Forward...into the past!

I recorded an animal lifer on the dogwalk tonight: Cougar.

Honestly, this is the one lifer I -never- wanted to see. Coyotes are annoying (and city coyotes are more mellow then their wilder relatives); raccoons are moderately dangerous (more so than coyotes, really); skunks are just a pain.

Cougars scare the crap out of me. None of the others are capable of killing an eighty-five pound male husky and then leaping over an 8-foot fence carrying it (which happened around here a few years ago). Cougars are seriously scary.

We were walking/hiking around midnight (too hot to walk during the days now) near a gated community, at the north end of the neighborhood near the foothills. The border collies had been restless this evening and at one point took off after something. I heard a new sound in the darkness (never a good thing), a brief kind of "Rackh!" sound. Something bounded down the hill and leap a drainage ditch: for a moment I saw it silhouetted against the night sky: a long, lean shape.

My first reaction was, "Huh." Too big for a cat; too big and too long for a bobcat; and that tail-- uh-oh. The long, fat tail. Fuck. Fortunately, it had to be a yearling: The dogs were able to startle it into running and from the brief sighting, it had the smaller size of a yearling. She took off and the dogs returned to me, good boys!

I'll say that getting back to the car was unnerving. I kept fearing the cougar would change her mind and circle around to snatch one of the dogs. We were still a mile away from the car.

I'm still freaked.

Another BCR Xmas!


BCRxmasfunday2013

The weather was perfect: light breezes, temps in the 60's, clear skies. As opposed to those events where the temps were into the triple digits F (around 42C) or 40 mph gusty winds...or that year when the even ended with people scrambling to beat the snow storm heading that way. Those events always have me remembering to be grateful for mild weather.

There was the usual abundance of home-cooked food and dozens of hyper border collies. No altercations, though-- which would surprise most border owners. There was much begging, though: even the dogs trained not to beg at home know this is a *special* place and time.

The interesting thing that happened was that I found a R0ndo doppelganger. She looks like she could be his sister-- very similar markings, mannerisms. I think her name is Savannah. Very sweet dog! Speaking of doppelgangers, Tay's doppel was here, too: Skeeter looked great!



Apache was somewhat low-key, as noticed by several people (usually they have bruised noses soon after she arrives...and she didn't jump up this time). Probably the prednisone she was on. But that didn't stop her from her usual mischief towards the other dogs. Instead of her usual "11", she was more like a "9" that day.

The dogs and I got a precious, rare invite: to celebrate King Dog Tay's birthday up in Oakhurst!

There are more gorgeous images of the Ranch, dogs and snow here

The timing turned into the most perfect trip we've ever made up there: the day after we arrives it snowed. Just enough fell that the ranch and the mountain turned into a winter wonderland. This was *ideal*: the snow only lasted for about two days-- then it melted and allowed us to drive safely back down the hill and home.

The night we arrived there was also a bit of excitement: on the night walk Carol and I discovered a brush-burn that had gotten out of control (these are supposed to be watched by the burner until the fire dies down). Between the windy gusts and all of the pine needles that hadn't been cleared, the fire had spread well into the brush nearby. A fallen pine was in flames and embers were spreading under the pine needles. We went back to get Eric and shovels...Carol got all of the water jugs (they keep them for pump failures).



With a lot of work we got the flames down and the embers mostly doused. The owners of the lot finally arrived with a tractor and used that to completely bury the rest of the fire. They were grateful that it had been discovered, so it was all good. Plus, bonus activity points for me.



We awoke the next day to a winter wonderland: several inches of snow fell during the night and it was cold enough to stick. Check out the link above to see how beautiful the area became. The dogs (all four border collies) and I took a number of hikes in the silent, white world. I love walking in fresh snow (especially when it's only a few inches deep) and watching four crazy border collies run around on Very Important Business.

There are few places that aren't improved by a fall of snow. Since Casa Coyote starts out quite lovely, the snow transformed it into a fantasyland. R0ndo and Apache loved it: they had experienced a dusting of snow in Seattle a few years ago and had a lot of fun...but this was like doggy-disneyland for them. They bounded through the small drifts and still managed to dig ghost varmints. They loved that it was nice and chill out and if they get hot or thirsty they can just eat the refreshing "white dirt".

Tay was showered with goodies and treats. He enjoyed the ribeye steak he got as a present. As any good tyrant, he tolerated the manic attention of all three of the other dogs. He's well-deserving of his Kingdog title!

Today is R0ndo's eighth year with me! He was adopted 11-11-05 from Border Collie Rescue (NorCal).

Today he got a hike at Stinkyville and a big, meaty bone.



I went back and read my first posts about him. I'm all-teary now. He is a great dog and I have my sister (the dog-sister) to thank for that.

Good Boy!

Once again, I anticipate my favorite holiday and, in the end, do very little. The trouble with Los Angeles is that either the events are tiny and mundane or HUGE AND LOUD AND DRUNKEN. There used to be parties thrown by people in the effects business that were pretty cool, but I haven't heard of one in years. My favorite event is for the dogs, literally.



My boys went as a Sci-Fi Channel Low-budget Movie Special: ORCA vs RAPTOR! (<--you just wait: that WILL be a Sci-Fi Channel movie in the future...and I'll bet these costumes are better than the CG effects Sci-Fi will use!)

Thanks to a Really Useful Post by a Trip Advisor user (great travel site, BTW), I knew that Tuesday would be market day in Leipzig! (The other day is Thursday) Open air markets are one of the great pleasures of the German cities I've visited. You wander them and snack on fresh fruit and bread. One more reason I think Los Angeles is just too darn big.


Leipzig2013Tuesday

Leipzig's market is wonderful: plenty of beautiful fruit and vegetables; cheeses and meats; plants and flowers. There were baskets of mushrooms, too. Oddly, they looked like a type of boletus mushroom, which I thought were (as a species), "edible, but not palitable." I'm guessing this variety is delicious, from the amount they were selling.

The highlight of the market (also pointed out on Trip Advisor) was one vendor selling fresh bread. Really, really fresh: they had a portable iron oven that her husband was baking country bread in. As you would imagine, bread hot and crisp from the oven is *amazing*. I got a loaf of steaming bread, stopped by the salami vendor and got some European ham (for my American friends: it's more like prosciutto than American ham). Bit of cheese from another vendor, raspberries from a nearby stall and a Coke Lite from the curry shop and I was set for lunch.



Near the market, I saw an interesting breed of dog: he was gorgeous! He looked like a large, black schnauzer, but with a smooth coat. His owner was very proud of his dog and happy to let me snap pictures of him. Friendly and intelligent dog. Any guesses anyone?



I wandered over to Thomaskirche: this is the church were Bach spent his last 25 years. The acoustics are reportedly amazing and groups and singers book time in there just to experience this sound. While I was inside, there was a soloist practicing. I consider myself lucky to have heard him: heavenly. I think more churches and cathedrals should have music playing during the day: organ or singers or choirs. These structures seem to come to life with music! Transformed from dusty shells to living structures. The soloist was higher than a tenor: I am thinking that there are not catratos any longer...what would he be called? (<--I am counting on readers being sophisticated and not rude-- thanks!)

After this I wandered through some of the malls and ogled at the stores. One toy store had a great selection of Schleich figures. Plus, the great Irish explorer, "Marc O'Polo" had a shop, too!

I managed to scrape together the money for Eurofurence again. Love Germany, love this con. This time I tried something different: flying out of SFO and staying at my sister and BiL's place for a few days before and after. Big difference: much less stress because anything I forgot I could still get in SJ. Also, dogs stayed at dog-sister's place, so were less stressed than if they'd just been boarded (their regular boarding place is great, but still a boarding place).



Full Flickr Set Here

The trip started well: food and more food. A friend highly recommended a place in Buttonwillow, CA to stop and eat at. A bit early in the trip, but he raved about this place. He was right. The pulled pork was delicious on its own...and the salsa that came with it (served on the side!) was also perfect-- a pleasant burn, deep flavor. But the PIE! Oh, the peach pie was the best I've had in decades. Crisp texture, deep flavor and a perfect crust. So good we're making a roadtrip -just- for this pie. 100 miles and worth it!

Same friend also got tickets to the Ikea Crayfish Party . I'd never heard of it, but they sell out fast. Thank goodness there was more than just crayfish- which has too low a ratio of reward-to-effort. Eat, eat, eat.

A big bonus was getting to meet Don Knuth and his wife, Jill (who were part of the group). He wrote the seminal book, The Art of Computer Programming. Anyone who has taken a college-level computer class has seen this book; it is so far out of my ken that I have to take their words on this. Not only is he a really nice guy, but he brings a unique take on current events. I could listen all day, week, year to him. My friend was also able to get him to autograph another seminal work: an early writing sale-- to Mad Magazine. Read his Wiki: wicked sense of humor!

I also got to visit a friend who's back to working at Apple: like most large, hip tech companies, they have wonderful food-services. The seared ahi sandwich is...wonderful. It's no wonder I gained four pounds even before leaving the country. This, despite a bunch of hikes with the dogs in the hills around SJ.

...well, Chatsworth and Valencia, but close enough.

On a couple of recent hikes I have seen creatures (or creature-spoor) that I had not realized lived in this area or have only seen once before.

First up: Ring-tail cat track
martes and I were walking in one of the dry washes in Valencia when she spotted an odd track: her guess was a ring-tail cat and subsequent Googling seems to prove her right. I have never seen one of these creatures, but they are -very- elusive and nocturnal.



Next up, on the same hike: horned toad!
I have seen one of these before, but not one that was so lightly colored-- almost an ivory hue. He patiently let me take several pictures and then proceeded to burrow into the sand.



Last up: Long-tailed weasel!
I did not even consider that we had native weasels in this area. Escaped ferrets, maybe, but not a weasel! On the way to visit a friend in Chatsworth for a (hot) hike, I drove past what I initially thought was a dead ground squirrel. But something in my mind threw a flag out: the color was wrong. On an impulse I went back and checked more closely. I was glad I did: that wasn't a ground squirrel-- it was a small weasel! A bit of research tells me it was a long-tailed weasel, which apparently -can- be found in this area. I've certainly never seen them in the wild.

Not long after, on my way home, nature's garbageman was hard at work: a turkey vulture was making a meal of the unfortunate weasel.

Weasel pics under links: while the first isn't that graphic (small image), it -is- deceased.

weasel-deceased, small-image

Larger pics of weasel, somewhat more graphic

All in all an interesting week of wildlife!

Complete Flickr Set Here

This last weekend I was at this year's 2013 Pet Expo in Orange County. I look forward to this event every year: I love running the dogs and helping them to find forever homes. There's a lot of validation when you see a dog with issues that make them not-for-everybody be adopted by someone who is absolutely perfect for that particular dog. We had some great dogs out this year and four of them went home with neat people. Considering how few adoptions seemed to be happening this year, I was really happy.

For the most part the majority of rescues were pit-mixes and chihuahua/yap-mixes. I was surprised by both the large numbers of these dogs here and that there was such a plethora of them.

I got to see a Silken Windhound for the first time in-person. Very Saluki-like in demeanor. Also saw a Japanese Ken for the first time (I think). They are bigger than Shibas and smaller than Akitas and much more out-going than either of those sister-breeds.

By Sunday I was exhausted and Apache (who was at the breed booth) was even more done.

Full Flickr Set Here

2012 went out with things beginning to look better. I was lucky to not be hit with any disasters and managed to survive my own personal financial cliff. The dogs are healthy and the home is doing well. Work is slow but looking to pick up. I have some friends who were not so lucky, suffering some terrible losses. These are all people who have seen me through some terrible times of my own. I am glad I was in solid shape to help them get through some of that.

2013: The Year of the Snake!

Snake years (as I recall) are supposed to be filled with money and prosperity all around. We could use some of that...

2013 has come in with a lot of promise and hope: I think things will start to pick up...and hopefully build some positive momentum. Work should be very interesting for the next year. My friends are getting better. The dogs are happy.

You can click on the Flickr link above to get the details of my January so far. Most of the photos are annotated.

Hsssss...! Gung Hey Fat Choy!