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Dedicated to Bart, who had the Most Beautiful Tail

"It's very simple. Dogs and cats and other talented animals have tails; their tails, with their thousands of flourishes, provide them with a wonderfully complex language of arabesques, not only for what they think and feel and suffer, but for every mood and vibration in their feeling tone. We have no tails, and since the more lively among us need some form of expression, we make ourselves paintbrushes and pianos and violins..."

Hermann Hesse


Thursday, September 18, 2008

Denali's Official CGC Photo


The Deep Peninsula Dog Training Club (DPDTC), sponsor of the CGC Test, is issuing identification cards for all of the new CGC dogs. Each dog will get a laminated card with an official photo, much like a driver's license. This indicates that the dog is a Canine Good Citizen and is very useful in obtaining discounts and waiving pet deposits with some hotels! This is Denali's official photo.


The DPDTC also issued special Club certificates to all the new CGC Dogs.  This is in addition to the official certificate issued by the American Kennel Club (AKC).


Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Denali gets her first AKC Title!


Meet C-Myste Denali, CGC

(No, she's not available for adoption - this wonderful girl has been with ForPaws owner, Kathy, since she was a 12-week pup, and she's a permanent family member!)

After her successful completion of her Canine Good Citizen Test, Denali is a tired girl!
She did stay to socialize after her test was finished...quite the party girl!

A more demure Denali the morning after her CGC test.

Although not required for the CGC test, Denali has learned to stand nicely on command. She will need this for her next goal, the Companion Dog obedience title!

Denali had her 5th birthday on June 2. She's a beautiful girl!

Although still a bit sleepy, after her morning nap, she doesn' t miss much.

When it's time for bed, Denali is ready to rock. Here she is rearranging my bed, even though I didn't ask for this service!

This is one happy girl! She's the comedian, smiling all the time.

Nothing better than racing around with a talking parrot!  Awkkk...Polly gets a real workout!

At age 5 Denali still thinks she's a puppy!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Gerry Berry Gets a New Name! (And a New Home!)

Miss Gerry Berry has been having a great time in foster care. The prevailing Pembroke Princess, with the Cast Away Boyz as her "subjects," Gerry has shown herself to be a lovely girl. She's losing weight nicely on her new diet too!

Sadly, Gerry's former owners did NOT give her heartworm preventative. In an area where heartworm is extremely prevalent, it was just a matter of time...and unfortunately Gerry succumbed. She is currently being treated and is doing well.

The Best News of all is that Gerry has JUST been adopted! When she's completed her heartworm treatment, at the end of October, she will be going to her new home in which she'll have two great new moms, as well as a nice corgi brother to play with! We're absolutely thrilled for her. She's definitely paid her dues and now it is time for her to have the nice life she so deserves! 


Gerry Berry is a really pretty girl. This photo was taken when she first arrived. We will have some new ones soon, showing how much nicer she's looking without all that excess weight. 

And from now on, we will need to start calling Gerry by the name her new family intends to give her: Millie. See below for the inspiration!

Having seen and loved this show while in New York, Gerry's new owners always wanted to call their first female dog "Millie." Now they've got their girl!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Louisville, KY, 4:30AM - RACE DAY!

Race Day dawns early - our Triathletes ARE READY!

Nissa and I were up at 4:30AM to start our support efforts, and didn't get to bed until 2:30AM the following morning. Nice 22-hour day. We figure we walked about 20 miles over the period of time from the pre-race activities and organization on Saturday afternoon through 1:30AM on Monday morning, when we walked back to the hotel with the athletes.

In many ways it felt as if we were running a marathon, as we also had to be mindful of keeping ourselves hydrated and fed in order to keep our electrolytes in balance. We wore the same clothing we'd have worn had we been participating in a running event ourselves. This is not a spectator sport for the faint of heart!

Months ago, when our friends first signed up for this endeavor, Nissa and I volunteered to be there to "sherpa" and support for our friends. In addition to just being on the course in various places to cheer them as often as we could, it also meant running errands, toting gear, etc. From the Run course we returned to the bike storage area at 6PM in the evening to pull their bikes and move them to the transport area to ensure the bikes returned home safely. Then we returned the bags, containing all of the various clothing and gear they'd used for the swim and biking portions of the event, back to their hotel rooms.

When you know that the bike storage area is about 1.5 miles (one way) away from the rest of the Run course area, you'll realize that we walked about 4 miles, including the side stop at the hotel to drop the gear, just to perform this particular task. Consider, if you're there without friends to do this, you have to go back to the bike area (2 miles away) and do it yourself after completing the event. Personally, I can't imagine how one would do this.

7:00AM - The Start

THIS IS THE IRONMAN TRIATHLON!
Swim 2.4 miles
Bike 112 miles
Run 26.2 miles

Everyone arrives well before dawn to deliver all of the gear they'll need for the day to the starting area. Standing in line with our athletes for the Swim start at 7:00AM, the level of anxiety is intense...understandably. As we waited, the sun rose.

This is the day for which they've trained for 10 months. Now it has come. The South Bay Triathletes, waiting in line to start. From left, Renee, Jerald, Brian, Chris, Trista, Jesus. (Renee, Jerald, Chris and Jesus are my former Run Team buddies.)

As always, those moments before the start are filled with emotions. Anxiety, fear, excitement...it is a time to calm your nerves and establish your focus. You don't need your friends to talk to you, you just need them to "be there."

Our athletes enter the starting schute leading to the waters of the vast Ohio River. As they pause for a last Team Huddle, my heart is in my throat. It will be hot today...+90 degrees. (They cancel a marathon if it gets this hot, as the danger of dehydration and heat exhaustion gets too high, not so here.) Silently I wish them all a safe return. These people are first and foremost, Runners. They are not naturally gifted swimmers. I'll feel better when they're out of the water - and so will they!

This was a Time Trial start, in which participants jump off the end of a small dock into the water one at a time. A participant is allowed to start every three seconds, there are 2,000 of them. Our athletes are easy to spot, wearing their Iron Team signature jerseys; bright green with purple flames.

In no time the river is filled with splashing arms - quite an impressive sight!

Renee is out of the water. Here she travels down the schute toward the changing area where her bike awaits. In no time she'll be on the road for her 112 miles of riding. Later we'll learn that her cap split during her swim. Suddenly her hair was in her face and she couldn't see. She stopped and grabbed onto one of the kayaks that are in the water to help the athletes if they need assistance. With her hair secured in a band, she continued, finishing the swim in 1:45, just a few minutes longer than anticipated. Sometimes surviving an endurance event is all about how you handle the unexpected.

Renee exits the bike schute. Now most of our Iron Team athletes are on the road. Incidentally, the leading professional athlete finished his swim in 51 minutes, but did not go on to win after back spasms took him out during the bike portion. The professional men will finish somewhere between 8-9 hours, while the women will come in between 9-10 hours.
Our athletes are riding out of town and into the countryside of Kentucky on this bike tour. Nissa and I take advantage of their absence to have some breakfast. It was the only meal we would have this day. Thank goodness for those Ironman back packs and energy bars!

Having finished their 112 mile bike ride, our athletes are in familiar territory - the Marathon Run. Here Jerald approaches mile 2 of 26.2. Experienced marathoners know that there are two "halves" to the Marathon, the first 20 miles and the last 6 miles. It is now about 5:00PM. Our athletes have been up for 12 hours, exercising for 9 hours and it is 92 degrees! This race isn't over by a long shot.

Chris Barber had the textbook perfect race...the day everyone wants to have - everything worked, no major hitches! Still high on the experience, after the swim and bike segments , Chris runs past pointing at us and yelling, "You HAVE to do this! This is Amazing! You HAVE to do this!" That enthusiasm carried him to a first place finish among our South Bay Team! The others each experienced difficulties beyond what they'd hoped, but they regrouped and continued, each in his/her own way. The mantra for the day was "Keep Moving Forward." 

Jesus and Trista approach mile 2, after the run over the bridge to the Kentucky/Indiana state line.

Jesus stops to show us his new cool sponge shoulder pads! On the bridge the athletes were given sponges that had been soaking in ice water...a welcome treat!

While the Triathlon continues, life goes on as usual on the Ohio River. This shot of a tug boat pushing a series of container barges, was taken from the 11th floor of the Galt House Hotel during a short rest period that Nissa and I took while the athletes were out biking. This two-hour downtime was our only break during the 22-hour period from Sunday to Monday.

Much later, Jerald and Harold proudly display their Finishers medals!

10:00PM - The Finish Line

The level of excitement at the Finish Line is unbelievable. Throngs of people are pressed against the finish schute barriers on either side. Because it is now dark outside, and I'd fiddled with my camera settings (Bad idea - never mess with your equipment on Race Day!), my Finish Area photo is really blurry. In hindsight, this is probably pretty close to the way it appears to the athletes as they approach. Ford Motors is the primary sponsor, so there is a car on a big platform to the left, bearing an Ironman logo on its hood.  Everything is lighted, making the effect even more surreal. The cheering and noisemakers go full tilt every time a new participant enters the finish schute to run those last 50 yards. Many run it with their children, or other family members. And many do NOT run by this time!

The Finish is an exhilarating and highly emotional experience for the athletes and the fans. I could not have been more proud of each of my friends in that moment. Chris has not stopped smiling since - it is as if he will burst. Finish time: 13:54:51.

Jerald jokes about the fact that he is a shorter-than-average man at times. As he entered the Finish schute, he was right in front of us. He jumped about three feet in the air and pumped his fist. As he jumped a beam of light illuminated his face. His smile was so wide I thought his face would crack. In that moment, he was 10' tall. Finish time: 14:53:18.

Jesus had a large contingent of family members there. He was completely surrounded and engulfed in hugs. Finish time: 15:41:29

We were expecting to see Renee between 14-15 hours. As the 15-hour mark came and went, we started to become a little anxious. Her boyfriend, Nick, was at the Finish with Nissa and me. Though he didn't say anything, I could see by his face that he was worried. He leaned over the barricades to get a better view of the incoming finishers, still no Renee. By 15:15 he couldn't take it any longer. Turning to me he said, I'm going out on the course to find her. I'll call you. Enthusiastically I nodded and off he went.

Ten minutes later the phone rang. Nick had found Renee at mile 24. She'd had some problems and had to stop and walk some, but was running now and estimated to be about 20 minutes from the Finish. Whew...that was the news were were hoping to hear.

Sure enough, Renee arrived as predicted. I've never been so happy to see someone finish a race. Screaming like banshees we sent her home, racing to meet her when she emerged from the finishers area on the other side of the Line. Finish time: 15:38:22.

Renee was absolutely overtaken by the enormity of her accomplishment, the tears streamed down her face. Later, on the phone with her brother, she said that she was, "...crying because she was happy, crying because every part of her body hurt, crying because she was overwhelmed by what she'd just done, and crying because she had nothing left.'

How many of us have ever really pushed to that physical edge in which there is no more to give? Relatively few ever will, but these people did. And I will forever be awed and inspired by seeing them do it.

I was astonished, amazed and incredibly proud of my former teammates. They showed a level of determination, commitment and fortitude that is truly rare.

Being bluegrass horse country, the medals were shaped like horseshoes...very cool!

Congratulations to all the athletes...the entire South Bay Team finished!

The Ironman Triathlon is an incredible experience. As a participant or a spectator, I highly recommend it. And my friends...Oh yes, they'll do it again because these are IRONMEN AND IRONWOMEN!

Louisville, KY - The Ironman Triathlon


This Labor Day weekend I was in Louisville, KY to support four friends in their first attempt at an Ironman Triathlon. 

These people are all endurance runners that I got to know as part of my own participation in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team in Training program. Together we've trained during multiple seasons, and run many miles, and raised a lot of money for LLS in its mission to cure blood cancers. We were previously all members of the LLS South Bay Run Team, here in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. 

Chris, Renee, Jerald and Jesus are accomplished runners, all with multiple marathons under their sneakers. They trained for this event as part of the LLS IronTeam. In addition to the 10 months of intensive training, each raised a minimum of $10,000 in support of the LLS mission. On Saturday, August 30th they were skilled endurance runners. See where they ended up on Sunday by following this blog.

THE PHOTOS BELOW WERE ALL TAKEN ON SATURDAY, THE DAY PRIOR TO THE TRIATHLON.

IRONMAN TRIATHLON - WHAT IT MEANS

Swim 2.4 miles
Bike 112 miles (full Century ride)
Run 26.2 miles (full Marathon distance

You do all of these without a break. The goal: to finish before the 17-hour cutoff time.

Accompanied by another member of our former Run Team, Anissa, we flew to KY on Friday. Months ago when our friends committed to this undertaking, we volunteered to support them, provide "sherpa" duties, and whatever it took to help them succeed. Now the day has come! We stayed across the Ohio River in Indiana, approximately 2 miles from the start point of the Event. (It saved us $100/day in room fees!) This meant that we walked across a bridge, spanning the river several times. But hey, we're high mileage runners...no big deal!

The City of Louisville, as seen from Indiana!

This cute little Smart Car was on our walking route to the bridge. How I wish they'd left the keys in it!

The City of Louisville has some great architecture. The LLS Ironman Team stayed in the hotel on the right of the screen, overlooking the Ohio River.

Louisville also has a lot of wonderful public art!
This cool dragon doubles as a bike rack.

Here our friends prepare to take their bikes to the holding area, where they will sit waiting for them to jump on for the 112 mile ride tomorrow.

The route to the holding area is about a mile away and we have to walk under a freeway overpass and out onto a walk that parallels the river front.

Ever the accomplished shopper, Renee has wasted no time getting her official Ironman Tri backpack.

As you see, Nissa (blond) managed to snag an Ironman pack for herself too. OK, yes, I had mine on too as I took these pics while we made our way to the bike area.

The Ohio is one Monster River. Here a decorative waterfall is incorporated along the river wall. In the distance you see the bridge to Indiana that we walked across each day.

Arrival at the bike holding area shows the race setup in full swing. The various arches under which the athletes must pass as they transition from the Swim to the Bike and from the Bike to the Run are in place.

There are about 2,000 athletes in this race. Each has a bike. They are all arranged in numerical order in this field the night before the event.

There are numerous schutes like this to guide the athletes. This is where they'll come riding in when they've completed the 112 mile ride. The white tents are changing tents where they will swap clothes as needed to go from Swim to Bike and Bike to Run. 

Meet the athletes: from left, Brian, Jerald, Trista, Chris (in back), Renee, and Nick (Bike Captain for the Team and experienced triathlete.)

Now it is later in the afternoon. Most of the bikes are in the holding area...2,000 is a LOT of bikes! Some of these high end tri bikes can cost more than my special edition VW Beetle! This isn't a sport for the poverty stricken. Reportedly the average annual salary of a triathlete is $160,000!

Here Jerald appears to be making a face that exhibits how he expects to feel as he runs under this arch to start the marathon, after having logged his 2.4 miles in the water and 112 miles on the bike tomorrow.

The day before the Big Event the athletes are understandably anxious. Here Jerald attempts to ask a "local" for directions, in case he gets lost on the way to the Start tomorrow.

Switching gears (sorry about the pun!) from the Starting Line, here is the scene of the Finish. It is an area called Fourth Street Live, in downtown Louisville. A collection of shops and restaurants on multiple stories, it is architecturally quite interesting.

Here they're constructing the Finish Line schute. Finishers will run down the schute and through the official Finish Line arch in the distance. (And we'll be there to watch!)

This is the 2nd year that Louisville is hosting the Ironman Triathlon. They have a 5-year contract. Needless to say, this event is a Big Deal here. Over 2,500 local volunteers staff it, many reporting for duty at 4:30AM!

Here in Kentucky, the Surrey is readily available as a means of transportation. Unfortunately, they don't exactly turn on a dime and Dan, the head coach for our Iron Teamers, lends a helping push when these folks got stuck!

Walking the bridge had its perqs. Here we get a great shot from mid-span of the area where the athletes will exit the water of the Ohio River upon completing their swim. They'll run up the schute you see here, next to Joe's Crab Shack, left over the bridge and into the grassy field on the left. This is the bike holding field that you saw earlier. This photo was taken early Saturday morning before any of the bikes arrived.

Here the Swim course is marked with the yellow buoys. Swimmers will start approximately a mile downstream from this location. They will swim away from us in this photo, circle a small island and finish back upstream beyond the original starting point.

Meanwhile, Finish Line set up continues at Fourth Street Live.
These white gazebos will house the race officials. Some of the coaches will be allowed to witness the finish from this vantage point as well. This was a real treat for the LLS Ironteam Coaches.

The Final Destination Arch! The Finish Line!

As part of the marathon route, the athletes are treated to a run on the same bridge that Nissa and I walked across. They run out toward Indiana, turn around on the state line, marked here, and head back into Kentucky. We took this photo as we were heading back to the hotel for the night.  We'll get up at 4:30AM walk three miles to the Swim start. It will already be in the mid-70's and humid. Tomorrow promises to be a LONG day - and a memorable one!