Terry really likes his volunteering, is still at it and has things on the go but I feel I would be far better off just declaring the same five hour cat time each week as "Whitegates grooming hours" - imagine the spiffy dogs I would have if I just committed the same time to grooming my own dogs?

Yes, for me, charity begins at home.

And remember, a "cat clowder" isn't a soup!

I took a picture of this girl because of her big, bright green eyes. She isn't "wide eyed" or scared, her eyes always look like this. The picture doesn't do the true green colour of them justice (no way I take my new camera anywhere near this store!). I just saw on the rescue site that she has been adopted. Like a lot of the cats, she was not very outgoing but you could tell with time and patience, she would be okay (and she is still a kitten), as long as someone gives her enough of a chance. The missing ear tip is common - if they are from a feral group they are "ear tipped" when they are spayed or neutered so if they can't be tamed enough to be adopted out, they are returned to where they were captured and that way no-one bothers to trap them and bring them in over and over again - they know they've already been altered.

Moving On

2011-03-15T21:05:00.002-04:00

I was going to call this post "Grief". But I changed my mind, because I don't want to get stuck there. I have learned a lot over the past weeks, about myself, about other people. About grief.

I hadn't lost anyone in my life yet that I was as close to as I was to Joan (and that makes me lucky, I know) and I realize she was ready to go and had lived a very long time, but the world will always be a little bit different to me without her in it.

With all the arrangements looked after by others, I sat down and did the memorial site, two days later it was finished. I had never thought about doing something like that, it had never crossed my mind. It just got done. It turned out to be a real comfort to many in the family, particulary those overseas (Switzerland, France) and to her grandson, his wife and three great-grandchildren in Japan (they are all okay). Terry and I are the only "dog people" in Joan's family and the comments left on the site blew the rest of the family away, as they had no idea just how well thought of she was by her friends and peers. And all this approximately 20 years after she had had any real involvement in the dog world. It meant a lot to them. And to us.

Then I sat and wrote my own memories and thoughts and that took another tearful day. It turned out writing and rewriting that piece was as therapeutic for me as doing the site. It helped me a lot.

This year has been a really bad one so far, in big ways, in little ways, every way I turn. So now instead of giving up on the whole year, as I have already been thinking, I am going to think positively that these bad three months are just leading up to better times ahead. So even though bad things seem to keep happening, I'm going to take it and keep getting up, keep moving, hoping that around the next corner the road is going to be much smoother. Please.

Joan with two Collie puppies in 1957.

Joan Pavey

2011-03-06T23:57:00.006-05:00

Our family is saddened by the passing of Joan Pavey on March 5, 2011 at 91 years of age. Terry has lost his mother and I have lost my mother-in-law, good friend and one of the most important persons in my life. We are holding our many fond memories close.

I have set up a memorial page for her here:

http://joanpavey.blogspot.com/

New pictures are still being added to the memorial page as I receive them, so check back to see the latest ones.

Roughie

2011-02-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

The instructor of the photography class said that just because you have a good camera, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll take better pictures, just like having a nice pen won't make you a good writer. While I understand what he was driving at, there are just some things I can do with this camera that I could never do before, no matter how much I wanted to!

After missing some pictures I really wanted to get, I remembered to "stick with what I know" for the important shots. Experiment when it doesn't really matter. Just like using a new grooming product for the very first time at a dog show. You only let that go wrong once!

And so I was rewarded:

What a gorgeous bird! A Rough-legged Hawk, I had never seen one before. I could never get this type of shot in the past, and the good news is, I know I can get even better ones with practice. Birds of prey are challenging to get as they are very wary.

These guys have feathers on their legs right down to their toes, hence their name. Since they breed in the Arctic they need the extra covering. I love the Indian blanket-type pattern underneath.

Ignorance Was Bliss

2011-02-21T14:39:00.007-05:00

The first course on the camera was fine, filled up my head, but it all made sense. I was at the same place as everyone else in the class and looking forward to trying things out. I didn't get a chance to play with the camera at all and the second course was upon me. Too soon. This time I was more than a little lost, and it seems everyone else had had their cameras quite a bit longer than I had. I should have waited.

I came home and took lots of pictures - dogs, birds, landscapes, people - trying out what I thought I might have understood about settings - and didn't like a lot of them. I have to try and figure out where I went wrong, because in most cases I don't know. I liked my ignorant pictures better!

I did get some pictures I quite liked though, so not a total loss. Good thing for digital, I know I wouldn't have the patience to try and figure this out with film. Even with the disappointments, it's still a thrill to be clicking through pictures and hit on one that you instantly love what you see.

A Little Bird

2011-02-19T16:03:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I've been in the mood to open up my blog. The grieving process being what it is, I find I have to go with how I feel and this time that meant just doing the things I had to do. So my camera and my blog have been pretty idle. But, starting to feel better now and so thankful for all the support given to me, especially by all the staff at my vet clinic and my sister and of course Terry, who had his own grieving to do. The remaining dogs have benefited, as I always find I want to spend even more time with them at times like this. I feel a need to keep them as close as I can.

Anyway, the best place to jump back in is where I left off. These three pictures of a Red-breasted Nuthatch were taken with the new camera, while testing it out and before taking the courses. I was really pleased how they turned out.

Looking at it blown up (click on photo) it looks like the bird has a bluish eye. Seems it has a grey-blue eye rim? Pretty.

They are the same size as Black-capped Chickadees. I'm thinking those little etchings on the branch are bird-nail scratches.

These three pictures are all of the same bird, a female. In the male the cap (line above the white stripe above the eye) is black instead of grey like this one. I'm still seeing a blue-grey eye rim on this bird. I'm thinking the males might have black eye rims, I'll have to check the next time I get up close and personal.

It's Something We All Know

2011-02-07T23:02:00.000-05:00

...that life is anything but fair.

Max (and a piece of my heart) - October 8, 2003 - February 7, 2011

Max - May 2010

Baby Max - 4.5 months

Max - July 2009

Rendition

2011-02-06T19:30:00.000-05:00

of a red rodent. This winter, all we have are the red squirrels, I think they outwitted,outplayed and outlasted the grey and black ones. Little, feisty and persistent, they are a challenge sometimes to have around, but beautiful none-the-less. Their brilliant orange red colour is so attractive.

I went to the first of two courses on the new camera. I can say I'm glad I jumped in and did this fooling around with it before attending the class. It was a bit intimidating to find out how little I really know and how much there is to learn. Oh well, I'm happy so far with my pictures and it's all about the journey!

One more small set to post from my sunny day test with the new camera. Sadly, no sunny days since then. I want to try photos of the dogs next. Getting itchy to get out with it again!

Winter Wings

2011-02-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

Finally the sun came out so I could get myself outside and try out the big lens. We all know what it means when the sun shines in January - it's absolutely freezing out. I went out three times, fooling around with different shots, settings, etc. while quickly freezing. Lots to figure out still, haven't done the courses yet either.

These are some of the shots I got, with more to come.

My little favourite.

Downy Woodpecker male. I thought the above two shots quite sharp and showing more feather detail than I've been able to get.

The White-breasted Nuthatch I've been trying to get a picture of forever. This one isn't bad, love the way it shows the feather colouration, will keep trying for a good shot in a more natural setting. This one is a male, on the females the dark colour on the head to the shoulders is more gray.

The American Goldfinches do stick around in the winter, but I don't see very many of them like I do when the weather is nicer. It seems odd to see them in the snow.

Dark-eyed Junco female. The males are a darker shade of charcoal.

My little friend again, bracing against the wind.

A male of the species, often referred to as "good husband" - can be considered rare. Female often found watching him through the window. She can be heard later singing his praises for blasting out two paths across the front lawn for ease of access to bird feeders and picture taking in winter.

Testing, Testing, 1-2-3

2011-02-03T20:23:00.002-05:00

Got the new camera and lenses out of the boxes, set it up, and figuring it out. Reading the manual and taking pictures of stuff on the walls, etc. to test it out. Brighter indoor pictures than the old camera.

My sister came over with her Sheltie, Colby, who is the only dog in his household. Colby and our visitor Amy - who is fine with our dogs but doesn't play with them at all, only with her "sister", just fell in love with him - and vice versa. It was funny to watch. They played outside non-stop for over an hour. She is 8.5 and he is almost 10, but they were like puppies, it was cute. Showing my sister my new camera, I took pictures of these two playing through the living room window and not in great light, just for fun. I was pretty happy how they turned out, considering! These are the first pictures of "something" - not just pointing and shooting at anything to figure it out, that I've taken with my new camera. These were just with the small lens.

A girl who loves him - how great is that! This camera captures action (faster shutter) SO much better than my other one.

Amy the bi-black is a Netta daughter and Colby the sable is a Wild Card son - half brother to Mason.

They kept this up for so long, both of them were exhausted. When they came in the house, Amy snuggled in her bed in the kitchen. When Colby went up to her in her bed, she almost took his head off. You could tell he was totally perplexed - what's up with her?? He kept trying but she showed him every single one of her teeth, all at once.

My sister told him - "It's okay Colby - that's why they call them bitches". Too true!

Out today in the freezing cold (but sunny) with the big lens, will post the results soon.

I think I'm going to like this camera.

Happy 12th Birthday Mason!

2011-02-01T14:04:00.003-05:00

A new month, another senior birthday!

Hard to believe that Mason is 12 years old already. Seems like yesterday that I brought him home for a temporary visit - and here he is firmly one of the pack and turning 12.

His birthday concludes our rash of senior birthdays within one month, Holly turning 13 January 2, Tiffany turning 12 January 4 and now Mason's turn on February 1st. We now have 4 dogs that are 12 years old and older. Except for Netta, all of them would have no trouble passing for younger than their age. Mason could easily pass for about 8 years old. No grey at all on this very black boy.

I will continue to mark the birthdays of our dogs at 10 years old and over, as they are important milestones. Shelties can live to very old ages, as I've posted here in the past, more so than many other breeds. However, when people ask me how long do Shelties live, I always say that anything over 10 years old is a gift, although 13-14 years old is not uncommon. 15 and 16 are doable and happen often enough, but are more rare and I would consider that a very old age. Anything over that is really very notable and not very common, but does happen.

Poeple often comment on "all the oldies" here - yes, I am aware of the heartache down the road for us. I know. But, I love old dogs, mine and anyone else's. So I don't look ahead, I do like they do, take each day as it comes.

Happy 12th, Macey!

I've written quite a lot about Mason and his kids in the past. If you want to read more about him, under Post Index in the sidebar click on his name to bring up all the posts related to him.

Upgrade

2011-01-30T15:37:00.000-05:00

Accomplished!!

CAUTION: Large learning curve ahead.

Many thanks to Peter C. of Laureate for his very helpful advice.

I feel all grown up or something! I'm excited to get started. Signed up for two courses.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?!

Cat Day and a Forced Upgrade

2011-01-26T21:50:00.004-05:00

Cat cuddling (cleaning) day today, I was anxious to see who was still there (Elmo?) and who had been adopted (Elmo?) during the week. Well, two adoptions - way to go Tiger and Paige! And I can't believe Elmo is still there. Just one new cat, a petite, pretty tortoiseshell named Demona. I would be changing that name right quick if it were up to me! She's a pretty colour and not too shy so she'll probably go quickly.

Now out of the 8 cats there, five of them are solid black. It seems it's very similar to dogs, the black ones are more difficult to place. People will pick colour over personality, such a shame as colour should be the very last consideration, if considered at all. It's like buying a car based on colour alone. Does that make any sense? It gets old pretty quick if that fancy coloured cat is no fun to be around!

The volunteers had been worried about Paige's brother Zizu if she got adopted without him, since he is so dependent on her. Well, she is gone and isn't Zizu more bold and less shy without her there! So sometimes kicking that crutch out means they will walk just fine on their own. I was actually able to pet him which I couldn't do before. He is more confident, a big change for the better in him.

I managed not to misplace any cats today, have more of a routine going, but it still takes quite a bit of time to clean the area. The volunteers sometimes leave notes in a big notebook, so I read the notes since the last time I was in. I was chuckling to read from another volunteer "OMG Elmo is the most fantastic cat! What an awesome cat he is. If he is here any longer I will just have to take him home!" So it's not just me. Now I just have to hold out longer than everyone else!

No pictures, (I did take a couple of the new girl Demona and of course Elmo) but my camera (*sniff*) got stolen today at the store. I am somewhat to blame of course. You get a little too comfortable spending three hours in a very quiet store, chatting with the cashier as I was buying two bags of just reduced to "almost free" rawhide, we were comparing deals (she had snapped up some clearance stuff for her dog) when I decided to run back and get the last bag, why not! I left my purchases (and camera in it's bag) up front and didn't the two young guys that came up to the cash just afterward help themselves to my camera. The cashier didn't realize it was mine. Not her fault. I am so naive. People sometimes, really. I hope they enjoy it.

Time to go camera shopping, and an upgrade is definitely in order. A great excuse to get a better camera. I've really come to enjoy photography. I hope I like it as much as I liked the last camera. Like any good blogger, it went everywhere with me and was as comfortable as an old sweatshirt. I miss it already.

In the meantime, I'm charging the batteries in my (very) old cybershot and relying heavily on prose.

Serendipity

2011-01-23T15:00:00.004-05:00

Standing out in the cold trying to get a good picture of a White-breasted Nuthatch. Summer or winter, I can't seem to get a good shot of this bird. There are a couple hanging around this day, so I get lots of chances. Between times, waiting for them to come back, I take pictures of whatever else is there while I wait. Too cold to continue, I'm so sure I've got some great shots of this bird...finally!

When I upload the pictures, there were so many good ones, but not one was of my intended subject. Not one of those turned out. Most of the good shots were of my favourite little bird, the Black-capped Chickadee. So many good ones of them, in fact, I had to really pick and choose to pare it down to just these.

Sometimes you don't get what you want, but it doesn't mean it was time wasted.

A seed between the feet, seed "crumbs" on beak.

Double click to see the tiny tongue.

I'm A Cuddler

2011-01-19T21:20:00.005-05:00

I really am.

A Cat Cuddler that is.

That's my official title, although I'm really much more a cat cleaner, cat caterer and a sometimes cat wrangler.

Yes. I'm a volunteer for a cat rescue. Just one morning a week, I go into the store where the cats are housed for potential adoption, let the cats out, totally clean out and disinfect their enclosures, litter boxes, feed them, water them, change beds and blankets, sweep the floor, and in my leftover time - cuddle with them. Groom them, play with them, etc.

My loving husband got me into this.

"Have you ever thought of volunteering?"

Volunteering!?! Almost everything I do is "volunteer". I'm the loyal servant, chef, spa technician and main cleaner/scrubber/scooper to our dog pack (aka I'm the "pack leader"). I do LOTS of other things too, and no paycheck in sight for any of them. Volunteer....sheesh!

So he e-mails me one of his charity "alerts" (have YOU e-mailed your spouse who is in a different room in the same house?) and it's for a "Cat Cuddler". Hmmmm. Cats. They don't have to come here, I can't bring home any diseases since we don't have a cat, and I'm still doing something to help them out on their way. So I decide to respond.

It's really not like applying for a "real job". I impressed with my first "test" - getting into the small cat room to meet the trainer who is in there with all the cats loose. "Don't let any of them out coming in", she says. Child's play! I have been squeezing through doorways, over gates and through the tiniest of spaces and managing to leave all the animals on the right side for more years than most of these high school kid volunteers have been alive. I slid through that door before a single cat even knows what is going on.

My trainer was great, showed me where everything was, how to clean everything and with what. One small problem, the cats look pretty alike to me, kind of a lot of black ones, for instance. She says I'll get used to it. And remarkably, I do.

They really do a great job with these cats. They are kept very clean and well looked after, all by volunteers, potential homes are screened and everyone hopes they get the best homes possible.

My first night I meet Sasha, a beautiful black cat (not my favourite colour, but by the end of the night, who cares, what a sweetheart he is). Sasha was adopted but his new home never came back to pick him up and no word from them, so he's still there and available. How sad, he's an amazing, affectionate boy who gets along so well. Their loss, that's for sure.

My man Sasha on the top level, Tiger below.

I was on my own for the first time today, and aren't there five new cats, for a total of 9. I didn't feel comfortable enough letting all of them out at the same time, so I did them in groups that I was sure could go together. Besides, FIVE of the nine cats are black like Sasha. It seems that, like dogs, the black ones can be more difficult to place. I'm getting really good at i.d. but don't want to push my luck. I do have to put them all back into the right spots.

I met a new love today, an XL black male cat (I'm sensing a pattern...) named Elmo. WHAT a doll. As outgoing as they come. He looks older but isn't that old according to his info. I loved him.

Elmo chillin' watching me clean his cage. What a love bug. Yes, Elmo likes to be tickled! Actually Elmo likes everyone and everything. This picture shows the little notch torn in his left ear. Little things to remember when you are meeting five solid black cats for the first time!

Endearingly funny looking, Elmo is easy to like. He's really not quite as stubby looking in real life, but yes, he's got a belly .... If this guy lasts there very long, something is really wrong.

Tiger. Another nice guy. Missing half an ear. It's okay, he doesn't need it.

Indigo. (Really? Must be after the bookstore, not the colour). One of the 4 kittens in the condo, new and shy, needs extra cuddling.

Rosalee, another new kitten, a little more forward. She's eyeing my swinging camera strap. Sweet and petite.

The cat condo from the outside after I cleaned it all out and let the occupants roam. Paige in the front, her brother Zizu (all black cat on top shelf), Rosalee and Indigo in the back. All of these guys are 6-8 months old. And act like it. Note to self: close all cupboards as you go, because if you leave them open even for a second you can lose a cat. I was all done and two of the kittens were missing... Man, I am going to get fired! Both were in cupboards whose doors I had closed. Lesson learned!

Since I'm the morning person, I get them when they've been alone the longest so the litter boxes are full and there is more cleaning than for the afternoon person. The very first time I looked at my watch two and a half hours had gone by! And very little cuddling... Maybe I will get faster and be able to spend more one on one time with the cats. The shy ones need work so their chances of adoption are improved (even though big, easygoing Elmo is calling my name..).

The other cages to the left of the condo. That big black blob on the top row, middle - a sleeping Elmo.

So we'll see how this goes. I wanted to do something out of the box and a little out of my comfort zone, just to mix things up a bit.

When I was fostering the various newborn kittens for my vet clinic, Terry was quite concerned about it, he was so sure I'd fall in love with one and just have to keep it. So I had to *promise* that I wouldn't do that. Under no circumstances would I keep one of those kittens.

So I asked him now, since he's the one that put me onto this cat cuddler job, isn't he worried I'll fall in love with one (Elmo) of these cats (Elmo) and (Elmo) want to (or Sasha) adopt it? Ummm?

Didn't think of that, did ya?

Camp Whitegates

2011-01-09T15:07:00.002-05:00

We have a couple of visitors here for an extended stay, so today we decided to show them around!

Tia the blue merle is Ch. Whitegates Celestial, who left here to live in a "dream home" when we decided we wouldn't be breeding Shelties anymore. An amazing dog, she was really hard to part with, but we felt it was best for her in the long run. "Amy" the bi-black is a Netta daughter who has been living in said "dream home" since she was 8 weeks old.

The girls have fit in really well (as long as Tia stays OFF Tiffany's couch) and are very relaxed. One of the best things about this breed has to be their ability to get along with each other so well, strangers to each other or not.

We have snow here again, a "just right" amount, so we took the whole troupe on a walk.

Tia dashing through the snow! Tia is by BIS/BISS Am./Can./Jap. Ch. Pop Star SS Of Northern Farm ex Laureate Nuance.

Amy playing with her "sister" Tia. Tia plays with everybody but having been an "only child" for so long, Amy is most comfortable really letting her hair down with her own sister. It's nice to have another black one around! Amy is by Am. Ch. Shamont Lasting Impression ex Ch. Shadypines Viennetta, from the only black-to-black breeding I ever did.

Roxy, Sizzle and Tia, the social butterfly.

Even the matriarch, Netta, came along for the entire walk. She will be 15 years old in 3 months.

Sizzle and Roxy. Sizzle seems to be in on all the action, she's the one that's game for anything at all!

Tia and Sizzle showing 'em that blues are rocket fast!

Mason keeping an eye on his expanded harem!

An Even Dozen

2011-01-04T08:42:00.002-05:00

January is a big month in this family for birthdays, both two legged and four. Today we're celebrating Tiffany's 12th!

We bought her sight unseen at 11 weeks old (the only baby puppy we ever brought in, our usual practice when adding from the outside is to purchase an older puppy or more often, an adult. She is also the only dog we ever purchased that we had never seen in the flesh, just a short video clip. So much for following our own advice!). She was delivered to us by friends who were coming to town for a show. We met them there, and picked up Tiffany in the parking lot. It was dark already so we couldn't really get a good look at her. When we got home, we set her crate down and opened the door. Out she came and before she could take two steps, Terry had scooped her up in his arms and exclaimed "we're keeping this one!!!".

She was gorgeous from day one and while she went through some stages and was not a puppy flyer (although she did do a bit of puppy winning, including a Specialty BOW and BPISS), she just continued to fulfill everything we saw in her on that first day. As Tiffany was growing up I could be overheard to say that she was going to be a star, that this one would be remembered, this one was special. I'm not one to "jinx" things by verbalizing them, but it turns out I was right this time! I was that sure. She reminds us every day what excellence is.

Tiffany has a very special connection with Terry (he is the only person she will kiss, she has never kissed me). In his eyes she can do no wrong, and I guess she might say the same about him. Every single day she will jump up on the couch between us, kiss and cuddle with him, leaving me with the other end of her!

BIS/BISS Am./Can. Ch. Laureate Fifth Avenue on her couch.

While Tiffany is still our most energetic and bouncy senior, she has always enjoyed her comforts including her very own colour-coordinated leather couch. She is happiest with Terry at one end of it and her at the other.

May she grace her couch and our lives for MANY years to come!

Lucky 13

2011-01-02T11:31:00.005-05:00

My adorable heart dog, Holly, is 13 years old today! I just can't believe it and I'm okay to just STOP! right here. She is doing really well, looks great, same personality that makes me just want to clone her. Well, we did clone her in some ways, her granddaughter Sugar is about as close as you can get, and makes the "heart dog" list for BOTH Terry and I.

My Holly is all I ever wanted, from the day she bounced into the world at over 10 oz. to this day, she and I just hit it off. She's my girl who follows me around all day. (And who I regularly trip over!). Showing her was a treat, she ALWAYS gave me 150%.

Am./Can. Ch. Whitegates Tinsel Town - "Holly" finishing her American Championship at age 2 years, with a Best of Breed win.

Holly was from our first bi to bi breeding. I saw "Monroe" (Am./Can. Ch. Akirene's Aramis Bi Barkley ROM/ROMC) and his WB daughter at the Chicago ASSA National, and I knew I had to breed Netta to him. Terry wasn't overly keen on a bi to bi breeding... but agreed to it and later when he got to see Monroe, just fell in love with the dog.

Holly winning her second of three majors en route to her U.S. title. "Big hair" Holly could be shown all 12 months of the year, and actually looked better out of coat like in this photo.

The family this summer. Netta on the left, mother of Holly who is next to her, Holly's daughter Sizzle and Sugar on the end, the 4th generation.

The four generations again in the same order. Holly beside her bi-black mother Netta, then Sizzle (one of our best) and then her daughter and Holly's granddaughter, Sugar.

If I could stop time right now, I would. Happy 13th birthday to the Queen of this household!

Another Year Over, A New One Just Begun

2011-01-01T14:49:00.004-05:00

New Year's is not a big deal for me. Isn't every day the start of a New Year? But I think reflection is good, how can you know where you are going if you don't know where you've been...and all that. I am not a New Year's resolution type of person either. I do better when I just continuously try to improve, try to tweak. Experiment. Keep and discard. Learn new things. Eliminate the negative and concentrate on the positive. Do things that make me happy. Try not to get stuck in one time or place doing the same thing over and over like some skipping record or personal perpetual "Groundhog Day".

2010 overall was a very good year. We had an unforgettable trip to Egypt in January.

We did not lose one of our own personal dogs in 2010. With the senior citizen's home we have going here, that is something to be very thankful for!

All of our close friends and relatives (and us) enjoyed a pretty good year health-wise. Some problems, but good outcomes so far. Another reason to celebrate.

Life is never all good, of course. Joan has slipped further away from us in 2010, and that makes us sad. But we still have her, so, in accordance with my new-as-of-2010 mantra - "it could always be worse". Whenever something bad happens, thinking that, repeating that over and over, helps me get to the other side. Because, no matter what, it could always be worse!

Sugar and I ventured into tracking this year! A totally new and different activity for us both, and a new and refreshing community of people. I am still a bit of a fair weather tracker (okay, a lot of a fair weather tracker!), but enjoying doing something "out of the box" and 100% new to me. I couldn't have a better little partner to track with than I have, either.

I was privileged to be able to show our beautiful Tiffany at some Specialty shows this past year, and looking back, realized she WON five Specialties just in 2010! I am acutely aware of how lucky I am to be able to do this with an 11 year old (12 in 3 days!) dog. Tiffany has been a winner since she stepped out of her crate at 11 weeks old and into our kitchen and hearts. Winning Specialties since puppyhood and continuing, it's been icing on the cake for quite a while, and that icing is thick! Looking into that face has spoiled me for life, I'm afraid!

I judged the Sweepstakes at the Canadian National, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Being the first event, when I was done I was able to relax and take in the rest of the show with my friends! Truly the definition of having my cake and eating it too....!!

I sat ringside at a U.S. Specialty at the end of the year, and did not see a single bitch in the Winners class that I thought was worthy of a Specialty major. And it was not because the judge made a mistake and left one that was deserving behind. That was a sad first for me. Luckily that was not true of the males, but still. It made me feel badly and I haven't been able to forget it. I'm not sure exactly what it means, but it isn't good.

So now on to a New Year. Today it's raining (a lot) and very mild, our snow is almost gone. As it is we've watched a lot of places that normally don't get a lot of snow get clobbered, and while we've had a couple of storms, we've mainly been spared. I know it will find us eventually, but at the moment, here in the Great White North, we're green.

So of course seeing the snow disappear down to the grass I have to run out to scoop in the pouring rain. That's when I do my best thinking/writing. Plus I get the smug satisfaction that only a fellow dog person can understand - of getting absolutely everything up that was missed, the poop that got covered in overnight or surprise snows, what we know is there but can't see. As always, surprised at how much I've missed when I thought I was much more on top of it.

But now it's all done, all gone, fresh again. And we can start new, start over. Square one. Let it snow, bring it on. Happy New Year!!

January 1, 2011. The green, green grass of home!

Remembering

2010-12-27T16:56:00.001-05:00

We heard the sad news that a special girl bred by us, and for a while co-owned by us, passed away recently, just one month short of her 18th birthday. Ch. Whitegates Only In Dreams, "Katie", was another "Dream" daughter. I had written about Dream and her almost 19 year old daughter "Kayla" here. This was a family with many long-lived individuals. (Dream herself lived to be over 16 years old). It's amazing to me that Dream, born in 1985, had a daughter still around and doing well in 2010.

Ch. Whitegates Only In Dreams and me, in 1994 when she finished her Championship. "Katie" was co-owned with good friends of ours and was their first Sheltie bitch. She started out with a road trip to the Canadian National '94 in Nova Scotia where she delighted all of us by winning her Sweeps class as well as her large (9 entries) 12-18 class under judge Barbara Linden. Katie also gave her new owners their first homebred Champion from their (and Katie's) first litter, Ch. Blueprint's Dare To Dream, CGC, HI, FM.

Katie had two litters and then went to live with close family of her owners. She was adored by them for the next 13 years. I know they miss her deeply as she was very much an intregral part of their family. They shared the next two pictures of Katie with me, both taken this past year when Katie was 17.

Katie with one of her girls. In her note to me she said "thank you for being the breeder of my best friend". Well now. How nice is that? In turn, who could have asked for a better life for this dog.

Katie's favourite spot, under the lilac tree in the garden. She doesn't look that much different in this picture at 17 1/2 years old from the show picture above at age 1 1/2 years.

Rest in peace, sweet girl. There sure are many good and happy memories held by a lot of people around this one dog's very long and full life.

Ch. Whitegates Only In Dreams

Am. Ch. Dundee Amos Moses, ROM/ROMC ex BIS/BISS Am./Can. Ch. Whitegates Only Make Believe

January 14, 1993 - December 10, 2010

All I Want For Christmas

2010-12-24T13:29:00.005-05:00

....is food poisoning. Not really, but that's what I got... So a feeble Christmas post this year! Feeling very behind, but feeling better, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!!

Blizzard Birds

2010-12-14T15:52:00.003-05:00

It was just a matter of time before our turn came, after being missed by all the big storms all around us, we've had a lot of snow over the last few days.

I feed the birds all year round, but with the storms, there is a feeding frenzy going on out there now. I keep filling up the feeders and trying to keep them from becoming too clogged with snow. I feel bad for them in this weather but love watching them at the feeders.

My favourite little bird, the Black-capped Chickadee. They gather in the trees and yell at me when I'm putting up the feeders, then get impatient and buzz me, landing on the feeders and me before I've even put them up. So cute!

Chickadees with a lone Red-breasted Nuthatch, jockeying for position on the snow clogged feeder.

Room for one more?

Sharing is fine. This male Downy didn't mind, just stay on your own side!

A new bird for me this year. There have been several of these around the last few days. Sparrow i.d. is tough sometimes, but I lucked out with this one, I started with rusty-capped sparrows, ...check, bill dark above, yellow below, .....yes, the top bill is dark and the bottom is yellow, I've never seen a two-toned beak on a bird before, I wonder if there are others like that?

The last piece of i.d., "single dark spot or "stickpin" on breast". That little smudge on the chest, which they all have. All very unique, too bad whoever named them must have been tired of sparrows that day ..... American Tree Sparrow. Let's see, it's a sparrow, it's in a tree, I'm standing in the U.S. of A...... so named!

Dark-eyed Junco. Birds that are only here in winter, they arrived before the snows. It's nice to see them again but their appearance does mean winter is close behind them. Difficult to get a good picture of them, like trying to take a good picture of a black dog, hard to get the eyes.

Mourning Doves are around here all year long. Even though they see me all the time, they are hard to get close to, except when they are hungry.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch and the female Downy at the suet.

Trying to get snow dog Holly to come in .... she makes a hole, lies in the snow and stays there until you can hardly see her. Must be part Siberian!

Red

2010-12-08T17:02:00.000-05:00

The First Real Snow

2010-12-05T14:42:00.000-05:00

Despite a snowfall on Halloween which promptly melted, we haven't had any real snow yet this year until today. No snow in November at all, just like last year. No matter how late it comes I'm never really ready for it. The dogs are though! They all love it.

Sizzle and Roxy. I took everyone for a romp today, and even Netta pretty much followed along with us, taking just one shortcut. She is getting frail but hanging in there, even flirting with Mason. I'm sure she'll sleep now for the rest of the day! They were all happy to play in the snow.

Our house today. Max stopping to eat some (non yellow) snow.

Now to get the Christmas tree up. Might as well get it up early and enjoy it. I refuse to do anything Christmas related before December 1st though!

Nice to see all the ornaments again after a year. This is my favourite, made for me by my sister, with Netta representing. This one is always front and centre. About the size of the palm of your hand. I love the tiny string of lights. Perfect.

Da Swamp!

2010-11-27T14:01:00.001-05:00

We headed towards Slidell, LA to go on a swamp tour. There are tens of thousands of acres of protected wetlands and the tours are eco tours, they don't feed the animals to bring them out, etc. so you see what you see, and we got really lucky! I didn't expect to see even a quarter of the wildlife that we saw in their natural environment. What a treat!

These first four pictures show the different look to the same general area. In some areas the vegetation on the water is light, in some it's so heavy you can't tell if it's solid land or not, and there are also big stretches of open water.

Open water. When it's really hot (as it is most of the year), they zip the boats through here so people can cool off. Our Cajun guide was fantastic, his name was Ted Gauthier, pronounced by him as "Go-Shay", leaving out the "ts" sound in the middle we are used to! I would bet money we were the only ones in the boat who knew how to actually spell his last name. He used some very French-person-speaking-English expressions that made me jump when I heard them, like "I really like to cook, me". Oh my God! I could be in Quebec. He also used some french expressions while speaking English. Cajun French sounds like french spoken with an American accent or like an English person trying to speak French without the right inflection/accent. As with someone speaking English with a heavy British accent, once you tune into the Cajun French, you could understand every word. I loved the whole area, the whole Cajun thing, the music, the language and the culture. Loved it! Having had the unique opportunity to grow up in one pocket of French in North America, it was great to visit another pocket of French people who evolved over several centuries in a different isolated area. There are differences for sure, but the similarities are amazing.

How beautiful! The boat was wide and flat bottomed (gets shallow in places) with a bench down the middle with a back rest, people sat in two rows (one on each side) facing out. So a perfect, comfortable view for everyone and you could even stand up to take a picture without blocking anybody. It was great!

Vegetation very dense here, but it's all water.

Great White Egret.

This is a Nutria. This one is a baby, if you look to the right, that big butt and part of a body is the mother. They look very much like a beaver, but with a rat tail, and this picture shows that tail. They were brought from South America and farmed for fur and food, but when the bottom fell out of the fur industry the fur farms died out. Lots of these either escaped or were released and are now a big problem to the area, so there is a bounty on them in Louisiana. They are supposed to be really good to eat and good for you, but that has never taken off. Must be that rat tail! This is the "rat" of the Seinfeld "rat hat" episode! I think Nutria sounds like such a fake name, like naugahyde or gortex, I'm sure that didn't help it's case as a fur, either.

Nutria family log home. You can see them in there. The vegetation in front is on water.

One of many alligators we saw. It was great to see them in their natural environment!

Do you see what I see? We saw many like this, some even more submerged. You couldn't pay me to stick my hand in the water, let alone swim in it!

Alligators almost disappeared from Louisiana but are protected now and are back in full force.

Raccoons, really? Everyone on the boat went nuts over the raccoons, Terry was just looking at me like "where do these people live?". And here I am standing up taking pictures of them! I just took two pictures then gave myself a shake and sat back down. Of course, both turned out great!

Gator bait?

Red-eared Slider turtles (and their reflection in the water). There were many of these, it was great to see them in their natural environment too! These are the turtles that were widely sold in pet stores when I was a kid, complete with plastic dish with a plastic palm tree. Thank goodness that doesn't happen anymore. Almost certain death for those babies.

When I worked for a vet when I was younger, someone brought a small one in to be put to sleep. They said there was something wrong with it's shell - translation: "We don't want it and don't know what to do with it". So we took it but the vet couldn't quite figure out how to dispatch it humanely, and he really didn't want to. So it hung out in the back and I would bring food for it. After a while, I took it home. I had it in a large aquarium and soon he was big enough to have a foot on the bottom and his head out the top! After having him for a few years he had outgrown what I could provide for him so I gave him to a reptile buff at work. For all I know "Murray" might still be alive, they can live for decades if treated properly.

Red-eared slider daring a swim....

SO much better than a plastic dish.

This snake was basking on the bank, or what seemed like a bank, I wouldn't want to test it out to see if it was solid ground! They have four poisonous snakes in Louisiana, including water moccasins, so if the alligators aren't enough, another reason to stay out of the water!

A Great Blue Heron! We saw several of these, this one being quite out in the open. We have them around here, but they take some work to find and I've never been able to get an even halfway decent picture of one. It was great to see them up close! They are usually pretty elusive.

A beautiful house right on the bayou. There are many houses in the area that are raised like this one.

I have been listening to Cajun music since I got back, I'm going to drop a few (You Tube) links here for anyone interested in the Acadians (Cajuns), their music, etc. (Mum, you will like these!!)

Cajun Music (even nailing your feet to the floor won't keep them still):

The Balfa Brothers - Parlez Nous A Boire

The Savoy Family Band - Amédée Two Step

Other Stuff:

Spicy Cajun Accents (from American Tongues): Charmingly argumentative older Cajun couple

Cajun comedian Kent Gonsoulin defines "couyon"

The Big Easy

2010-11-23T21:05:00.019-05:00

One question we've been asked by a lot of people is whether there is still a lot of damage evident from Hurricane Katrina. The short answer to that one is no, remarkably, there isn't. If some things hadn't been pointed out to us, we honestly wouldn't have noticed anything at all.

A water mark on one building was pointed out to us. We passed two large schools that were boarded up and have never re-opened after Katrina. The schools were relocated though. I guess the boarded up schools will be torn down eventually. Some stores and a Six Flags Resort have been abandoned and stand that way still.

Most neighbourhoods in heavily flooded areas have been pretty much repaired/rebuilt, although some boarded up houses are evident - maybe people that never came back, or couldn't afford to fix the houses, no insurance or whatever. We did see a FEMA trailer parked on the property of one boarded up house. Apparently there are still some of these in use around the city, five years after Katrina. We couldn't help but notice that there is most definitely a bitterness by residents over how the disaster was handled, or not, by the powers-that-be, and a fierce pride in how well the City has come back, much of it on their own power. I don't know too much about the politics of all that, but however it happened, they have really recovered remarkably well. There are lots of new houses and buildings, and the historic French Quarter was not much affected so those old buildings were luckily not damaged in the first place. Tourism is huge in New Orleans, I don't know how long it took for the tourists to come back. I would imagine that hurt a lot of people. Now however, things look good, the restaurants were full and there was plenty of tourists.

This boat sporting this hand written inscription is parked outside of a museum with a short film on how many of these flat bottomed, wide boats with large motors were used to save many people. It was stressed that these boats were privately owned and voluntarily operated, they were not government or military.

We did do a bus tour one day that took us all over the city and also to a cemetery. The cemeteries are an attraction in New Orleans as they are all above ground in the Spanish style. This is because of the very high water table so what gets buried, doesn't stay buried. Very unique to the U.S. I'm sure, but very similar to the cemeteries in Havanna, Cuba and elsewhere, also with the Spanish influence.

Each of these would belong to a family. Of interest to me was all the French names and also in most cases it would say "Famille Thibodeaux" for example, instead of "Thibodeaux Family".

We also went through the Garden District with many beautiful and different private homes, of which this is one. Some old, some new, so many lovely homes from charming to gorgeous to palatial. New Orleans has streetcars, and one even comes through this area. While streetcars are unusual, we have them in Toronto too, so not so different for us.

We took a harbour cruise on the Steamboat "Natchez". The last true steamboat on the "Mighty Mississippi", and yes, everyone down there actually says that when referring to the river.

The calliope is a fixture on the top of the steamboat, and here it's being played while the steamboat was in port. A calliope is basically a "steam piano", made up of steam whistles. She played quite a few different songs. It was fascinating and definitely a different kind of job! I took a short clip of the sound of it.

We did a side excursion that turned out to be a real highlight, so one more post to come...!

Below Sea Level - New Orleans Aquarium

2010-11-21T16:16:00.009-05:00

We visited the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas which is on the bank of the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans. Not the biggest Aquarium I've ever been to, but very nice exhibits, some quite unique.

I liked some of the pictures I was able to get there.

The Stingrays would swim up on the glass and the underside of them looks so much like another face...the real eyes you can see on top and to the sides, the underside looks like some sort of crying/laughing ghost. Two-faced!

I've always liked Seahorses for whatever reason, and they had more of them than I'd ever seen in one place.

I thought these yellow ones were beautiful.

Then.....you know how when you learn a new word, within the next week or so you hear it spoken, hear it on TV and read it several times? You wonder how you managed to get this far in life without having heard it before?! Well, I had just been reading up on leucism of all things, spent a bit of time on it. Don't I visit New Orleans a few days later, walk around the corner into the alligator exhibit and come face to face with a leucistic alligator! I didn't have to read the sign to know what I was looking at!

So yes, leucistic means white or mostly white. It's a recessive mutation and is not albinism (the eyes, etc. are not red in leucism). The absence of pigment can be complete or partial. If you look closely at this alligator's nose, that spot appears to be a spot of normal pigment. Leucism can occur in any animal, but it seems to me it's just a bit more common in reptiles and birds...which are of course related. Knowing I'm into this kind of thing, a friend had sent me pictures of "spotted" hummingbirds (kind of looked merle!) that were taken here in Southern Ontario, and I figured out they were leucistic. There are quite a few pictures of leucistic birds (and other things) on the internet and I've included this picture of a leucistic Common Grackle below that is "partially" pigmented. I think everyone pretty much knows what a normal Grackle looks like - a plain, completely dark bird!

A leucistic Common Grackle. Notice the normal (glaring yellow) eye colour. This picture is used with permission, I was not lucky enough to see this bird nor take this picture! You can see why you'd think "merle" ... and the leucistic hummingbirds really looked like little merles too.

The white squirrel in a Toronto park they are always talking about on CTV is an albino, you can clearly see the red eyes in pictures that have been taken of it. But in Exeter, Ontario, which is well known for their white squirrels, theirs are leucistic, with the usual dark brown eyes. There are quite a few of them there, compared to a normal population, which would happen when the gene gets concentrated in an area. So watch out for that weird wildlife!

Nemo found....a Clownfish in an Anemone.

Dude!...a Green Turtle.

Close up...nice nostrils!

Moray Eel. I hope I never see one without the glass between us! A muscle with a face and teeth.

Even all kinds of Jellies:

A nice exhibit of Penguins, one of my favourites. We were lucky enough to be there when they were fed so they were very active. This one is an African Penguin. They can only be sexed with a blood test.

FedEx did a lot for the region regarding Hurricane Katrina and this plaque acknowledges their help in moving some of the animals housed at the aquarium. We saw the excellent film "Hurricane On The Bayou" in the Imax theatre and in it the aquarium penguins are being put into 200 size dog crates for their plane ride. They were very good about it!

More NOLA to come....

The Perfect Weekend - Days 2 and 3

2010-11-17T22:43:00.000-05:00

On Friday right after the Georgina show, we headed down to Syracuse, New York for the Central New York Shetland Sheepdog Club's Specialties on Saturday and Sunday. Tiffany was entered in the "really senior" girls Veteran class (11+).

Tiffany is 6 weeks away from turning 12 years old. To be competitive at her age is just amazing. And she is very competitive! Talk about a thrill to be awarded Best of Breed at BOTH of these U.S. Specialty shows with our truly special girl!

Saturday, November 13th, winning her 12th Best in Specialty under judge Nancy Tibben. I love this photo of Tiffany, wish it was better of me, but it's about the dog, after all! The photo above it is same photo cropped down to just Tiffany. Even the sun was shining down on her, perfect lighting. She is looking fabulous!

Sunday, November 14th, winning BISS lucky number 13 under judge Sandra MacIntosh-Feret. I have always wanted to show Tiffany under this judge and finally got the chance. I guess my intuition was right!

What a drive home, even the two hour wait to cross the border didn't take any shine off my perfect weekend. It couldn't get any better!!

The Perfect Weekend - Day 1

2010-11-15T19:22:00.007-05:00

At tracking one day, my instructor brought out her older Sheltie girl (coming up to 9 years old), who is new(er) to her, to track. Knowing she was from the same kennel as our Mira, I asked about her pedigree, as she was quite like Mira, and with the same unusual white marking on the muzzle, I wondered if they shared the same sire (also Sugar's sire). It turns out that their pedigrees are different, even though to me the girls look like they could easily be at least half sisters. Asking more about her, I found out she had 9 points, and needed just a single point to finish her Canadian Championship. Such a pretty girl, and so very sound, what a shame not to get that last point, so we worked it out that I would give her a go to finish her.

Entered on Friday only, as I was planning to go to two Specialties in the U.S. with Tiffany on Saturday and Sunday, what a thrill to not only go Winners Bitch to finish her on our very first attempt, but to also go Best of Breed over a Special and on to a Group 4th. What a nice way to finish this very deserving girl. Lots of very happy people, including me. Such a sound Sheltie, she felt like a feather on the lead. I found out later that she goes back to Am./Can./Jap. Ch. Whitegates Anything U Can Do (winner of the ASSA Futurity 1983) on both sides of her pedigree.

New Champion Aberdale Ciara Black Diamond. By Ch. Aberdale Rhinestone Cowboy ex Ch. Aberdale Diamond Jubilee. I took this picture at the show after the Group, just before racing off home to get Tiffany and head to New York.

The Perfect Weekend will be continued........

N'awlins

2010-11-09T22:32:00.001-05:00

We've just spent several days in New Orleans. What a completely unique place. I was blown away by the French influence, which I knew about, but didn't realize was quite as prevalent as it is. Having been born and raised in Quebec, with the maternal side of my family being French, I'm sure I can see it and feel it more than the average visitor. The French influence was evident everywhere, in the architecture, the food, the religion, the cajun music and the joie de vivre!

French Canadians from Acadia (Canada's Maritime Provinces) - Acadians - were deported and ended up settling in Louisiana in the mid 1700's. These "Acadians" ...the word being morphed into "Cajuns" .... have really flavoured the area with their culture.

Very typical of the French Quarter.

We walked around A LOT, which was a good thing, because I have never had such good food outside of Montreal and Quebec City. I'm still thinking about all the gumbos, jambalaya, the shrimp po'boy and that piece of pecan pie!

Jambalaya!

I was kind of concerned about what the city would be like, but we found it quite safe, if you used common sense. We walked everywhere, day and night, never took a taxi.

We walked around the French Quarter quite a bit, and the houses and restaurants/stores were really pretty. I loved the way a lot of them were painted and thought it would be fun to choose the paint combinations for the outsides. They were all different.

Lots of doors and windows, balconies and wrought iron. Notice how many of the doors have shutters as well.

They are justifiably proud of their New Orleans Saints - there is Saints stuff everywhere, I loved this sign "Geaux Saints".

We had to go to Cafe du Monde of course. It's open 24 hours a day and they are famous for their cafe au lait and beignets, which are square, small donuts. Beigne (pronounced beng) is French for donuts and the "et" is for small (beng-et). Down there though, they pronounce it "Ben-nay".

Okay, so maybe this was the only ? food we had. They were good, but what's with all the icing sugar?! Of course I was wearing black pants! I could think of better uses of the calories (like Pralines!!) The coffee was excellent though.

The thing that really struck me when we arrived was all the fleur-de-lis absolutely everywhere. I don't think you could go two feet without seeing one somewhere. Wrought iron fleur-de-lis, jewelry, on signs, licence plates, on all the Saints stuff, literature, decals, cop cars, everywhere.

In the French Quarter at night.....

Yes, even on the garbage cans!

Many streets with French names, like Iberville, Toulouse, Chartres, Carondelet, etc. Some French names get anglicized over time, like Magazine Street, which was originally "rue Magasin" (magasin being French for store)...turned into Magazine Street, based on the spelling alone.

This place on Bourbon Street is named after a French lullaby "Fais Do Do" (pronounced dough dough) - which means "Go to Sleep". My Mum used to sing this lullaby to us all the time when we were little. A small world.

Jackson Square. Very Southern feel to it, usually musicians are out playing jazz. The "guy on the horse" is Andrew Jackson, the face on the U.S. $20 bill. The church is St. Louis Cathedral, and on the inside especially, very like the many beautiful cathedrals in Quebec. Taking this picture, the Mississippi is just behind my back.

Lots of dogs walking around with their owners, pit bulls are a common sight, although we did see quite a few different breeds. All were really well behaved. I couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign in the window of a store in the French Quarter:

More to come, y'all...

Seriously?

2010-10-31T12:54:00.001-04:00

Merry Chr.......I mean Happy Halloween!

The view at our house today, somehow snow on Halloween is just...not right...

Hopefully it won't last!

Urban Tracking

2010-10-29T20:43:00.000-04:00

In my continuing quest to learn more about the world of the tracking dog, I went to the CKC Urban Tracking tests held last Sunday. What a shame to wake up to pouring rain and wind, the worst conditions for Urban. Urban Tracking is similar to Variable Surface Tracking in the U.S., but there are two titles available, Urban Tracking Dog (UTD) and Urban Tracking Dog Excellent (UTDX). Earning all of the four titles (TD, TDX, UTD and UTDX) gives you the Tracking Championship. No surprise that there has only been 12 Tracking Championships awarded in Canada so far. None are Shelties. T'ain't easy!!!

While rain can be good for regular tracking, Urban tracking is done on short grass and pavement. You can imagine how long a footstep scent lasts on asphalt when it's raining and how faint it must be once the track has aged the required 3 hour minimum (maximum five hours) in the rain. Wind is no help in any kind of tracking.

The track for UDTX is not less than 600 metres up to 750 metres (6 - 7.5 football fields in length), with surface changes and turns. It's just awe inspiring what these dogs can do, and the years of effort and training required.

I'm glad I went, can't believe I stood outside in that weather for so long, but it was really fascinating. Of the 7 dogs entered (4 UTD and 3 UTDX), one UTD dog passed. Of the 7 entries, 5 were German Shepherds, one Sheltie and one Lab.

A really good try by everyone, I can't even imagine doing this!!

The lone qualifier, a super working German Shepherd, new UTD!

My instructor and her Sheltie, with the backdrop of Lake Ontario. It was very, very windy off the lake on this hill. Very tough.

A super working German Shepherd at the UDTX level who was oh-so-close to qualifying. The judge and the tracklayer follow behind.

The same dog as above, nearing an article. Three articles are to be found on a UTDX track.

I was impressed!!

Fall Tracking

2010-10-23T22:12:00.004-04:00

I've been trying to squeeze in as much tracking as I can with Sugar this fall, with the nice weather we've been having.

She's coming along not too badly, we're working on lengthening the track, drastically reducing food drops (only one per leg and one on the corner). A "food drop" for her is one penny sized disk of hot dog...she might find it, she might not. She does get a jackpot at the end, as food and praise are her big motivators.

Going forward I will need to add more turns (a T.D. test is a maximum of five turns, we regularly do two, sometimes three) and age the track longer. A T.D. track is aged not less than a half hour and not more than two hours.

I have trouble comprehending the distances...after a certain (short!) distance, feet, yards, metres mean nothing to me. A T.D. track is not less than 400 metres (1,312 feet), and not more than 450 metres (1,476 feet). I mean, what is that? It's long, that's all I know! Anyways, a metre is 1.09 yards, a football field is approximately 100 yards, so she has to track over a minimum of 4 football fields, turning a maximum of five times. That's why an incredible amount of space is needed for a T.D. test!

I also need to get out in more "all weather" conditions, at all hours, and I've come to realize I'm not an all weather/all hours type. So definitely some effort needed on my part there!

I've been trying to take some video of her tracking, it's not easy trying to work the line AND video at the same time! I did get Terry to help a bit too. Here is the result! You always learn things when you tape what you're doing, I noticed her on the video slightly wagging her tail when she was close to the article and she knew it was coming up. I had never noticed that before I viewed the video. I've watched for it since and she does do it often. This will really help me to read her on the track which is critical and can make or break a team. I couldn't ask for a better partner though, she's a great little dog!

40 Years of Shelties - The Start

2010-10-12T08:03:00.003-04:00

It's been 40 years right about now (I don't know the exact date, but the beginning of October 1970) that I got my very first Sheltie. This 40th anniversary is a good time to write about my start with this breed and about that very special first Sheltie.

My sister (11) and I (13) were both really wanting to get a dog. Because of an earlier not-so-great experience with a puppy of another breed, our parents were reluctant to get another dog. We had seen a Sheltie while staying in a hotel, another guest who was about our age had one, and WOW, we never knew you could get a dog that looked so much like a Collie but was SO much smaller! How perfect was that?! We hung around with her and her dog a little, we were SOLD. Our parents, not so much.

In the meantime, we spent a lot of time walking neighbourhood dogs. One of these was a Saint Bernard whose owner enrolled him in obedience training classes. We asked her if we could go along. WELL, didn't one of the instructors have a Sheltie!! (now CKC Obedience judge Gina Loffredo). We still thought this was the best dog breed ever invented and now we found out how smart they were too! We went to the obedience classes religiously every week with the Saint Bernard owner, and the trainers allowed us to work a couple of the dogs. We were hooked! I took over the training of the Saint during the week and he did quite well. His owner lost interest after the classes but we couldn't get enough. We HAD to get a dog of our own!

We wrote heartfelt and tearstained letters to our parents and put them on their pillows. We WANT a dog, please, please we will look after it, this is all we want, ever. To our surprise they agreed!

We visited a couple of breeders and ended up picking a sable male puppy out of a litter of 6 from breeder Audrey Gray of Grayfield. At that time (1970) a pet, CKC registered Sheltie puppy went for $100.00. That was a LOT of babysitting at 50 cents an hour! Born on August 3, 1970, Duffy came home at 8 weeks of age. I remember holding him on my lap on the way home and telling my Dad he would be my first U.D. (Utility Dog - O.T. Ch.) dog. From then on we were inseparable.

O.T. Ch. Grayfield MacDuff, Can. U.D., Am. C.D.X., Bda. C.D. - "Duffy" - when we first got him.

Me at 13 years old with Duffy - we got him in October so this was his Halloween costume! He was dressed as: a baby of course! Sorry buddy.....

Duffy graduating from "Canine College" Basic Obedience class. The instructor was Hazel Slaughter of Meridian Shelties.

Duffy went everywhere with us. Here he is on a family vacation before he was a year old.

Growing up through your teenage years into your twenties with a dog that you train through to a Utility Dog title creates a bond that really, is difficult to duplicate, although I've had a few very, very special ones. (They're all special but...some are just a little extra special).

Duffy and me at the cottage, a place that he loved. He was a really energetic dog, and this place was one that could tire him out.

My sister Sandra and Duffy floating along at the cottage. He learned to swim by falling off the motorboat and never looked back. He was a great swimmer, especially for a Sheltie, and would even dive underwater to retrieve stuff. We couldn't go out on the water in a boat if he was out, because he would follow on the shore and try to swim out no matter how far away we were. He swam with us all the time.

Dad throwing a ball for Duffy, and our second Sheltie Robbie, our first conformation dog, who joined the family about a year and a half after Duffy (two kids who want to train their dog for competition can't have just one dog!). By this point we were interested in conformation too and wanted a dog that could finish his Championship, as well as doing obedience. (Robbie became Ch. & O.T. Ch. Summit's Laird Of Heath, Can. U.D., Am. C.D.X., Bda. C.D.).

Robbie and Duffy on the sailboat. These two had quite the life. They weren't left out of anything.

A family friend and I at the cottage, Robbie on the left and Duffy on the right, with me.

Ack! Me having Duffy jump 26". Now in those days a dog had to jump 1 1/2 times their height at the withers in Obedience, so he was supposed to jump 24". That was a lot. (A dog would not be able to see over the jump at 1 1/2 x and so was always jumping blind). We would push it a little because we knew he could do it - kids, what can I tell ya? He never touched a jump.

This picture was of three Shelties all from the same Obedience Club taking 1st - 3rd in a competitive Open "B" class. First was Beryl Cassidy with her unbeatable Robyndale's Free To Be (many titles!) who rarely scored under 198 and very often was 199-200. He had many perfect scores and was Top Obedience Dog All Breeds in Canada. Second was me with Duffy and third was Sue Danziger with Ch. & O.T. Ch. Grayfield Pepper And Salt U.D. We all trained together.

Duffy was a very game and fun loving dog. Here he's playing tug with my friend's Cairn Terrier. He played tug with the best of them, you could lift him off the ground with a tug toy, and of course, we did!

Me and my best buddy.

Our very first Utility trial, pictured with two others from our Club who earned legs that day as well. We not only passed but placed first! Wow, I guess we were hot stuff! Not so fast! My dog was just putting me through the gears as he usually did. He failed the next 11 Utility trials he was entered in! That was SO Duffy. Then after I was good and humbled, he passed three in a row to finish with an extra leg. He could be an awesome worker, but he could also just do exactly what he wanted. As I was just about to enter the ring I would try to get him to look me in the eye, if he would, we were good....if not.... When earning his C.D.X., the first trial he failed everything except Heeling and the Drop on Recall. Everything! Even both the Long Sit and Down. The very next day, he tied for High In Trial. That was Duffy in a nutshell.

In 1979 a friend and I headed to Bermuda with our dogs, I took both Duffy and Robbie. Robbie, usually the more consistent of the two, did pass and earn his C.D., but was really bothered by the sudden warm weather and didn't work nearly as well as he usually did. Duffy, on the other hand, brought his "A" game, looked me straight in the eye, and did fantastic. With super stiff top competition from the U.S. and Canada, he took a High In Trial, First places, had super high scores and won the Visitors trophy for the Highest Combined score of all the visiting competing dogs (pretty much all were visitors). Of course I had to take a picture of him with all his loot. It was an awesome trip. I was so lucky to be invited to judge the same trials in Bermuda 15 years later.

Duffy on the dock drinking water from the lake. This was in 1980, he was 10 years old.

His spot in the house at the top of the stairs, where he could survey everything going on and could safely nap without being in danger of missing a thing.

My favourite picture of my best boy and I. We lost him on October 21, 1981, at only just over 11 years old to a very aggressive cancer. It's difficult to even try to describe what he meant to me or how much it hurt to lose him. No wonder I couldn't get enough of this breed, with a start like this.

Gobble Gobble!

2010-10-08T18:31:00.002-04:00

A perfect Indian summer weekend for Thanksgiving! We have lots to be thankful for. To mark the holiday, I'm posting some turkey pictures I've never posted before. All taken in our yard at one time or another.

In the right light, their feather colours are beautiful.

Can you tell which are the boys and which are the girls? Why yes, you can!

The above picture I took this afternoon, three really big boys in the yard. Run guys!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Tracking Test

2010-10-04T10:22:00.002-04:00

I went to watch the T.D. tracking test yesterday. As hard as it was to haul myself out of bed at 5:30 a.m., I was really happy I made the effort to go. Having seen the procedures and observing the tests will really help me when it's my turn to enter my first test.

There were 9 dogs competing in the test, with four new T.D.'s earned and five dogs to try again another day. Two Goldens, a Rottweiler and a Portuguese Water Dog are now officially Tracking Dogs!

First everyone met at a central spot (a business owned by one of the club members) and the exhibitors drew for their track order. "Luck of the Draw" must have been a phrase coined by tracking tests, because sometimes the pure luck of the draw you get can make all the difference. One of my friends drew second to last and the first track was one of the two still available, so a 50/50 chance of drawing it. Being her first ever tracking test, she didn't want to go first (as I wouldn't either!), and she was thrilled when she drew number 4. Not too soon, not too long to wait, just right! Or so we thought.

Because a lot of field space is needed for 9 tracks, the conditions are not the same on all of them, which is to be expected and is what tracking is all about. You never know what you might get or what might happen. In retrospect, we think her dog would have passed the number 1 track, while the number 4 track was difficult for this particular dog because of her size and coat. But that's the "luck of the draw".

This was the first test in the first field, which was used for track numbers 1 and 2. I was thinking the fields were just perfect, not too long, not too much scrubby cover. Mind you, this field was very open on all sides so the wind was really blowing across it, which could make it more difficult, blowing the scent off track. The first dog to go, who drew last and got the first track, was a super Golden who did a beautiful track and earned the T.D. title.

The first Golden on track. As usual, when everything goes well it looks easy and this dog made it look easy, very efficient and all business, it stuck right on the track and didn't run into any trouble. In reality, it's definitely not as easy as it can look and I really commend all the handlers who gave it a try, whether they were successful or not. I would have been a complete bag of nerves if I had been entered, I really think that going out to watch this time will help me in that department when my turn does come. What a huge thrill it would be to earn a tracking title!

The rest of the tests (3 - 9) were in this field. Quite the difference! Now this pictures was taken from the edge of the field so the foreground is longer and more dense than the actual field but this field was definitely much longer, much more dense and had lots of weeds, burrs and stuff to stick to coats. There is a Golden at the end of the line above and she also passed and earned her T.D. In the field that looked better (both pictures above this one) one dog passed and one dog didn't, so it all just really depends on what works for that dog, etc. Of the seven dogs that got this more overgrown field, 3 were successful. This field was more protected and so much less wind. The two little dogs with woolly type coats had trouble with this cover. It was deep for them and really hard to push through. "Luck of the Draw" and they have to track through what they get.

All kinds of things can happen too, there was a farm dog that came out and barked at one dog doing it's track, but stayed far enough away and it didn't seem to bother the dog tracking. I saw a few birds fly out of the grass, which might distract some dogs too. A farmer drove a tractor through the field during a couple of tests. A kid twice rode by on a super noisy tractor-toy on the road where the dogs were entering into the field to do their track, but it didn't disturb the dogs that were there at those particular times. So the conditions are never the same for each dog and that's part of the challenge and the fun of it, and is the nature of tracking.

I loved the atmosphere of the test, everyone so friendly and really pulling for each other. The host club was very welcoming to all, and had a nice hot lunch for everyone after the tests, which was so perfect after being outside all morning. It was interesting that there were three people there (two competing, one watching) that have been extremely successful in conformation as breeders/exhibitors (BIS, BISS, etc., one also judges conformation) but are no longer so involved in that arena, although they are still out there doing other things with their dogs. One commented to me that the atmosphere of the test was like showing was when she first started but is no more. I had to agree with that. So when we wonder where all the dogs and people have gone, some are definitely still there but doing other things.

The tracking judge had an apprentice judge working with her from the Maritimes, that was interesting to me as I didn't realize tracking judges had to go through that requirement (as do obedience judges). It must be difficult and expensive for them to fulfill the apprenticeship requirement as they have to apprentice at three separate tests per level with a minimum number of dogs required, with three different judges, and tracking tests are few and far between. They have to plot some of the tracks themselves under the supervision of the licensed judge. They don't have the oral examination requirement that obedience judges have but otherwise it is very much the same process. I have often wondered why conformation judges would not have some sort of apprenticeship step to complete, and why no oral examination either (the hardest part of all, in my opinion. This step will prove whether you can think quickly and decisively or not, and is very telling as to your level of knowledge as well). Conformation goes from written to permit with no steps in between. And the written exam is only done once, for the first permit. While obedience and tracking judges, etc. have to have titled dogs to the level they are applying for, conformation judges don't have to have ever bred one litter or finished one champion (from the requirements: an applicant other than a breeder must have a minimum of 15 years documented experience in the sport of purebred dogs (showing, club membership, official position, etc.). Doesn't that seem a little too simple? Never bred a single litter, maybe never finished a single Champion, a written test only and then go right to permit, you never have to open your mouth to explain anything to anyone about your thought processes or what you know or don't know? Wow. But I digress.

My instructor was there too, not competing, so it was great to stick close to her as she would comment on things she observed, things to do and not do, which gave me some really good tips. I learned a lot - hopefully I can remember what I need to remember when I need it!

All in all, it helped to get me motivated again (I think the all-weather part is taking some getting used to for me!). Terry has offered to lay tracks for us, so I'm off to show him how to do that and to get my dog ready for next year!

Downsizing

2010-10-01T13:40:00.002-04:00

We've had a Chrysler minivan since they first started making them, we've had four of them in a row. The ultimate dog vehicle, right? The last time we really needed one though was when we took five dogs to ASSA 2006. We won't need that capacity again and haven't since that time. I knew I wanted a dog friendly vehicle but I was really tired of minivans. I didn't want another one.

So, when the van died a sudden death, it was time to go SHOPPING! There is a lot out there in crossover SUV's and we looked at most of them. I am beyond thrilled with my new Toyota RAV 4! My very first new car was a Toyota, I'm happy to be back!

My new ride! You are sitting very upright in the front, can see the whole front end and feel high up. The perfect short person's vehicle, although tons of headroom too. Drives like a car.

The widest between the wheel wells of all that we saw, even bigger vehicles. Easily fits two Deluxe Vari Kennels side by side in the back, with the back seat still up. There are several locations of tie-down rings for bungee cords. I love the way the back door opens to the side, instead of lifting a heavy door up. Also, so much lower to the ground so you aren't lifting heavy equipment up high and then in, another plus for the short folks!

Interior space with the back seats down. There are two handles in the back, one on each side at arm level, you grasp those and thunk, the back seats drop down flat. I didn't see another that does that. You could fit four crates in it with the seats down. They are split back seats so you can have one up and one down too. The vinyl part in the back is carpeted on the other side, which is how it came, just flip it over and you have the vinyl side, so the carpet stays clean. Because the spare is on the back of the car, there are two separate empty storage compartments under the vinyl flooring, one very large (like a hidden trunk) and one smaller one.

I'm not a Toyota salesperson, nor do I play one on TV, I'm just completely in love with this car!!

Reminiscing - First Sweeps Assignment

2010-09-27T14:55:00.001-04:00

Looking through some old pictures for something else, I stumbled across these pictures of my very first Sweepstakes judging assignment.

This was at the DC&SSA Specialty, June 23, 1985. The entry in Puppy Sweepstakes was 60 !! In Sweeps! (31 males, 29 bitches). Collies (Rough & Smooth) and Shelties were judged together in classes divided by sex and age as usual. (There were 15 Smooths, 86 Roughs and 93 Shelties in the regular show). I was supposed to judge all the Obedience classes as well, but because of the entry, I could only judge the 30 entries in the Open Classes (87 total entries in Obedience - Collies and Shelties only). Those were the days, eh?!!

This was my final lineup. Males 6-9 was Alfenloch State Of The Art (sable Rough), 9-12 Males was Carnwath's Synchronicity (tri Rough), 12-18 Males & Champions was Ch. Silverdrift's Thriller (sable Sheltie), 6-9 Bitches was Alfenloch Grandhill Ashton (blue Sheltie), 9-12 Bitches was Sabelin's Just A Minute (sable Rough) and 12-18 Bitches & Champions was Inaglen Rainy Day Lover (sable Smooth).

What fun it was to judge such a large, quality entry!

My winner, Alfenloch Grandhill Ashton, by Ch. Alfenloch Rio Lane Glacier ex Ch. Alfenloch Arabesque.

Best of Opposite Sex in Sweeps was Ch. Silverdrift's Thriller.

Tiffany And The Turkey

2010-09-19T11:25:00.002-04:00

Just three months short of twelve years old, most of the time Tiffany forgets she's an older dog and is still right in the thick of things among our younger dogs. She's not interested in porch gazing with the other seniors!

We hang a bird feeder in the backyard which isn't too far from the door where the dogs go out. Bold turkeys will feed under it, but when the door is opened, Tiffany leaps from the top of the porch (stairs are for the oldies) and hits the ground running, to see if she can make that turkey fly!

Mission accomplished!

Want To Track????

2010-09-13T14:17:00.004-04:00

........... was the title of the e-mail from my tracking instructor.

I have a bad case of the "guilts"...I haven't done ANY tracking with Sugar since the end of June. I had been worried that would happen once the classes were over. I did train on my own for a while afterwards but then it got hot, really hot. Then the fields all around us grew too high and too dense. Also known as "excuses", and I recognize them as that. If you really want to do something, you will find a way!

I told her I had not done a single track with Sugar for three months and she said not to worry, Shelties always remember. Okay... I smiled when I put on Sugar's flat nylon collar that I use only when tracking - didn't she just pull my arm out of the socket on the way to the car thinking we were going to "our field" next door. Apparently she hadn't forgotten at all!

I wanted to just squeeze the stuffing out of her, she did so well on her track! The instructor laid it and we let it age, the difficulty of the track was right where we had left off so I was a bit worried about that, maybe an easier one would've been better? No problem for her! She pulled right past everyone out to the start, completely on a mission! Head down, tail down, she didn't stop tracking until she was at the end of her track, scarfing down the jackpot at her article. She's a "snuffler" so you can hear her scenting the whole way as she follows the track, I love it. What a great little dog she is! She turns herself inside out to give you what you want.

I didn't get any pictures of Sugar tracking this time. I did take a few of teams I had met in the Spring, whose dogs were more advanced than us...they are entered in a TD test in a couple of weeks! So a bit stressed out. I'm going to go watch them, it will give me an idea of what to expect. October 3rd in Clarington, ON (east of Toronto), info is on Canuck Dogs.

The Bedlington Terrier on her track. She is a real keener that usually comes up to the start on her two back legs, she is so ready to be off on her track! The field was perfect, not too long, easier to see gopher holes and other obstacles, and nice and dewy.

She has just found her article. I love the happy smile on her handler's face. Good girl! She's first alternate in the test, I hope she gets in! Not like conformation shows, it can be tough to get in, the entry "opening" date is more important than the closing, entries must arrive by mail or courier, no hand delivery or any other method, they usually fill very quickly. After that an alternate list is started, and they will go in the place of any absentees. Any entry arriving before the opening date is returned to sender, so timing is everything!

This Dobe had been out of commission as she had a litter, she is a really enthusiastic girl! She "talks" a blue streak when she sees her handler getting her harness out and she knows she's "on deck" to track! Then she is all business and is she ever quick. I think I'd be pulled flat on my face. I love this breed. He kept a puppy from her litter and he has started tracking with him...he's only 16 weeks old! A great activity for a baby, no stress, all fun. I would do that in a heartbeat if I got another puppy...another thing I would do, is have a special play toy or de-stressor, like a ball on a rope, a glove, a flat toy, etc. for reward/play at the end of a track or any situation -- even conformation, something the dog has learned to LOVE that helps them to release any stress, that they don't get to play with often. Sugar doesn't have that, she isn't interested in playing with an object or her article. It would help if I had fostered that - easy enough to do with a baby, hard to add later.

Anyway, my mission now (should I choose to accept it!) is to find a suitable field or two around me that I can train regularly in, and get out there and do it. I live in a rural area so how hard can it be? I would love to find someone else in the area that wants to track so we could train together, I need the motivation. Want to track????

Close Up

2010-09-08T18:00:00.002-04:00

This female Baltimore Oriole was just outside of our living room windows on the ornamental grasses, and I was able to get these shots of her. Taken through the glass but they did turn out nice anyway. I think she might have hit the window and was maybe recovering. She looked good though, and flew away into one of the big Maple trees. She'll be fine.

So nice to see a non-feeder bird so close up. Beautiful.

Where's The Beef?

2010-09-06T13:03:00.005-04:00

Our plans being scrubbed for this long weekend by the terrible weather (thanks Hurricane Earl!), we stumbled upon the Orangeville Fair and most particularly, the beef cattle judging. Held indoors in the same venue as the dog shows regularly held at the Fairgrounds, we actually spent over four hours there watching the cattle judging.

It was really, really interesting to us and I must say we actually did quite well with our ringside judging. It sure helps that the judges get on the mike and give a short critique stating why they picked the ones they did, helping us to figure out what they were looking for in the cattle. My main interest was a mental comparison of this type of livestock show to a dog show. I have to say the cattle breeders have remained closer to the objective of picking the best breeding stock in their shows.

They prepare their exhibits just like we do, maybe not as over the top, but they are very clean and neatened up.

Using the clippers on the tail area of a Polled Hereford.

Bovine version of a "grooming table", these were used extensively. The Charolais being light coloured must be a challenge to keep clean, but they looked really nice once they were done!

There was a washing area at the back, even the Black Angus got a good wash. The judges don't touch them so they must just look better clean and therefore worth the effort. Afterwards they use forced air dryers on them, just like the ones we use for dogs.

A Charolais class. The classes for all the breeds were mostly quite large, like you would only see at a National Specialty, yet the judges judge quite quickly (it doesn't seem rushed, just decisive) and every class is ordered from first to last. Then the judges get on a mike and will say things like they liked the moderation of the first place winner, the proportions (balance). Or would say things like the type among the entrants was different but many of quality in their own way and they could appreciate the different types. One judge also said "you could pick the first three in any order and not be wrong". General comments like that, but also quite specific comments in some cases. It helped us to understand what they were looking for and I would *love* for dog show judges to have to do the same. It literally took only a minute or two for them to critique the whole class. They would say something about all of them right down to the last place.

Winner of a large Shorthorn calf class.

The roan Shorthorn in the middle of the picture was the winner of this class. This was my favourite breed, I fell in love with the roan colour. They come in the red and white as above, the roan, red and mostly white/solid white.

A closer shot of a roan Shorthorn. Being a colour-geek, I had to come home and read up on this breed and this colour. I was not at all surprised to find out that there is a Whitebred Shorthorn breed, developed from this breed (that is white), that when crossed with the black Galloway, produces a colour called the "blue-grey". (Think breeding a double merle to a black). The blue-grey's that result are a blue roan colour, like an Australian Cattle Dog. Like this red roan but blue. Like I said, not surprising. There is always a blue to the red, whether ticked (blue belton, orange belton), roan (blue and red) or merle (blue and red (or sable). Why is it that it's only our breed that can't wrap their collective minds around the sable merle? I will never, ever understand that. They are only acceptable (kind of, sometimes, maybe...) if they don't look like what they are. (Even if we know full well what they are...wink, wink). It's .....embarrassing.

Black Angus bull calf class. Terry's favourite breed.

Polled Hereford bull calf class. In this breed the "handlers" always wear red shirts. Looks nice! Anything goes for the other breeds. Again, all these huge classes and the judging goes quite quickly. I was really impressed with the complete decisiveness of the judges. No prolonged pondering, no switching placements, no grandstanding, and once they are ordered, they have to say something about all of them! All of this happens in far less time than it would take to judge a dog class of the same size, and they are placing them right down to the last one! I would dearly love to hear our judges have to briefly express what they did out loud. I really think it would be quite telling. I feel if judges can't think quickly enough on their feet to do this, they shouldn't be judging.

Polled Hereford bull. The full grown bulls in all the breeds are just massive, but surprisingly docile. I'm sure they are handled quite a bit from a young age, but they are also bred to be docile, as there would be little point in farmer's trying to deal with a nutsy bull, or cow for that matter, they are all too big to fool around with. So temperament is important.

The other thing I liked about the cattle judging, is they have many more classes with get involved, or herd classes as well, where a number of individuals from the same breeder are judged. One class we watched involved cows with their 2010 calf "at foot". Judges comments are things like "she's done a good job with this calf" (nice "beefy" bull calf in this case). Another judge comment was on the size of the teats on the udder, one was slimmer and narrower, another further down the line was too big. Things that matter in a breeding program beyond the conformation of one individual. I've never understood why stud dog and get, brood bitch classes, or "kennel" classes were not more important at dog shows. I really think dog shows have wandered quite a bit away from the concept of picking the best breeding stock.

We also watched the HUGE junior showmanship competition. We had previously watched this competition at the Royal Winter Fair, where we were also very impressed with the very large entry and the skill of the kids!

At this particular show they won cash (no ribbons) and the entry was really large in all classes, probably 50 kids in total. They went from Pee Wee right up to the older kids (all done by birth date - 4 classes in all). Very similar to Junior Showmanship in dog shows, except with huge animals! There are always some that act up - always some entries that are "too much" for the kid, just like our Juniors. I took a couple of pictures of the Pee Wees....awesome to be showing such a big animal.

Pee Wee kids showing their cattle. All Junior Showmanship classes were ordered first to last and the judge also critiqued them in the same manner as the other classes. Also quick and decisive judging, only the occasional runaway calf slowing things down!

The little boy with the the second to last calf in this picture was the winner of this class. The judge said his calf was set up every time she looked.

There was other livestock being judged as well, like the Sheep below. They just judged them right there in the barn, very informal.

I was trying to figure out what the little coats were that the penned sheep were wearing, I think they were to keep them from getting straw bits, etc. in their coats after being groomed.

Groomed and waiting for their turn?

Judging. This was more hands on by the judges.

A lot more difficult for a spectator to figure out just what they might be looking for. Probably more like what our dog shows look like to the public!

Addendum: This was my 200th post to my blog!

Spit N Polish

2010-08-30T16:58:00.002-04:00

This year I put out a couple of hummingbird feeders and we do get some little hummers coming regularly. Really fun to watch, I guess I've always liked things "in miniature".

They especially visit the feeder that is near a tree outside of our bedroom window, and I have become good at picking them out in the tree if I really look carefully (like the guy above). They "sit" more than I thought they did. I think they like the idea of having cover close to the feeder.

I managed to get some video of this male preening, and was so surprised to see how much he used his tongue! The first part of the video where he is grooming his left wing, the tongue is obscured by the branch, but when he switches to his right side (your left) you can really see the full length of his tongue and how he is using it in grooming! At the end I pan away so you can see where he was from my vantage point and how tiny he is in the tree.

Something Blue

2010-08-25T17:28:00.001-04:00

Blue Jay

Bald Jay

Okay, I'll Bite! 7 Things

2010-08-23T07:45:00.008-04:00

One of the Sheltie blogs I read, Obay Shelties, mentioned that she was asked by a fellow blogger, along with others, to write 7 things you may not know about her and 7 things you might not know about her dogs. While I agree with her in that I don't usually like these things either (called meme's I believe), hers was fun and interesting to read and she asked for other bloggers to join in if they like. So I'm jumping in with both feet! If you have a dog blog, I'd love to read about your 7 + 7 things too! So join us!

Seven Things You May Not Know About Me:

1. I'm left handed. That means no-one was ever able to teach me anything that had to do with handed-ness. Like most sports or knitting or things like that. They'd twist and turn, stand behind me then in front of me, then look in the mirror, hold up one hand then the other, and then give up. Like all lefties I learned to get by in a righty world and am pretty much ambidextrous except for writing. I think it's a big advantage in the dog world to be a lefty.....where all work with the dog is done on the left! Piece of cake...!!

2. I cannot do rides. Roller coasters, amusement parks, there is not enough money in the world to make me get on any rides, let alone pay for the privilege!

3. I'm a perfectionist of sorts to my benefit and my detriment.

4. The first dog I was ever paid to show was a Great Dane. She is in the photo above. The date of that picture was May 19, 1975 and I was 17 years old. Many will remember that judge and yes, that's about as happy as she ever looked! I was quite involved with the local Dane club and finished several of them. A really nice breed and the Dane people were very good to me.

5. I took ballet lessons! (Ack!) When I was too young to "just say no".

6. To my knowledge, I was the youngest Obedience Trial judge ever approved by CKC at age 25 years old. I judged extensively in Canada and once in Bermuda. I didn't accept assignments in the U.S. as I had plenty enough on my plate without having to keep track of the differing rules, but did agree to judge the World Series in Detroit once.

7. So far, all of my very best friends in life have either been Cancers or other Leos like me.

Seven Things You May Not Know About My Dogs:

1. Netta is a very good judge of people. It turns out she's always right, too.

2. Holly hates thunderstorms. Even heavy rain "pinging" in the fireplace can get her going, because it MIGHT mean thunder and lightening to follow. The only thing to do is to put her in a crate, or you will be wearing her on your head like a blue merle hat!

3. Our beautiful Tiffany farts like a bean-eating contest winner and can clear any room! We have stopped the van with our eyes watering to check who has had an accident, to find everyone clean, it's only Tiffany doing what she does! It doesn't matter what she eats and her daughter is exactly the same. Once we were waiting with several dogs in a very small vet exam room for eye checks and Tiffany started with the silent-but-deadly bombs. Should we say something to the vet when she walked in? We decided we'd better, good thing too, the vet said she was "wondering about the smell!". Although maybe she just thought we were blaming the dog....

4. Mason drinks by dunking half of his muzzle into the bowl. Coming up for air, going back down again. By the time he's done his front is pretty much soaked! We refer to it as "Mason's drinking problem".

5. All of our dogs have had and do have "nicknames" along with their regular names. Some have many nicknames! They know them too. Some current ones: Betchty, Woo, Baby Baby, Ma, Billy and Freaky. Hmmm...maybe this point says more about me than about them!

6. Holly is completely uncoordinated. She's the only dog I ever owned that regularly got grass stains on her head. That's what happens when you run too fast and don't know where your feet are! Agility dog? Ummmm...no.

7. Sugar loves men. All men.

Everything you always didn't want to know and didn't even have to ask!

Visitor From The Past

2010-08-21T13:31:00.009-04:00

When we made the decision to stop breeding Shelties, we had several young dogs that we decided we should place. Among them was a lovely non-white factored Best Puppy in Specialty/Champion tri bitch, same sire as our Sugar, that we had bought as a puppy from another breeder. "Mira" finished quickly while still a puppy and also had several Best of Breed wins when moved up.

A friend had found a really good spot for a sable bitch of hers through the Everything Sheltie site, so we thought we'd give that a go. We decided to start with the tri girl "Mira", BPISS Ch. Aberdale's Spitting Image, and see how that went. Mira had just turned two years old and all her testing was done, including hips, if we had kept her, the next step would have been to breed her. To say I was very turned off and disappointed by the kind of response I got from the ad would be an understatement! I don't know if this still happens but I was hounded by brokers from overseas, who, when questioned, sent some very sad pictures but no definite indication of where my dog would *really* end up. So we pulled Mira's ad down and decided to sell all of the dogs as pets! They all ended up in great homes and we have no regrets.

"Mira" left here at two years old. She has been here this week for a short visit while her family is on holidays. At almost 7 years old it was wonderful to see how beautifully she has matured! Still a lovely girl, so outgoing and thrilled with life. We just had to get a few pictures before she goes back to her life as a treasured pet!

BPISS Ch. Aberdale's Spitting Image at almost 7 years of age.

BPISS Ch. Aberdale's Spitting Image. Her owners have looked after her well!

Both Sugar and Mira have Jambalaya on both sides of their pedigree, but through different dogs on the dam's sides. Adding this mix was working out well for us for some traits we were looking to improve upon. It would have been interesting to see what was down the road. I kind of shake my head when I look at Mira, but, she's as happy as can be, and that's all that really matters!

Another Family Portrait

2010-08-19T19:24:00.006-04:00

My mother-in-law Joan at 91 years of age with her youngest of four sons, Terry, on August 17th, 2010.

Umm Umm Good!

2010-08-16T15:29:00.005-04:00

I'm not one of those people with very strong feelings about dog food. I think that all of the better quality kibble foods are really about the same. I've used several different brands over the years. I use Nutro Natural Choice now, and have for some time, but I'm not married to it nor do I think it's the "best one". I do think it's as good as any of the other good ones, and my dogs have done fine on it. I have thought about what's "really" in a lot of these foods and can't help but think that a well thought out, fresh, homemade diet has to be the best of all.

I once looked after a Sheltie of our breeding who came with his homemade "muffins" and I've never forgotten how good they smelled, nor how my own dogs tried to tear his bag of muffins right out of my hands! I've been thinking about this food and lately talked to someone else who cooks it up for her dogs, so I jumped in to give it a try. I've made several batches now and can say I really like it so far!

The base mix is made by Essex Cottage Farms. Developed by a breeder, it comes in a bag that for it's size is surprisingly heavy. The mix contains: Stone Ground: whole brown rice, whole oats, whole sprouted barley, organic kamut, whole ground apple, rice germ, ground almonds and/or pecans, pure organic Acadian sea kelp, calcium carbonate, whole ground carob, cranberries, ginger root, parsley, basil, marjoram. It smells really good, and really fresh.

To five cups of that you add: 1 1/2 tbsp. pure Alfalfa (theirs); 1 cup pureed Pumpkin, Sweet Potato or Squash; 1 cup pureed raw Broccoli, Green Beans, Swiss Chard or Spinach; 2 pureed red apples (skin on) - I use pure unsweetened apple sauce; 1/4 cup Sunflower or Safflower Oil; 2 raw eggs; 1 1/2 - 2 cups water; 4 cups (2 lbs.) medium ground raw Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork or Lamb; one can of salmon.

Sounds good, eh? It sure smells good cooking too, causes my guys to pace around the kitchen! Now, I'm not feeding this alone (and you're "supposed" to, of course), because kibble is still convenient, especially when the dog sitter is here or when on the road. However, I'm feeding half and half (or a little less than 1/2 kibble) most of time. It is at the very least no more expensive than kibble and might even be cheaper. Best of all, I know EXACTLY what's in it! Perhaps I might go to only this food down the road.

An adult Sheltie eating only this food would eat approximately one and one half "muffins" per day.

All the ingredients for one batch (the mix in the brown bag is good for about 5 batches and the Alfalfa in the gold pouch is good for quite a few batches, not all the oil, pumpkin or applesauce would be used in one batch either).

The mixed ingredients for one batch. It can also be fed raw (but not as convenient to feed and store). I like to cook two batches at a time.

The cooked "muffins". Cooked to the consistency of "cakey meatloaf". Keep out as much as you need for three days and freeze the rest, in bags with three days worth each, and just take them out to thaw in the fridge when needed.

I thought I'd share this as I'm sure I'm not the only one that has felt I could do better for my dogs in the feeding department, and I have found this way to be easy, convenient and really good.

A tip: Make sure everyone in the house knows this is actually dog food!

A Getaway from the Everyday

2010-08-13T19:54:00.002-04:00

When you retire, you can't just wake up in your own bed the very first workday that you are off! I'm sure that's against some law. So we planned a 24 hour getaway for Terry and I and my sister and brother-in-law, to celebrate Terry's retirement and make sure that first Monday morning as a retiree was unique! We decided on Niagara Falls for an overnight, golf on Sunday at Whirlpool Golf Course in Niagara for the guys, a little cross border shopping for us. Then, to a nice hotel, dinner and casino, wake up in a nice hotel, have a leisurely first "would have been a workday" a.m.

We took two cars and met at the golf course. Enny, meeny, miney, mo...the girls would take Terry's car and the guys would keep Paul's car. Sandra and I would check into the hotel after shopping, they'd meet us at the hotel when they were done golfing.

Bye guys, have a great day!! Their last words to us: "Try to get an upgrade".

We head for the Rainbow Bridge to cross to the U.S., the lineup is longer than we expected, should we bother to go? Eeny, meeny..okay let's go. The outlet mall we were headed for was just 10 minutes across the border, BUT, somehow we took a wrong turn. So we decided to stop and ask for directions. Kind of in the middle of nowhere, we saw a little restaurant and pulled off there to get directions.

Sandra goes in, I decide to turn off the engine. When I see her coming back out, I start the car. Or try to! Click...nothing. Come on! Seriously?! Wherever we are, we aren't going anywhere. The next words out of my mouth "Do you have CAA?"... She does! All these years of driving all over everywhere by myself and I have never joined CAA. We would have been completely out of luck without it this time!

Before we make the call to CAA, a super nice guy tries to boost the car, but it doesn't work. This battery is beyond dead. What if the situation's worse, like the alternator? It's Sunday afternoon, the guys have no passports so can't come over to get us, can you tow a car across the border? Can you take a taxi across the border? We did see people walking across the Rainbow Bridge and have visions of us pulling our bags behind us, walking back to the Canadian side over the bridge. But, one step at a time, we call CAA.

The dead car outside of the little restaurant. After waiting about an hour and a half for AAA, we stepped outside, not realizing the restaurant people locked the door behind us, closed the blinds and left out the back door. Nice!

Middle of Nowhere, NY.

The only crossborder shopping we got anywhere close to...the yard sale next door to the restaurant!

Our hero Jim from AAA, who kept us in suspense for a while (battery = going home, alternator = tow and ?).

The white steed Jim rode in on. Soooo happy to see him.

It was the battery, it was replaced on the spot, paid for and we were on our way! All we wanted to do was get back into our own country a.s.a.p.!

On the bridge towards Niagara Falls, Ontario. As grateful as I was to be going back, I sure didn't want to have insult added to injury by having to pay duty on a new battery that was no bargain to begin with! Luckily that didn't happen.

"Purpose of your trip ladies?"

"We crossed, drove for 10 minutes, the car broke down, we got it fixed, turned around and came back."

"What was wrong with it?"

"The battery (here it comes...) ... "

"Go ahead."

And we were back on Canadian soil. Yay!

Luck changed when we both scored identical suites at the Hilton that were FAR more than we had paid for or could have expected! Yes guys, we managed a BIT of an upgrade. We were so pleased to be able to surprise them with these rooms!

I opened the door to this sitting room, complete with large couch, dining table and big screen TV. Followed by a gorgeous bathroom with a huge jetted tub, a complete wet bar, a fireplace, a king bed and another seating area and second big screen TV.

View from the second sitting area, the glass is where the big tub is, there is a blind that comes down between the glass. The fireplace is in front of the bed and the bar is outside the bathroom on the left.

Sandra had gone to her room which was the same, she calls me, OMG!! Isn't this great! Did you open the curtains yet and see the view? No, not yet, wait a sec and I'll look..!

She heard me yell when I saw this view out our window, what a super view of the falls!!!

View from the tub through the room to the Falls. You could see the Falls from inside the tub, and I did just that! Terry "Upgrade" Pavey would be proud of me!

Off to a great dinner also overlooking the Falls, then to the casino where everybody came out ahead except me!

American Falls at night.

After a leisurely Monday morning in the suite we headed home via Niagara-On-The-Lake. I was charged with putting the quarters into the parking meter (which I did) and apparently was supposed to print out a slip to put on the dash (which I didn't) so we ended up with a parking ticket. I just was having no luck at all with putting money into machines!!

No matter, our new retiree golfed an 89, got his car fixed, had a great meal, won at the casino and woke up on his first day "retired" to a Starbucks and the Globe & Mail, overlooking Niagara Falls. A good start.

Prince of Wales Hotel, Niagara-On-The-Lake

(Almost) one week in, we've been incredibly busy. Retired people, eh?