Lambiedog

Mein host, Lambie

We had a small gathering the other evening in honor of Cali's owner, Margaret, who is moving away.

I was all nerves before our guests arrived.  I hoped it would be a nice balance of people and dogs.

When they arrived, it turned out that the dog contingent was minimal.  Margaret had left Cali at home. Dolce did attend, but although quite relaxed, she was not at her most lively.

 

Though I was outnumbered species-wise, I circulated among the guests, keeping the social ball rolling and the glasses filled.

I wish I could find it easier to relax in these situations, as Dolce seems to do so effortlessly.

Yard sale aficionado

I attended a yard sale last weekend.  It was al fresco, as these things tend to be.

    The day was quite warm.  Even the ocean breeze did not cut the heat much.

 

I identified a bench I might like to own, and stationed myself in a shady area underneath it, asserting first dibs so no one else would try to buy it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bench turned out not to be for sale, but I stayed there, out of concern for the landowner's tort liability if a yard sale invitee were to collapse of heat stroke.

Adventures abroad

   On Secret Stairs Walk # 38, in Universal City, we enjoyed a new approach to the humble house number.

 

 We also encountered a dog named Cutie Pie -- a young thing, not yet housebroken, and desperate to interact with me.

I will admit I recoiled from her a bit, accustomed as I am to more subtle dogs.

                              I suppose Cutie Pie just needs to mature.              

Later, we passed the putative home of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch.  It was in a group of like homes, all cantilevered over the hillside. You could tell that Harry Bosch was a tough guy, because anyone else would be unable to sleep at night worrying that his home might fall down.

After that came a  Moorish house with a lot of tilework.  Even the garage was tiled. 

  By this point, however, the words that were running through my mind there were not, "Amazing tilework!" but "Can we go home yet?"

    Exploring the city's all well and good, but as a famous dog owner once said, "There's no place like home."

 

 

Intimate portrait by an insider

Charlie did a photo shoot of me the other day.  You can see how relaxed I am in his presence.

The naked vulnerability revealed in the photo calls to mind the famous portrait of a young Al Gore shaving, taken by Tipper. 

My impression is that Al was very relaxed for his photo shoot as well.

Perhaps we should title the pictures from my shoot "Intimate Photos of a Future Statesman."  Or would a simple "Dog at Rest" be better?

Visitors from the exotic east

         Avery and Catherine came to visit from Maryland. 

    Although their visit was not solely for the purpose of spending time with me, they were gratifyingly attentive.

    On an evening hike to Inspiration Point, they were alert to species inequity -- I got water; everyone else got water and dinner -- and combatted it by dropping food to me. 

    Making it a much better picnic, from my standpoint.

Perfect poop

Sometimes everything just falls into place.

Desperately seeking shade

    It was back to the Secret Stairs book this past Saturday for Walk #19, around a quiet Silver Lake neighborhood.   I remember nothing about the scenery, views, or historic homes we saw.  Rather, the dominant story was my continuous search for shade.

  

  We took regular water breaks, and a couple of structured siestas.  Yet I needed more. I found myself ceaselesssly scanning the horizon, attuned to all possible shade opportunities.  

Eventually we arrived at Café Tropical, where I collapsed, too exhausted to even pay attention to the dog just behind us.  The ladies, meanwhile, daintily enjoyed their iced beverages.

Do they have any understanding of what it feels like to go on a summer hike in a fur coat?

Put on your 3D glasses...

...to enjoy this photo from the bluffs, where we encountered Franklin Londin and his 3D camera.

    If you don't have 3D glasses on hand, it's not hard to create some yourself.  Here's a YouTube video on making them from an old pair of glasses.  Or you could just use markers on a CD case.  

Alternately, you can order a free pair of glasses here.

Whirlwind weekend

    Every couple of months our empty nesters group gets together.   It was our turn to host.

Then it developed that Thomas and his colleague, Dusty, would be in town and staying with us that same weekend.

 

It was a party, through and through.  My cup ranneth over.

Displaced

    In preparation for having the ladies from the Intergenerational Group over my owner moved my pillows from their usual spot on the sofa, so that I could cede the seating to our guests. Which I did, with an open heart because I welcome visitors.

    But no one thought to put my pillows back after the guests had departed.

    With important neighborhood observation to catch up on, I had to make do with the resources at hand: one measly pillow on the other sofa.  It was uncomfortable and inadequate, but it was all I had.

        After an excruciating delay, my family noticed, and reinstated my pillows.

                            Moments like these make me realize how dependent I am.