Jake the Dog

Sunning on the deck. What's he thinking, cottage?


Well, we're going somewhere, I just haven't figured it out yet. I hope I'm getting a Big Mac out of this ...


Fossil hunting again, maybe?


Okay, now I know, cottage! Last leg, boat trip across the lake (keep those ears down!)


Play time. He can't find the tennis ball, but he can follow someone who can:


More?


Race! (As in, I'm going where you're going!)


Dry land, but I'm wet!


Whoops. Where'd everybody go?


I knew you'd be back. And how to finish the day: go watch the sunset.


And finally, home again, deck, best bud, sun, what more could you want?



He's almost totally blind now. A game we developed back on the home front: go to a local park, it's a big open field, baseball diamond, play area, little creek running through it, typical park. He's been a thousand times, easily. he likes it there. I let him loose, he heads for the trees to sniff or something, I stay around the spot where I let him loose. He suddenly remembers he's blind and needs me and comes back to the spot I left him and sniffs me out and then rubs his nose against my leg 'cause that's what he does.

The other day I changed things up, he goes off sniffing, I move somewhere else, he comes back to find me, can't. Now what. He gets a bit nervous. He looks back towards the house, he looks forward towards where we usually leave the park. Ears up, head up. There's purpose to his gait, as he moves out about 20 yards back towards the house. Nothing. So back to where I left him. Still nothing. Then the other way, nothing. Now he's prancing a bit, nervous. Now what i'd almost call a grid search, back and forth, hurriedly, purposefully. Thirty seconds go by, maybe, now he looks like he wants to head home. He'd make it, i'm sure, the only thing that could stop him would be a car. Time to give him a clue, a quick shout, and he covers the hundred yards or so easily, happily. He doesn't need a second shout to find me, his trajectory almost dead on.

Now, next day, he knows it's a game, or at least that i won't leave him. And he likes the chase. it's been over a year since he's been able to see the tennis ball, and a couple since he's gone after a squirrel. Sometimes he finds me, sometimes he needs help. Always he's ready for more.

He's a confident, happy dog (GSD), good-looking too. (And i'm not really a dog person, he was kind of an accident.)

On feeding the ducks (geese)

You have two choices re the bread:

1) feed them


2) feed yourself

Caption Contest!

already taken: "A Palestinian man looks though the window of a building damaged in recent years in the conflict with Israel in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 18, 2008. Israel officially confirmed Wednesday that a cease-fire with the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip will begin Thursday morning in an effort to end a year of fighting that has killed more than 400 Palestinians and seven Israelis."


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Dec 5 contest:


already taken: "A tie. You're telling me I need a tie. Do you know who the fuck I am?"

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Dec 15 contest


already taken: "Here, catch, this is a 10"

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Jun 6 contest

Nicaragua

Welcome from Nicaragua. We were a bit giddy by the time we got to Masaya, one of many active volcanoes in Nicaragua, this one just off the highway from Managua to Granada. Famously, you can drive right up to the rim of the volcano, and famously, you must back your car into your parking spot to facilitate a quick get-away, just in case. (The last just-in-case was 2001.)


The museum at the entrance to the volcano park is a nice one, with a mini lesson of plate tectonics and some nice work on the local history.

Below are three of the people we met in Nicaragua. Rafael, with us at the museum, is an aspiring hotel owner. Right now he works for a guy from Montana who owns a nice spot in Granada. Rafael's also a bit of an entrepreneur and runs a couple of small businesses.

Ismael, our guide and driver in Managua, is next down. Mombotombo, a stratovolcano, is in the background middle left. I liked Ismael, though he didn't speak a word of English. He understood it though, I know that. Once I was bargaining for a couple of handbags with those Mayan/Aztec type drawings on them, I asked him to offer the woman 20 versus her stated price of 24 and he just looked at me and said no. Here's how I took the no: that would be insulting, and I'm protecting you and her by not relaying your bid, even if it will make you slightly angry with me. I sensed he knew I was a bit tired of local food too, we went to a nice mall with a great foodcourt and a decent live band (Billy Joel, Piano Man as we walked in) for our going away meal.

Next down is Fredder, our guide for ziplining up in a coffee plantation on the side of a mountain outside of Granada. Fredder was only 22 and had lots of energy and loved to talk. We learned that he started welding when he was 14 but that wasn't what he wanted to do so he went back to school. At university he had a girlfriend from El Salvador who did a poli sci degree; she knew everything about every treaty that affected Central American. Fredder wasn't into politics though, birds were his thing. He spoke for about an hour nonstop about birds while we hiked through the mountain, every word measured and meaningful. Fredder also let us know that he doesn't smoke, drink or dance close, but does like to party, and split with his old girlfriend.








After the ziplining fun we take care of a formality, signing the waiver. In the (farthest) background is Mario, while Fredder did the work in making sure we were safe, Mario did all the checking and made sure we were doubly safe and comfortable. He didn't say much, but you had the feeling that he knew what he was doing. He was also our driver, and could have easily killed us all, rollover style, just getting to our destination; it was not a fun ride, and I guess in choosing whether to hit the bumps hard or soft it might as well be hard and fast, versus soft and slow. (Same principle on the water by the way, boaters will know.)



A resort on the Pacific. After "roughing it" (hotel with no pool) for 5 days, we treat ourselves at Montelimar.


The pool is the largest in Central America, and the ocean isn't bad either. The waves are a bit deceptive, larger than they look .. there's a body in the second pic below, if you look hard enough.




Finally around sunset you get some relief from the scorching temps.















And when you think you've seen or missed the sunset, look what happens. The sun comes back again to hit the underside of the clouds. These three pics are taken 7, 8, and 9 minutes after the last pic above. Gorgeous.















Back in Granada you start the day (if you dare) with a trip to the covered market. How many years has this been going on, just like this.


And if your sandals need repairing, pay somebody to find you the shoe repair guy in the outdoor market. Two bucks for a 1 minute stitch job, turns a busted sandal into a functional one.


A typical restaurant. After playing it safe with recognizable food, we went with local fare. The restaurants aren't as showy, but the food is good, the service is great, and the conversation always interesting.


















And then in the evening, it's Central Park. I had grabbed a bench (hard to do, you have to be patient and quick), but I soon had one visitor, then a second, which filled the bench. How am I going to explain that? Then a third, standing there with her baby and looking at me as if I took her spot. It's yours, I gestured, and your price (I thought to myself) will be a picture with me.

China girl

My wife's mom recounts occasionally her time as a teenager hiding in the hills with her mother and multitude of sisters when Mao came to power. She tells her stories without malice or emotion, but it was a life and death thing, they did lose everything, and she did eventually make it to North America (Costa Rica of all places). All of them made it out, including a guy from her village who made it to Trinidad, and who she eventually married back in that same village, before coming back to North America.


So after hiding, imagine seeing these same types face-to-face 60 years later in an almost make-believe (i.e. touristy) circumstance. What's she thinking? I got out and you didn't? But they all love China, you'll never take that away. Trivia question: the cops in Tiananmen stopped carrying guns awhile ago, and instead carry what? (Answer)

(more soon hopefully)

Nov 13:

An impromptu singer at Temple of Heaven:



Apartments near Olympic Village:



Added Feb 8:





Wall pics, added Aug 18, 2011